Pacquiao not in best shape, says trainer

MANILA, Philippines - Coach Freddie Roach said Manny Pacquiao is far from his best.

But if it was true, it didn’t show yesterday when the 31-year-old Filipino icon sparred five rounds with Mexican Glen Tapia at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City.

“He almost went down,” said Team Pacquiao’s Nonoy Neri of the Mexican sparring partner who, according to Roach, may be just as good as Antonio Margarito.

Roach described Tapia as “cocky” and that he did “very, very good” when he sparred four rounds with Pacquiao last Thursday, the first day of sparring for the awaited Nov. 13 showdown.

The other sparring partner, Michael Medina, also did four rounds with Pacquiao last Saturday, and took some solid shots from the pound-for-pound champion that he looked ready to go as well.

A couple more sparring partners are coming in with reigning WBA super-welterweight champ Amir Khan probably on the way to Manila as of presstime, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on standby.

Pacquiao has always done so well in sparring, even when Roach threw taller, bigger partners at him. He had a couple of boxers bloodied in his previous camps, and yesterday he was all over Tapia.

Still, Roach said Pacquiao is far from tip-top shape.

“The direction I want him to move is a little better. The stuff we were doing yesterday came through today. He’s not 100 percent; we still have a long way to go,” Ted Lerner of Ring Magazine quoted Roach as saying.

“We’re just beginning to get the game plan down and get the timing and so forth. He did what I wanted him to do a couple of times. It’s a work in progress,” added Lerner, embedded in the Pacquiao camp.

Roach said if Pacquiao fought today, chances are he’d lose, but that won’t really happen in November.

“If that Manny Pacquiao went into a fight, we’d probably lose. But that’s why we have an eight-week training camp, so we can improve. You can’t expect too much out of a guy who hasn’t been in the ring since last March,” Lerner wrote.

Roach said Pacquiao was at 50 to 60 percent of himself when they arrived in Baguio more than a week ago, and said the Pinoy icon should be close to 90 percent before they fly to Los Angeles later this month.

Roach said Team Pacquiao should be in LA on Oct. 23, a Saturday, so Pacquiao could rest the whole of Sunday before plunging back into training the following day.