Manny leaves nothing to chance

Manny Pacquiao postponed his trip to the US the other day to make sure he reports to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles ready to battle the army of sparmates his trainer Freddie Roach has lined up.

Pacquiao was scheduled to leave last Monday night but decided to delay the departure to log in more training time in General Santos City. He is now booked to leave Sunday and will report to Roach on Monday.

Pacquiao’s local trainer Buboy Fernandez, who leaves for Los Angeles on Aug. 21, said the decision was understandable. Fernandez said Pacquiao wants to report to Roach ready for sparring so the extra week of conditioning in General Santos City is critical.

The other day, Pacquiao began his strength and conditioning regimen by running for 1 1/2 hours in the morning then working out in the gym for two hours in the afternoon with trainer Nonoy Neri. He was in bed by 8 p.m. On Thursday, Pacquiao plans to go to Cebu and train for a few days at the Aldeguer gym.

Pacquiao is leaving nothing to chance in preparing for his 12-round bout against Hector Velasquez of Mexico at the Staples Center on Sept. 10.

Early this morning, lawyer Keith Davidson and Pacquiao’s assistant Joseph Ramos are arriving from Los Angeles to check on his progress. Davidson is part of Pacquiao’s new management team headed by Shelly Finkel.

A few hours after touching down in Manila, Davidson and Ramos will take the 7:30 a.m. flight to General Santos City. They will confer with Pacquiao and report back to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who is arranging the Sept. 10 card.

Erik Morales, who outpointed Pacquiao last March, is also on Arum’s card. He faces Zahir Raheem. If both Pacquiao and Morales win, they’ll figure in a grudge pay-per-view rematch possibly in January.

The rematch was originally slated for Dec. 10 but will likely be postponed a month to give way to the return fight between middleweights Bernard Hopkins and Jermaine Taylor.

For Pacquiao to clinch the rematch, he’s got to beat the 5-7 Velasquez who’s been described as scrappy, a rugged customer, a dangerman and a seasoned, savvy pro by Boxing News writer Jim Brady. A brawler, Velasquez is known to always turn his fights into a war.

Velasquez, 30, has won his last five fights, four by knockout, and is the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) Fecarbox featherweight champion. His record is 42-10-2 with 31 KOs. The native of Tijuana, Mexico, is ranked No. 10 by the WBC.

Last July 15, Velasquez disposed of Trinidad Mendoza at 1:25 of the fifth at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. He decked Mendoza with a vicious body shot in the fourth and ended it with a left uppercut capped by a left hook. Mendoza crumpled to his knees, prompting referee Gino Rodriguez to call a halt.

Early this year, Velasquez scored a sixth round technical decision over Marcos Licona in San Diego. He fought smartly, battering Licona with a blistering body attack at the start then hammering away at his head to finish him off. Licona’s face was a mask of blood when referee Jose Cobian stepped in on ringside physician Dr. Naresh Rao’s advice. Velasquez was ahead, 60-53, 59-55 and 58-56 at the time of the stoppage.

Velasquez’ biggest win so far was at former WBC featherweight champion Guty Espadas’ expense in Texas three years ago. He bounced around the ring, lunged and grabbed to frustrate Espadas. Velasquez wound up with a cut on his left cheekbone, courtesy of a headbutt, but that was the price he paid for engaging Espadas in a toe-to-toe slugfest. The fight went the full route and Velasquez claimed the win by split decision.

In July last year, Velasquez ventured to Japan and faced Eiichi Sugama at the Archaic Hall in Amagasaki. They battled to a majority draw as two judges saw it 95-all and a third scored it 97-93 for Velasquez. It was a hometown gift for Sugama because Velasquez was clearly the superior fighter.

Velasquez likes to pound the body and mix it up from close range. The tough Mexican takes chances in the ring, often trading power bombs, and four of his 10 defeats were by knockout although he hasn’t been stopped in eight years.

Experience will be on his side against Pacquiao. Velasquez turned pro in 1993, two years before Pacquiao’s debut, and has fought in 11 more bouts. His knockout rate is 73.8 percent compared to Pacquiao’s 79.5 so the probability is their fight won’t go the distance.