DAN MARIANO: DID VILLAR DISRUPT PACQUIAO'S TRAINING?
MANILA, NOVEMBER 2, 2009 (MANILA TIMES) BIG DEAL By Dan Mariano - The world’s best pound-for-pound boxer is such an icon in the Philippines that every little thing he does is prominently played up in the media.The ardent fans of Manny Pacquiao cannot get enough of reports on what he says and does—or even what he does not say and does not do. His fans are particularly vigilant of the progress of his training for upcoming fights, such as his impending clash with the Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto just two weeks from now. They see the nation’s honor at stake in each and every one of PacMan’s bouts—and Filipino pride would suffer a severe blow with a loss in the ring.
They worry, for instance, about hints of hitches in his workout—like when he got stranded in typhoon-hit Baguio recently and thus failed to stick to his original training schedule.
The Filipinos’ admiration for Pacquiao is the secular equivalent of idolatry in a country hungry for worthy role models.
It, therefore, disturbed not a few of Pacquiao’s fans when it was reported that Sen. Manny Villar had disrupted the boxer’s training—an incident said to have been documented by no less than a major TV network in the United States.
In an article that carried the tagline of Frank Cimatu, the Inquirer reported Friday that Villar’s intrusion was not appreciated by Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach, who wanted to avoid getting stranded in calamity-stricken Baguio.
As the trainer who guided the Filipino boxer to international fame—and fortune, Roach knows a thing or two about the need for total focus on training in the run-up to a fight.
According to Cimatu, a program aired on HBO as a prequel to the Pacquiao-Cotto fight recounts the events that could influence the outcome of the November 14 fight in Las Vegas. Here is part of Cimatu’s report:
“While [Pacquiao was] having lunch with Villar, Roach approached the two in what HBO 24/7 described as ‘a standoff that turned severe.’ Roach told Pac-quiao that they had to go. In a separate interview, Roach threatened to quit if Pacquiao stalled but ‘cooler heads prevailed.’
“The first part of the HBO 24/7 feature, where Villar appeared, was shown Saturday in the United States. The HBO crew arrived after Typhoon Pepeng devastated parts of Baguio City. This installment showed Team Pacquiao caught in the typhoon, forcing Pacquiao to swim, not jog, for a few days.
“Despite media interviews that they would finish their training at Shape Up Boxing Gym in Cooyeesan Mall [in Baguio] until October 24, Roach got ready to leave Saturday night.
“The feature showed Roach and Pacquiao having dinner Saturday night and later talking in Roach’s suite about the need to leave the next day.
“Roach said, ‘If we stay here, we have a chance of getting stuck. Or we can do it tomorrow so we can sleep tonight.’
“Villar turned up Sunday night and the plan to leave seemed delayed. That was when the Roach-Villar stand-off happened.
“What Pacquiao and Villar discussed was not known, but Villar is known to have pulled all stops in his presidential bid and being seen with the immensely popular Pacquiao would be a plus in his campaign. “Two YouTube versions of that segment were leaked on October 26. A handful watched it, but the reactions were nasty toward Villar who, viewers said, ‘should be in typhoon-devastated places helping others.’
“Villar is hell bent on winning the presidential race and has resorted to intense advertisements to help him make sure of it.
“He has penetrated TV shows such as Wowowee, which became heavily popular for giving away money to contestants willing to show off their talents or simply embarrass themselves in front of cameras.” In contrast to the interruptions in Pacquiao’s training shown in the HBO prequel, “the segments on Cotto showed that his training in Florida was more focused and relaxed.”
The Inquirer ran a sidebar, which gave Villar the chance to air his side.
A spokeswoman for the presidential wannabe was quoted saying: “The senator just happened to be there and decided that that was the only time he could . . . meet Manny, who is his good friend.” The spokeswoman added that Villar “has no time to go to Los Angeles so he decided to bid [Pacquiao] goodbye [in Baguio].
She also said that the senator “even agreed with Roach that they had to leave that Sunday.” Of course, the original plan was for the Pacquiao camp to leave the day before Villar turned up.
To be sure, Pacquiao has frequently accommodated politicians—notably former Gov. Luis Singson of Ilocos Sur and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza. Villar is just one of many who have tried to get the boxer’s popularity to rub off on them.
But if the fight with Cotto does not turn out as most Filipinos expect, guess who they are going to blame?
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2009
by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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