Pacquiao endures it all in training

By Francis Thimsel J. Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:06:00 11/07/2009
HOLLYWOOD— Manny Pacquiao was doing crunches in front of a television crew when the pain of his beastly regimen caught up with him. To egg himself on, he let out a yell.

“Tiis lang (Just take it),” he screamed. And then he produced even more crunches.

Such a willing athlete is a blessing to strength and conditioning coaches like Alex Ariza, who has admitted in the past that his main problem with the Filipino superstar lies in asking Pacquiao to taper off.

But on Nov. 14, when the pound-for-pound champion chases after Miguel Cotto’s WBO welterweight belt, Team Pacquiao will have another edge, according to Ariza: Guidance from the sidelines.

Ariza on Thursday joined in the bashing of Cotto’s corner, partnering with trainer Freddie Roach in needling the rival camp in the hopes of throwing a monkey wrench into their preparations for the big bout.

“I’ve got one big advantage in my corner—Freddie Roach,” Ariza told reporters at the Wild Card gym.

While Ariza showed a healthy dose of respect for his counterpart at Team Cotto, conditioning coach Phil Landman, had offered nothing outside of mockery for 32-year-old trainer Joe Santiago.

“Cotto has whoever that guy is—an average Joe,” Ariza said.

Santiago has responded to just about everything Roach has put out there, even when Roach said he’s just trying to get under the skin of Team Cotto.

“Now he wants me to put my (trainer of the year) trophy on the line (during the fight) because he says he’s the best,” Roach said. “We’ll see about that after the fight.”

“They (Team Cotto) say I talk too much, but I’ll keep trying to get into their heads when I can,” he added.

The 32-year-old Santiago has worked the Cotto corner only once prior to the Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas. That was when Cotto hammered out a scary 12-round decision over Joshua Clottey early this year.

Souce: http://sports.inquirer.net/professional/professional/view/20091107-234704/Pacquiao-endures-it-all-in-training