Gustong patunayan ni eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao na kaya pa niyang makipagsabayan sa ibabaw ng lona ng parisukat sa pagdepensa ng kanyang WBO welterweight crown laban sa Amerikanong si Chris Algieri sa Linggo sa Macau, China.
“I’m not predicting a knockout, but I’m looking for a good fight and looking to prove I can still fight,” sinabi ni Pacquiao sa BoxingScene.com matapos dumating sa Venetian Macao Resort. “I’m willing to fight anybody. I’m not ducking anyone.”
Bagamat ipinahiwatig ng kanyang promoter na si Bob Arum ng Top Rank na positibong makakaharap niya ang matagal nang hinahamon na si WBC at WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., idiniin ng Pinoy boxer na dapat niyang ituon ang isip sa laban kay Algieri.
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“Let’s finish this fight first,” ani Pacquiao. “My job is to fight. I’m not picking opponents. Whoever wants to fight me, I will fight.”
Napangiti lamang si Pacquiao nang tanungin kung bakit matagal na siyang hindi nakapagpapatulog ng kalaban sa ring.
“It would mean a lot [to knock out Algieri],” ayon sa Pambansang Kamao. “It would mean a lot. If the knockout comes, it will come. But like I said, I’m not the guy who predicts the [outcome] of the fight. I don’t want to predict the fight and I just want to do my best.”
Ngunit iba ang nasa isip ng kanyang trainer na si Hall of Famer Freddie Roach matapos pagmasdan ang mga bigwas ni Pacquiao sa heavy bag.
“Strength, when Manny hits the bag, the whole gym stops. I mean, everyone looks at the pop he has, the power and the speed. The mitts are good for the speed and coordination and so forth, but the heavy bag is for strength. The heavy bag was a vital part of our training camp for this fight,” ani Roach na tiwalang mapatitigil ni Pacquiao si Algieri. “This isn’t a Rocky fight. This is real.”
