Pacquiao not focused

By Al S. Mendoza

IT is barely a month when Manny Pacquiao fights Marco Antonio Barrera.

Is Pacquiao ready?

But to answer that would be getting ahead of the story.

The Oct. 7 fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, has become hot conversation stuff since it was announced some three months ago.

A major reason is, Pacquiao’s condition is suspect.

Pacquiao had flown to Los Angeles for training last month, only to return home three days after arrival.

Rumors would next fly wild and thick.

Pacquiao was love sick because he and voluptuous Ara Mina have reportedly become lovers?

Pacquiao was rejected by fight promoters to gain $1-million as advance payment from his purse?

Dejected, he jetted back to Manila in a huff?

Amid this backdrop, Jinky, Pacquiao’s wife, left the family mansion in General Santos City in favor of an apartment in Cebu.

Jinky did that allegedly to spite Pacquiao, who denied he was romancin’ with Ara Mina.

Ara also brushed off the rumored affair.

“We are just friends,” said the actress, who is known to bare all and who made a name for her torrid love making scenes in X-rated films she had starred in.

Just days after Pacquiao had flown back to Manila, Freddie Roach followed suit. Roach, Pacquiao’s American trainer, said, “The final grind will be in America.”

Translation: Pacquiao is the boss and what he wants, he gets it.

When Pacquiao finally re-appeared for training in a Cebu gym owned by Rex “Wakee” Salud, the boxer’s bosom buddy, Jinky was in tow.

For the first time since Pacquiao trained for a fight, his wife watched from the sidelines.

Just days back, Pacquiao surprisedJinky with a diamond ring costing hundreds of thousands of pesos.

So everything’s fine now with the champ’s camp?

Maybe, but training-wise, Pacquiao is way behind schedule.

While Barrera had placed himself in seclusion in the mountains of Mexico for training as early as three months ago, Pacquiao’s own training has become erratic.

Pacquiao even got the flu virus last week.

He stopped training, but then, he played basketball to the horror of his handlers.

He seemed not totally focused on the Barrera fight.

Is it because Pacquiao knocked out Barrera in 2003?

But that was four years ago. Many things have happened since.

Pacquiao could be a victim of over-confidence in his second fight with Barrera, a Mexican legend like Erik Morales.

As I keep saying, only Pacquiao can beat Pacquiao.

At his age (28), Pacquiao is almost at his prime.

Pacquiao can beat Barrera again – by knockout – but for that to happen, Pacquiao must be in tip-top shape.

Trouble is, he’s cramming in training right now.

If Pacquiao wins on Oct. 7, let’s change his moniker from Pacman to Superman.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/general-admission/)

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