Pacman decks tall sparring partner

MANILA, Philippines - It’s a good thing Manny Pacquiao pays his sparring partners well.

Otherwise, his trainer, Freddie Roach, will have a very difficult time looking for boxers willing to slug it out with the hard-hitting Pacquiao as he prepares for his coming fight against Ricky Hatton.

Art Hovhannesyan, an Armenian lightweight who carries a perfect 7-0 record, bled for every penny and was floored by the Filipino pound for pound champion Tuesday at the Wild Card Gym.

The 27-year-old Hovhannesyan stands 5’7’ or a shade taller than Pacquiao.

It was the first day of sparring for Pacquiao for his May 2 fight with Hatton, and those who thought it would be light and slow were proven wrong when Pacquiao came out smoking.

Pacquiao floored Hovhannesyan, now a resident of Glendale, California, in the second round of what was supposed to be a three- or four-round session held before a limited audience.

Then, according to sports orthodontist Ed dela Vega who was at the gym, Pacquiao connected with another series of head blows that opened a “one-inch” cut above the Armenian’s left eye.

They had to end the session. Dela Vega said Hovhannesyan could have suffered more if not for the head gear which the boxers wore in sparring.

“Could you imagine if he wasn’t?” he said in an article posted at philboxing.com that showed photos of the Armenian almost kissing the canvas, and his cut being examined by his handler.

Pacquiao pays each of his sparring partners close to a thousand dollars a week, but to some of them it’s not really the money but the chance to work out with the world champion.

In his recent camps, Pacquiao had also sent a few sparring partners packing. One of them, taller and heavier, almost quit after three rounds as Pacquiao trained for Oscar dela Hoya.

Pacquiao spars on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and on these days the Hollywood sweatshop normally closes its doors to anyone with no business being around.

During sparring days, the “no-videos, no-photos” rule is being strictly implemented by Team Pacquiao security officer Rob Peters.

When sparring resumes, Hovhannesyan may no longer be there, but Roach has already lined up a few others, and it may include Amir Khan who recently knocked out Marco Antonio Barrera in England.

Khan, at 22 described by Roach as his next world champion, has sparred with Pacquiao before, and wouldn’t hesitate doing it again.

“I want to help Manny because he’s a good friend. It’s good to have someone like him for me to look up to. The sparring would do me good as well. Manny helps me to learn so much, confidence-wise, when I just spar with him.

“If I can handle him and spar with him, I can handle anyone. It’s going to take me on to the next level,” he said.

Roach said Khan may prove to be a good sparring partner for the Hatton fight.

“Okay, he has a very different style to Hatton’s, but I love using Amir because when Manny can handle his speed, then he’s sharp. When you’re sharp you can deal with anybody,” he told the UK press.