|
By Eddie G. Alinea, Contributor
IF events leading to their title fight six days
from now are to be the gauge, defending World Boxing Council super
featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez owns a distinct advantage
over Filipino challenger Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.
Even in the final press conference set Monday
(Tuesday in Manila) for their return match on Saturday at the
Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the Mexican titleholder
looks to have the edge as, for reasons only the promoters know, it
will be held on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles, known
to be the “Little Mexico” in the Southern California area.
Going to the press conference site, therefore,
is like going to the lion’s den as far as Pacquiao is concerned.
It is like going to a hostile territory, if the Los Angeles media is
to be believed.
The place is where Mexicans in Los Angeles
gather for special occasions, like the famous “Cinco de Mayo
[Fifth of May],” the day reserved for the celebration of the
Mexican Independence Day.
To the Filipinos in the area, “Cinco de
Mayo” is equivalent to the world famous “Sinulog” in Cebu,
“Ati-Atihan” in Aklan and Maskara Festival in Bacolod City.
Pacquiao, however, remains undaunted, saying, he
also has the numbers as far as following in the area is concerned.
On the eve of their meeting members of the
international media, Pacquiao invited his Filipino friends and
followers to go and watch the press conference to show Marquez’s
camp that, indeed, he also has the numbers.
“Hindi lamang mga Pilipino. Pati mga
supporters kong Mexicano pupunta,” he told the Manila Times in an
overseas interview on Saturday during a lull in his training.
“Siya, baka wala siyang fans na Pilipino, pero ako marami rin
akong tagahangang Mexicano.”
The 29-year-old former world flyweight and super
bantamweight champ said he is asking Filipinos attending the
conference to bring the Philippine flag as Mexicans are sure to
bring also their national red-green-white tri-colors.
Marquez, actually, possesses a head start since
he and Pacquiao started their build up regimen. While his Filipino
challenger started training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood under
the watch of trainer Freddie Roach eight weeks ago, the Mexican
champ opened his build up program four months earlier at the Romanza
Gym in Mexico City.
During the fist weight-in conducted several
weeks ago, Marquez only tipped the scale at 133 pounds compared to
Pacquiao’s 150 pounds or 17 pounds heavier than his opponent.
Roach though dismissed the discrepancy as big
and can be remedied with still a week before the fight, saying
shedding off three pounds in that span before the big fight is no
big deal.
Some sectors in the Mexican camp reasoned out
though that one-pound heavier is easier to shed off in making the
130-pound limit than erasing the three-pound overweight.
Marquez’s camp added that removing 17 pounds
in few weeks’ time could have sapped much of Pacquiao’s energy
especially considering that the Filipino crown pretender, by his own
admission, has never before prepared harder than now.
Both Pacquiao and Marquez, who just flew in
Saturday from Mexico, will be proceeding to Las Vegas to pitch
separate camps at the site of their do-or-die battle.
The Mexican champ, though, will be going there
by plane while Pacquiao opted to take some four-hour trip by road.
|
