“He was just playing around too much,” said Roach. “This is the reason why I don’t like training in Manila because there’s just too much distractions.” “I was telling him not to lose focus,” said Roach.
While things such as Saturday’s incident had happened a few times in the past, Roach still was a tad worried that Pacquiao didn’t do what he had expected him to do to his sparring partners – super-welterweight Shawn Porter and super-lightweight Urbano Antillon – before a sizable crowd at a gym in Mandaluyong owned and operated by ex-world champion Gerry Penalosa.
There were flashes of brilliance of course from Pacquiao, but it wasn’t the kind of thing that Roach wanted to see from somebody who is a few weeks away from the toughest fight of his life.
To remedy the problem, Roach said he will make a major change in the roster of sparring partners.
Porter will be retained but Roach said Raymund Serrano and Ray Beltran will be tapped to work with Pacquiao beginning this Tuesday, the second day of Pacquiao’s training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
“Manny’s become too friendly with his sparring partners,” said Roach.
Expected to be cut are Antillon, Jose Luis Castillo, and Danny Escobar, who joined Porter in Pacquiao’s Baguio City training camp for several weeks.
Despite the so-so showing, Roach remains upbeat they can get the job done.
“As far as his physical shape is concerned, no problem. I just like him to be mentally tough and focused,” added Roach.
Pacquiao had to fulfill a bevy of commitments right after the workout but he still managed to spend some time with his four kids — Queen Elizabeth, Princess, Jimuel, and Michael — before going to work.
“I will miss them a lot,” said Pacquiao, who was scheduled to take a late Saturday night flight to Los Angeles.
Source: mb.com.ph
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