Manny Pacquiao is denying that his current training camp for Antonio Margarito has been hampered by his political career and lack of focus.
For the past month, reports from the Philippines claim Pacquiao has blown off training several times to handle duties tied to his position as a Filipino congressman. Trainer Freddie Roach is on record as stating Pacquiao has been mentally unfocused on the fight. In mid-October, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum went as far as to state Pacquiao was in danger of losing the fight based on the training performance he witnessed.
Pacquiao himself doesn’t see it. According to the current WBO welterweight champion, there has been no major problems with his focus or sparring.
“Y’know, training camp has always been stable. I’ve never had any problems,” Pacquiao explained to Beats, Boxing & Mayhem. “My coach (Freddie Roach) and Alex (Ariza) have been saying there are lots of distractions. They say it’s the worst camp. But I don’t agree.”
Since relocating to the Los Angeles last week, there has been conflicting reports on Pacquiao’s progress. Freddie Roach has said the Filipino icon had some of best training days, while outlets such as ESPN maintain Pacquiao is still being slowed down by out of the ring distractions.
Pacquiao believes the entire camp has been a success. Although his time is split between the boxing and political worlds, he sees his continued success in boxing as having a huge impact on how far his political career progresses.
“I think I’ve had a great camp. I have been busy in the Philippines with congress and things. But I think I’ve done a good job in managing my time,” Pacquiao stated to Beats, Boxing & Mayhem. “They say it’s the worst camp. But I think it’s because they don’t like the Philippines too much. It’s not their home. I would not be a politician if it wasn’t for my popularity as a boxer. Yes, boxing is my first love. But I am in politics to help my people and make a difference when I finish boxing.”
Pacquiao faces Antonio Margarito on November 13 at Dallas Stadium. His entire Beats, Boxing & Mayhem interview will be featured next week.
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