Pretty soon, Manny Pacquiao has to make that ultimate choice, his long-time trainer Freddie Roach said yesterday.
Although he wasn’t upset with the decision to scrap Monday’s training owing to the extended Senate hearing on extra-judicial killings, Roach told TEMPO that the soon-to-be-38–year-old fighting senator will have to decide.
“It’s a real job,” said Roach just hours before he was to preside over the training of Pacquiao, who is getting ready to face Jessie Vargas for the world welterweight title on Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.
“We knew right from the start (of training camp) that these things would happen so we weren’t surprised. Besides, it was the first time we skipped training and it’s not like it hadn’t happened before (in other training camps),” said the Hall of Fame trainer.
“In the future, if we keep on missing more and more training days then he has to decide,” said Roach.
Still, Roach isn’t about to press the alarm button.
“We’re okay and soon, we are doing ten rounds (of sparring),” said Roach, noting that Mexican-American Jose Ramirez and local boy Leonardo Doronio have been stepping up to the plate as sparring partners.
‘They’ve been giving quality rounds,” added the 56-year-old Roach.
Days of cancelled training days would soon be over as Team Pacquiao is booked to fly to the US on Oct. 22 for the final push of the buildup at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Since being elected into the Senate, Pacquiao has been showing up regularly for work and displaying enthusiasm in hearings as he had promised the 16 million who voted for him that he won’t be taking his new task for granted.
In fact, Pacquiao won’t be leaving for the US while the Senate will be in session as it will take a break beginning Oct. 20.
“Senator Manny is taking his Senate job as serious as his fights because he made a promise to the people that he will not let them down,” said Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz.