Pacman healthy; Cotto starving

HOLLYWOOD – Manny Pacquiao can stay all day in the kitchen and splurge, and not worry about his weight.

And Miguel Cotto? Well, he must be starving himself to death, trying to make weight.

Pacquiao, so comfortable with his weight he said he can tip the scales anytime and make 145 lb, said Saturday the eat-all-you-can sign remains posted inside his posh apartment unit in La Palazzo in La Brea.

“Puro kain ako (I keep on eating),” said the pound-for-pound champion after a two-hour workout at the Wild Card Gym, and on his way out of the famous sweatshop said he should be weighing around 146 lb.

“Ginigising nga nila ako sa umaga para kumain (They have to wake me in the morning and ask me to eat),” said the boxer, who still enjoys his favorite dish of beef bulalo, ampalaya and chicken adobo with rice just a week before the fight.

Pacquiao has been advised by his conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, to keep his weight on a very comfortable level. They don’t want to get to 145 this early, and should arrive at the exact weight on the day of the official weigh-in.

“I haven’t slowed down eating,” he said.

Pacquiao is pretty sure that Cotto is having difficulty dropping down in weight, and said no boxer wants to be in that situation. He used to struggle to make weight and get cranky days before the fight.

But this time is entirely different.

Cotto admitted weighing 160 lb during the fight’s press tour last September, and during his media workout at the Pound4Pound Gym here in Los Angeles last Tuesday looked worried about his weight.

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“Hirap na sa timbang ‘yun. Nagre-reduce na ‘yun (He must be having difficulty with his weight),” he said of Cotto, now in Las Vegas for the final week of his three-month preparation for the Nov. 14 fight at the MGM Grand.

Pacquiao said everything will be to his advantage.

“Malaking epekto talaga kapag hindi ka kumakain (It has a huge effect when you are told not to eat),” he said, adding that the effects should be evident in the ring on Nov. 14, especially as the fight wears on.

“Disadvantage talaga eh. Hirap na siya sa timbang, tapos ako kailangan kumain para huwag masyado bumaba ang timbang,” said Pacquiao.

The past days he said he normally wakes up at 148 to 149 lb and after each visit to the gym comes home at around 146. There’s no question all he needs to make 145 is to sweat it out and skip a meal or two.

Pacquiao sparred five rounds yesterday against Ray Serrano and Urbano Antillon, and did the normal routine afterwards, shadow-boxing, working the bags, and doing abdominal exercises.

His trainer, Freddie Roach, had to leave early after the sparring session, for a scheduled interview with HBO.

Pacquiao will spend another day-off Sunday. He plans to hear Mass at the Christ The King which is very near his place. and spend the rest of the day at home.

“Ayaw na nga nila ako patakbuhin. Masyado na daw mahirap ang mga ginawa namin this week (They’re even asking me to skip my morning run because we’ve been through a lot this week),” he said. – Abac Cordero