Ni GILBERT ESPEÑA

Iginiit ni dating International Boxing Organization (IBO) cruiserweight champion at trainer ngayon na si Johnathon Banks na malaki ang maitutulong ni ESPN boxing analyst Teddy Altas sa pagsasanay kay WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley para mapatulog si Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao.

Hahamunin ni Pacquiao si Bradley sa kanilang ikatlong sagupaan sa Abril 9 sa Las Vegas, Nevada kung saan paboritong manalo ang Pinoy boxer.

Sa panayam ni boxing writer Robert Brown ng On The Ropes Boxing Radio sa trainer ni dating world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitshko ng Ukraine, aminado si Banks na malaki ang magiging kaibahan ng laban dahil sa pagbabago ng trainer ni Bradley.

“It depends on who the trainer is. Timothy fought Pacquiao before, so there’s not gonna be too much of a difference. The thing about a trainer changing in the corner, if a trainer can come in and change the course of a fighter then he has to have a reputation to do so,” ani Banks. “Does Teddy Atlas have a reputation of making champions? Alexander Povetkin was an Olympic gold medalist and already a world heavyweight champion before he ever got to Teddy. There’s no way in the world you can say Teddy made any fighter.”

Ngunit iginiit ni Banks na mas maraming kumikilala kay Atlas kaysa sa trainer niya noong aktibo pa siya sa boksing-ang yumaong si Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward.

“I’ve seen pictures out on Facebook asking who’s the greater trainer between Emanuel Steward and Teddy Atlas, and ninety percent of people picked Teddy Atlas,”diin ni Banks.“I don’t know how people even say this. You got the highest decorated trainer in the history of the sport,one of the only trainers to this day to take someone not knowing nothing as an amateur, taking them to the Olympic trials,to the pros, to a world title and legendary status, and he did it over and over again.”

Hindi rin naniniwala si Banks na magiging paborito ng mga pupusta sa Las Vegas si Pacquiao sa oras ng sagupaan.

“I didn’t think Pacquiao should have been the favorite in any of the previous fights. I think Timothy Bradley is a good athlete, I think he’s a hard worker, and I really believe if comes in there and fights Pacquiao, I honestly think that he will beat him,” paliwanag ni Banks.

“You gotta look at what (Juan Manuel) Marquez did.Although Pacquiao and Marquez had such a good rhythm because they had fought so many times before, they could fight each other with their eyes closed” ani Marquez, “You know what? Everytime he tries to fight me, he jumps in to me but let me see if I can time that jump.” Marquez timed it right and I think Timothy Bradley should do the same thing, time the jump.”

“Pacquiao hasn’t changed, just time that jump and catch him when he comes in and Timothy Bradley should be able to knock him out. I really believe Bradley can knock him out,” dagdag ni Banks.“I take nothing away from the training of Teddy Atlas,I think he does a good job with his fighters, his corner ethics are a little extreme but that’s Teddy Atlas trying to get whatever he can out of his fighters,and who can blame him for that?”