MANNY Pacquiao better be ready once he starts his sparring sessions in preparation for his next fight.

                In an interview with Sports Radio yesterday morning, American trainer Freddie Roach said he is now on the look out for a few but quality sparring partners for his prized ward.

                “We’re starting to line up some sparring partners. We’re getting some big guys, strong guys for Manny. And some counterpunchers for the style of [Juan Manuel] Marquez,” said Roach.

                According to Roach, not only will he be tapping a new batch of sparmates for Pacquiaao. He will also be providing them an interesting incentive should they do well with their arduous task.

                “I will make a deal with his sparring partners by telling them if they knock Manny on his butt, they will get a $1,000 bonus. But it will come out of my pocket,” said Roach.

                Pacquiao, who will be celebrating his 29th birthday on the 17th, is set to challenge bitter Mexican rival Marquez, the World Boxing Council (WBC) super-featherweight champion, on March 15 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.

                “I want guys that will give us good quality work. Not just fighters who will go through the motion. I have guys that will be coming in from Oxnard, and they tell me they will do a great work,” said Roach. “I told them you guys better be ready because Manny certainly will be. I want fresh guys because Manny, he becomes friendly with his sparring partners that he takes it easy a little bit.”

                Though Roach feels it will be a much-easier fight this time compared to their first encounter, he still wants Pacquiao to take Marquez real seriously.

                “Manny is a much-better fighter now than he was when he fought Marquez the first time and we didn’t fight that good a fight,” said Roach.

                The Hall-of-Fame trainer added Marquez is not the same fighter since their initial faceoff three years ago.

                May of 2004 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, also in Las Vegas, Marquez survived three knockdowns in the first round and was able to recoup in earning a 12-round split draw against Pacquiao. Both fighters back then fought in the featherweight limit where Marquez staked his IBF and WBA world titles.

                “Ever since he fought Manny I really think he didn’t look that good. I think that fight took some out of him. I think those three knockdowns took its toll a little bit on him,” said Roach.

                Roach added that he will allow Pacquiao to train in the Philippines for only two weeks where he will give emphasis on conditioning.

                I don’t want to burn him out and be stale from boxing for too long. We’ll start boxing six weeks before the fight which is normal,” said Roach. “We’ll have six weeks of good sparring leading to the fight and I’m looking between four to six sparring partners.”

                Marquez is coming off a successful first title defense in a workmanlike performance, scoring a 12-round unanimous decision win against American challenger Ricardo “Rocky” Juarez early last month in Tucson, Arizona.

Victory Ride    

NAKHON RATCHASIMA—Save for the coaching staff and the rest of Team Cycling Philippines, no one saw it coming, officials of the Philippine delegation included.

Whether taekwondo still RP bailiwick to be known as jin action begins today

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NAKHON RATCHASIMA— Malaysia would hardly matter but just the same, the Philippine men’s basketball team is not taking any chances.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA—The Filipino paddlers are living up to expectations and are competing as favorites for the gold medal in dragon boat’s (traditional boat race) men’s 1,000 meters Tuesday.

SEAG Secretariat head Mundo trip to Kuwait with PSC blessing

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Lady golfers ahead; men fall to fourth

Mark Fernando rebounded from a lackluster first round but all others failed to produce the needed numbers that forced defending champion Philippines to skid down to fourth place and trail host Thailand by seven strokes halfway through the men’s golf competition in the SEA Games on Tuesday.

Work out with Manny, receive $1,000

MANNY Pacquiao better be ready once he starts his sparring sessions in preparation for his next fight.

In an interview with Sports Radio yesterday morning, American trainer Freddie Roach said he is now on the look out for a few but quality sparring partners for his prized ward.

Greenside Chip: Did Southwoods make the wrong call?      

FOR the fourth straight year, Manila Southwoods had a disappointing windup in another runner-up honor in the Fil championship division of the recent 58th edition of the Fil-Am Golf Invitational played in Baguio City. But despite the piling up of second-place finishes, the Cavite-based squad still created more noise than the overall champion Club Marinduque.