Manny losing bout with Father Time
World champ Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn pose during the media conference for their Sunday showdown in Brisbane. Pacquiao is putting his WBO belt on the line against Horn. AP
BRISBANE, Australia – Manny Pacquiao, at 38, could no longer be compared to the Energizer bunny that keeps going and going and going.
Heading to Sunday’s crucial bout with Jeff Horn, the Filipino boxing icon admitted he’s beginning to feel his age.
“Hindi na kagaya nung dati (It’s no longer like before),” said Pacquiao.
“Iba nung 30 years old ako (It was different when I was 30),” said the boxer, who used to train like no other professional athlete in the world.
By the time he turned 30, he was on top of the world, and had knocked out the likes of Oscar dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton then Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto.
The victory over Cotto, the heavy-handed Puerto Rican, in 2009 marked the last time Pacquiao had scored a stoppage.
Eight years and 12 fights later, he hasn’t had any.
“I’ve been looking for a knockout for a long time now,” said Freddie Roach, who told the press here the other day that if Pacquiao struggles on Sunday, it may be time “to call it a day.”
A lot of people are hoping that Pacquiao can score a knockout against the unbeaten 29-year-old schoolteacher from Brisbane.
“This is the perfect guy to destroy,” said strength coach Justin Fortune of Horn.
Pacquiao used to train like there’s no tomorrow, and never skipped a beat. Training sessions seemed endless.
But the past couple of years and fights, Pacquiao has shown some signs that yes, he has grown old.
Skipping roadwork or gym sessions has come quite often now.
They’ve also cut down on the number of sparring rounds, and had chosen sparring partners who will be there not to hurt Pacquiao.
“I can train 30 rounds a day when I was young. Kaya pa naman ngayon (I can still do it now). But the problem is in the recovery,” said Pacquiao.
“It’s no longer like before. When I work harder in the gym, it takes me more time to recover. When I was young, it’s easier to recover,” said the welterweight champion.
Pacquiao said his biggest concern these days is for him not to overtrain.
“If you noticed, when I train hard today, I will slow down tomorrow. That’s what I do now. I make sure I don’t overtrain,” he told Filipino reporters.
“Mahirap mag-recover kaya iniiwasan ko ma-overtrain,” said Pacquiao, who turns 39 in December.
Yesterday, he skipped his normal roadwork in the morning then graced the traditional press conference and headed to the gym for an afternoon session.
It was short.
He staged a media workout the other day at the Suncorp Stadium, and put on a quick, dazzling show before the cameras.
Pacquiao begged for an extra round with the mitts, and Fortune, a former heavyweight contender, had to step in to say the day is done.
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