Nilagang manok, baka on champ’s special menu

LOS ANGELES — Nonoy Neri is playing a dual role at Team Pacquiao. As one of the assistant trainers of Freddie Roach, the other being Buboy Fernandez, he also acts as Manny Pacquiao’s chief cook.

For the coming fight against Erik Morales, scheduled Nov. 18 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, the bouncy 37-year-old Neri is using the same old, winning recipe.

"Puro tinolang manok (chicken), nilagang baka (beef), gulay (vegetable) at isda (fish)," said the native of Davao who also manned the kitchen when Pacquiao stopped Morales last January.

Neri, who’s been with Pacquiao for the last seven years, also played the same dual role last July when the Filipino southpaw outlasted Mexico’s Oscar Larios at the Big Dome.

"So this is the third straight fight that I’ve cooked for Manny in training," he said in Filipino.

Neri said Pacquiao has never had any problems with his weight for the coming fight and could eat as much as he wants to as long as he stays away from anything sweet.

"No more juice of any kind, nothing sweet. He also stopped drinking milk. Just plenty of water," said Neri, adding that Pacquiao is just a little over the 130-lb limit with one full week left.

"Manny weighed 136 the other day but when he asked him to take off his shirt, shorts and fighting shoes that were soaked in sweat, he was down to 132," he said.

"We will use the same recipe until Wednesday before he finally tapers off in preparation for Friday’s weigh-in. He will have to eat less in the next few days," Neri added.

"There’s just no diet to speak of. He can eat as much as he wants. That’s why he’s in terrific shape. He even told me that this is the toughest training camp he’s ever been."

"And there are no distractions this time," said Neri. — Abac Cordero