Paquiao officially begins training in Baguio

MANILA, Philippines—The hard grind begins today as Manny Pacquiao officially begins training for his showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Having seen and getting disappointed by Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s controversial fourth round knockout of Victor Ortiz on Sunday, Pacquiao said he wants a clear victory over Marquez in their third meeting since 2004.

Varied reactions came after Mayweather knocked out Ortiz with a left hook and right straight just when referee Joe Cortez had presumably called the fight to resume.

Renowned promoter Bob Arum, like many fight fans, told BoxingScene.com that Mayweather’s behavior was unsportsmanlike and inexcusable.

But some sportswriters and columnists justified Mayweather’s actions, saying it was Ortiz’s fault that he dropped his guard and allowed his opponent to exploit the situation.

Filipino promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud, a close associate of Pacquiao, offered a novel view of the knockout that became a hot topic in boxing forums.

Salud believes Ortiz was in a position to beat the count by referee Joe Cortez but chose not to, hoping that Mayweather would get disqualified for hitting during the break.

Pacquiao, who’s also eyeing a megabuck bout with Mayweather, left his home in Biñan, Laguna, Monday for Baguio City, where he’ll toil for three weeks under the watchful eyes of Freddie Roach.

The Hall of Fame trainer was scheduled to arrive early this morning from Los Angeles and then proceed directly to the Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza, base camp of Team Pacquiao in Baguio.

Unlike Pacquiao’s previous camps, the pound-for-pound king will no longer start from scratch, having undergone sporadic light training three weeks back.

Filipino assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri supervised Pacquiao’s early workouts, while conditioning expert Alex Ariza started to do his chore last week.

Aside from jogging, Pacquiao has done gym work at Planet Jupiter in Makati and at the MP Tower, which he owns, in Sampaloc, Manila.

As a result, Pacquiao told Philboxing.com on Friday that he’s shaken off the rust and has regained “the feeling of what it is again to be on top of the ring.”

Pacquiao said he’s somewhat recovered his speed, strength and punching power and is ready to plunge into serious training.

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