Clottey is a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion and a very sturdy welterweight who has a size advantage and power to upset the Filipino Superstar.

Meanwhile, Coach Freddie also talked about the current status and progress in Pacquiao’s training camp.

“He has sparred twice, he looks really good, he knocked out one sparring partner and we have four other sparring partners in here at the moment.”

Manny Pacquiao’s diet and conditioning Guru Alex Ariza added that PacMan is “very sharp and looks like he’ll be ready to fight next week.”

Manny showed us that he is very well-prepared and 100% ready against this tough Puerto Rican Welterweight Champion. “I can’t wait for the fight,” declared the reigning pound-for-pound champion as he limbered up, with mediamen lining up three sides of the ring.

“Training was good. I don’t think I was even distracted during the camp,” he also added. It was when asked about the tension – including the series of calamities that occurred when he first began training camp in Baguio City, Philippines.

Manny had eight weeks of hard work and intense training as he prepares one of the toughest fights on his entire career.

“This is a huge fight for me. This is a big fight. Because if I win I become the first boxer to capture seven titles in seven weight divisions,” he said.

The pound-for-pound king acknowledges that his speed is the main weapon he has against Cotto. And believe that he has also power to neutralize the size advantage of the Puerto Rican boxer.

“Kahit tumagal ang fight wala ako problema (Even if the fight lasts long I won’t have a problem),” said Pacquiao, even if his chief trainer Freddie Roach had predicted a knockout that could come in the first round or at most the 10th.

Pacquiao denies the allegation for having a personal conflict between him and his chief trainer Roach. He said that there’s no rift between him and his trainer and in fact, they’d finalize the training schedule during the fight’s press tour next week.

Meanwhile, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez is now up in Baguio to check the facilities there for them to start training maybe next week. Baguio is Philippines’ summer capital, chilly most of the year, around 150 miles north of Manila and 1,500 meters above sea level.

Earlier, Freddie Roach had been opposed to Pacquiao training in the country, that too many distractions might hinder the concentration of his prize fighter as the training goes on. Roach wants Manny to train in Toluca, Mexico, instead. Other options will be in Vancouver but in the end its Pacquiao personal choice to hold his initial training in Baguio for the Nov. 14 title fight with Cotto.

The Filipino then resumes his training in the U.S three weeks before the fight.

Pacquiao said he will discuss things with Roach when they hook up next week for the press tour in New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. He already expected the three-time Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach along with conditioning coach Alex Ariza and three sparring partners to come along with him as he will arrived here from the U.S tour.

Many Filipinos now are starting to get worry thinking him for being overconfident and too relax. But the 30-year old top pound-for-pound fighter today assured Roach and his hordes of Filipino fans that everything is going to be fine once he enters training camp.

“I understand our countrymen or my fans feeling worried about my training. I want to assure them that I’m not taking it for granted. I know myself. I know that eight weeks should do it,” he added.

Fresh from winning NBA championship against Orlando Magic, Bryant and reigning pound-for-pound king Pacquiao recently met during a commercial shoot for Nike in Los Angeles.

Bryant admits that they have great bonding with our own boxing icon hero Manny Pacquiao. It’s definitely not because they share the same sports apparel brand but both of them has a heart of a champion, a winning attitude and dedication to their respective sport.

“I love him,” Bryant said of Pacquiao during Tuesday’s press conference for his 2009 Asia Tour: Philippines for Nike in Makati City. Meanwhile, Manny was all praises and accolades for the LA Lakers superstar on his return from the commercial shoot, admiring Bryant’s humility and warmth while declaring his self as a Laker fan though he rooted for the Celtics before.

However for Bryant, the feeling is mutual. “I enjoy being around with people who are just as competitive, who have the same passion and work ethic,” the “Black Mamba” said. “It’s an honor to meet him because you can tell by watching him perform when he boxes that he truly loves the sport and I have the tremendous amount of respect for him. I wish him all the best.”

Now a “Pacfan” himself, Bryant would love to see Pacquiao clash with Miguel Cotto live on November 14 – if only his tight schedule would allow.

“I’ve never seen him fight in person but if I don’t have a game in his next fight, I’ll be there,” he said.

Asking about what he feels in Pacquiao’s chances against Cotto, Bryant said: “Manny Pacquiao all the way. I think it’s not even a question” to the applause of everyone in the ballroom.

Recently, Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal also said that “a premium” would likely carry Manny to accommodate Cotto’s request that the scheduled 12-rounder be fought at 145 lbs. It had originally been planned that Pacquiao, Koncz and Gacal would fly to Los Angeles but Koncz said there would be no more need for such a tiring and costly trip since Pacquiao has already agreed.

“Bob is expected to make an announcement about this fight within the week,” said Koncz. Arum is coming off a three-week vacation in Europe. Meanwhile, Manny’s itinerary in the coming days and weeks remains tight owing to his showbiz commitments.

Former President Erap Estrada has intimidated his desire to have Pacquiao in his camp for the upcoming 2010 elections following their meeting in General Santos on the past 2 weeks. Even former US President Bill Clinton admired and had photographed beside Manny in Las Vegas hours before Pacquiao knocked Ricky Hatton out on their May 3 fight.

On June 14, Manny was crowned “fighter of the year” again by the American Boxing Sportswriters Association in New York. According to Forbes, Pacquiao take $40 million in the last 12 months. He now stands alongside 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James and American golfer Phil Mickelson.

Having that huge amount of money, at his age of 30, would be a more than enough reason to call it a day. He becomes successful as a boxer and still hopes to become a future Congressman in 2010 to serve his countrymen. Wishing you luck Manny and hope your dreams will come true!

“If he (Roach) thinks he knows me, he’s got another thing coming. Say that I am over the hill, come Dec. 6th, we’ll see what happens,” De La Hoya said in a segment of the HBO special feature on the De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao welterweight war at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

De La Hoya was reacting to a statement made by Roach that after spending eight weeks with the Golden Boy last year in preparation for a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roach is aware not only the strong points but also the weaknesses of the 35-year-old Los Angeles native.

“I truly feel that he can’t pull the trigger,” said Roach, who predicted that the 29-year-old Pacquiao will win by knockout within nine rounds.
Told about Roach’s forecast, De La Hoya, deep in training in the mountains of Big Bear, California, said he will close out the show in five rounds and leave Pacquiao in a pile of mess.

Still, De La Hoya declines to engage in trash-talk with his one-time corner man, who he describes, a very nice guy although Roach himself feels the impression of animosity between the two is mutual.

Meanwhile, after a lackluster sparring session last Thursday, Pacquiao was back into his old fiery self at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.

“Speaking of Pacquiao, the Filipino fireball is back into his usual training form,” reported noted orthodontist Ed dela Vega, who customizes Pacquiao’s mouthpiece. “Unlike early this week when he was a bit off during sparring, today (Saturday in the US), Pacquiao was a tireless dynamo… Pacquiao sparred a total of 10 rounds with his three regular sparring partners.”

This week, Pacquiao will go 12 full rounds in one sparring day but is expected to slow down going into the Thanksgiving holiday.
Pacquiao will leave for Las Vegas on Dec. 1 on board a 30-seater decorated bus, according to Top Rank big boss Bob Arum.

The Hall of Fame trainer said in an international media-conference call on Monday that de la Hoya blamed him for losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007.

Roach rejected de la Hoya’s claims and said Oscar strayed from using his bread and butter, the jab.

“The game plan we had for the fight with Mayweather Jr. was working well in the early rounds. I thought we were winning. Then he abandoned the game plan and we lost by decision. About a month ago, he started blaming me for the loss.

“Well, he can blame me for [him] losing this one too,” Roach said, referring to the de la Hoya-Manny Pacquiao match on December 6.

Pacquiao’s trainer didn’t run out of verbal ammunition that easily.

He called de la Hoya a slow learner, the exact opposite of Pacquiao.

“Oscar was great at training camp. He works hard. He trains hard. I know that,” Roach said.

“But he’s not the fastest learner in the world. When you show him something new, he needs time to work on it. With Manny, you show him something once, he picks up quicker.”

When asked whether he would train de la Hoya again, Roach appeared certain about his reply.

“I don’t think so,” he declared. “He said one time he’d never fight without me in his corner. But he just wanted to make me feel good, I guess. And I did feel good.”

“I have no problems with Oscar. He’s a great guy. Maybe after the fight, we can become friends someday. But as it stands now, I’m just using what I learned from him to prepare Manny for this fight,” Roach added.

Much has been said about Roach’s game plan and how much it has been patterned after what he learned when he trained de la Hoya.

Roach downplayed the connection between de la Hoya experience and Pacquiao’s success.

“[What I learned from de la Hoya] helps a little bit but it doesn’t win the fight, of course. Manny’s ability will win the fight.

“I can advice Manny and tell him certain habits that Oscar has, and hopefully get that to our advantage. But it’s up to Manny to make those moves.”

Oscar has long been the biggest draw in the sport and has been a part of record breaking pay per views. But joining him will be another big star and a man gaining fans every fight, Manny Pacquiao. That will be a huge fight.

I know everyone could still remember when Manny Pacquiao fought against Lehlohonolo Ledwaba in MGM Grand, Las Vegas. We can say that this guy has big potentials to become a world champion. He’s been so aggressive and almost knock-out all of his opponents.

Manny’s career raises his game and makes it to the top of the Pound for Pound list. He’s moving up in weight from 122 pounds all the way up to 135 pounds winning titles along the way.

He also tears through Mexican after Mexican fighter and then earned himself a nickname of “The Mexicutioner.” The funny thing is that along the way he actually earned not only the respect of Mexicans but also has won a great many fans along the way.

For the Pacquiao – Barrera 2 fight, it was nothing but Mexicans watching the fight and most of them were cheering for the “Pacman.”

It was only a few years before that after Pacquiao had already beat Barrera the first time and had taken on Erik Morales that any and all Mexican boxing fans we knew basically hated him for beating the best Mexico had to offer.

In some recent interviews with Bob Arum, he stated he had received offers from Mexican fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez, JR., Antonio Margarito, and Jorge Arce, to walk Manny Pacquiao into the ring against Oscar De La Hoya in their upcoming fight on December 6th.

Mexicans loves him because they believe Manny fights like a Mexican. Going through web sites and talking with other people this seems to be a widely held sentiment among Mexicans. Of course, not all Mexicans are now Pacman fans but there is no denying he has won over a decent amount of fans.

This is no small accomplishment either. It has been my experience that Mexican boxing fans are some of the most educated about the sport and are certainly one the most emotional. So to win over these fans Pacquiao certainly had to do a lot.

After first splashing onto the scene Manny then went on a rampage through many of the Mexican greats. After first defeating Barrera, he went on to have a draw with Juan Manuel Marquez, then won two out of three against Erik Morales, a win against Hector Valazquez, Oscar Larios, Jorge Solis a win against Marquez and finally a win at 135 pounds against David Diaz.

In the “Dream Match” that is coming up we are pretty sure that Manny Pacquiao will have more Mexicans cheering for him than the Golden Boy. Of course Oscar has never been much of a fan favorite among the Mexican crowd. Ever since Oscar gave Mexican Idol Julio Cesar Chavez a beating he has tried time and time again to win them over with no real progress.

There have been many great fighters from Mexico, from Chavez, SR., to Salvador Sanchez. One common theme with Mexican fighters is that they have aggressive fan pleasing style. There have been many fighters from Mexico who are great defensive fighters as well but most fans when they think of a classic Mexican fighter, they think of a guy who isn’t afraid to take a shot to give one.

Pacquiao has never been confused with Willie Pep. His defense is certainly getting better after teaming up with Freddie Roach but for Pacquiao the old saying that the best defense is a good offense certainly applies.

Manny is a fighter who not only throws a lot of punches but he is really fearless in the ring. He doesn’t back down no matter what he gets hit with. And when he gets his opponent hurt he goes in for the kill. Pacquiao brings everything he has from the first bell to the last bell. He doesn’t seem to run out of energy and is just as strong at that last bell as he is in the firs round.

His bravado can be seen when he gets hit and raises his hands or pounds his gloves together as he wants more. He couldn’t be in a boring fight if he tried and that is what has endeared him to many boxing fans not just Mexicans.

There are a great number of Pacquiao fans, the majority of them of course are from the Philippines or from Filipino decent. But maybe all those Pacquiao fans need to make room for the many Mexican and other fans that are jumping on the bandwagon.

Arum mentioned WBC Continental Americas light middleweight champion Chavez Jr, WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, Mexican legend Erik “El Terrible” Morales and WBA super flyweight interim champion Jorge “Travieso” Arce among others.

Simply put, Arum said “the Mexicans love Pacquiao” because he was like Mexican fighters, a warrior, adding that “Pacquiao is more popular in Mexico than De La Hoya.”

Discussing the “Dream Match” Chavez Jr said “people say it’s a crazy fight but honestly, from a fighter’s point of view I think De La Hoya is going to have a very tough time with Pacquiao. He can win the fight, but my money is on Pacquiao. All the Mexicans are backing up Pacquiao.”

De La Hoya has made an effort to win over the Mexicans to support him with Golden Boy Promotions CEO referring to the fact that De La Hoya was a son of Mexican migrants who grew up in East Los Angeles and waved both the American and Mexican flags in the ring when he won an Olympic gold medal.

While he does have a tremendous following, Team Pacquiao believes that having beaten Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera, Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and a host of others, and with his exciting, aggressive fighting style the Filipino whirlwind has been embraced by many Mexicans.