LOS ANGELES – Inside the tiny closet, well, actually the dressing room of the Wild Card Gym, boxing’s biggest superstar aired all his excitement.
“I’m excited. Nakapangahig na (I’m ready to go),” said Manny Pacquiao, exactly a week before the third, and hopefully his last fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.
The Filipino icon had just wrapped up another day at the gym when he let a handful of scribes inside the dressing room
It was drizzling outside, with his fans eagerly waiting, when Pacquiao spoke of the fight all set to happen at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, as he’d been throughout this camp, was in a light mood. He laughed when reminded of his latest appearance at the Jimmy Kimmel Show, and the song “How Deep is Your Love.”
In a snap, the topic changed.
“Freddie (Roach) said he wants you to knock Marquez out,” Pacquiao was told.
He paused for a moment, faced each one fronting him, and said, “I can’t say. Basta ready tayo (But we’re ready) for the fight.
How ready is he really?
“They didn’t let me work on the skipping ropes today. And just one round with the speed ball,” said Pacquiao, at this point looking disappointed in that he had wanted more.
“They’re pulling the ropes on me. Lagi kaming nagtatalo dito (We always argue on this),” he said.
Trainer Freddie Roach knows what he’s doing, and the other day he said Pacquiao had worked so hard in this camp he had to give the reigning WBO welterweight champ a day off Thursday.
Pacquiao was asked about the difference between this fight, and the previous ones, the controversial draw of 2004, and the close win of 2008.
Pacquiao had floored Marquez four times in those two fights, but on both occasions he failed to finish the Mexican off as well.
Pacquiao had never gone down against Marquez but he was close to maybe a couple of times. For the fighting congressman from the Philippines, it’s a thing of the past.
“Iba kasi noon eh (It was different before),” he said.
“I was reduced at 130 pounds then. This time, I can eat all I want,” said Pacquiao, who fought Marquez at 126 lb the first time and at 130 lb the second time.
When they lock horns next week, it will be for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight crown, at a catchweight of 144 lb, which is three pounds off the limit.
Pacquiao is at home, comfortably, as a welterweight. And he’d faced, and beaten some of the great welterweights out there – Oscar dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.
Marquez wouldn’t have gone past any of these fighters.
Pacquiao said he plans to tip the scales just under the agreed limit, and that he’d climb the ring at around 147 or 148 pounds.
“For the weigh-in, it will depend. If I’m under the limit, maybe I would have to eat before that,” he said.
Pacquiao was asked if he’d seen Marquez recently, and how the 38-year-old Mexican had bulked up for the coming fight.
“Nagpalaki siya,” said Pacquiao, who didn’t seem bothered at all.
Why should he?
“Sanay naman tayo lumaban sa malaki (I’m used to fighting big men). Si Margarito. Si Dela Hoya. I don’t need to worry about that,” he said.
Pacquiao said he’d rather face a bigger Marquez than the smaller Marquez.
“It would be more difficult for me if he was smaller because that means he’s faster. But at this weight, he can be bigger but I will be faster than him.”
Roach said the other day Pacquiao has never been more motivated for a fight than for this one. Pacquiao agreed.
“Grabe motivation ko sa fight na ito. Kahit malapit na laban pukpuk pa rin,” he said.
Pacquiao said he’s had enough of Marquez telling the whole world he’d won both fights.
“Parang nakaka-insulto sa pagkalalaki ko (It’s an insult to my being a man),” he said.
Then he laughed, when actually he looked and sounded serious.