Eight-time division world champion Manny Pacquiao has now started his pre-training camp workout for his upcoming showdown with boxing young gun's Brandon 'Bam Bam' Rios. However for 'Pacman' to gain his mojo back, he has to take a step back from his strict religious standard and unleash the old merciless fighter that took the boxing world by storm in the last decade.
Pacquiao is expected to kick off his official training camp next week upon the arrival of head trainer Freddie Roach in General Santos City. For the first time since his early boxing days, Pacquiao will have his training camp in his home city after staging it in Los Angeles and Baguio City in his previous fights.
Pacman camp thinks holding training camp in the fighter's backyard will allow him to stay focused and avoid distractions he painstakingly dealt with in his last two fights.
However, Pacquiao needs more than a solid training camp for him to regain his confidence back. In his coming fight with hard-hitting Rios, Pacquiao has to become not only a boxer, but a brutal warrior with the intention to obliterate opponents at all cost.
During Pacman's rise to the top of the boxing world, he demonstrated overwhelming speed and power to topple elite level opponents such as Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and Antonio Margarito.
But one characteristic Pacquiao exhibited in his previous fight was his resilience and killer instincts. In his last two fights against Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao was noticeably passive and seemed to hold back in toe-to-toe confrontations. He didn't have the killer mindset anymore, and often settled to outscore rather than to flatten his opponents.
One reason seen as a factor for Pacquiao's increased compassion towards his rivals is his conversion into a devoted Christian follower. In an article published by the Philippine Inquirer in 2012, Pacquiao was criticized for reportedly allowing pastors to distract his training and often solicit money from the Filipino boxing idol.
"The old Manny Pacquiao is gone. Atop the ring, he is no longer as ferocious as before. Unless he learns to temper his newfound passion and obsession, we would no longer see knock-out victories in his future fights," an unnamed source told Philippine Inquirer.
To get things straight, there's nothing wrong about Pacquiao's religious activities. However, in order for him to stay relevant in the boxing world, the Pacman has to unleash the beastly warrior that shows no any signs of compassion and mercy. A fighter ready to engage in a war without any intention to hold back. That was the Pacquiao of the old and that's what he needs going into the second chapter of his boxing career - to be 'unholy' inside the ring.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
