Invitation for Manny

Former WBC secretary-general Rudy Salud yesterday invited Manny Pacquiao and his team of advisers to lunch during which he will explain the importance of controlling weight increase on the day of a fight.

Salud said if Pacquiao agrees, he will accompany the newly crowned WBC superfeatherweight champion to nutritionist Dr. Sanirose Orbeta’s clinic in Magallanes Village for a consultation on “point-feeding.”

According to Dr. Orbeta, a fighter may increase his weight by only eight to 10 percent from the weigh-in the day before a bout to actual fight time because exceeding the limit will lead to sluggishness, slower reflexes and constrained mobility due to too much moisture in the body and a “muscle-bound” condition.

For the Juan Manuel Marquez rematch last March 15, Pacquiao scaled 129 pounds at the weigh-in but shot up to about 146 when he entered the ring. Dr. Orbeta said he shouldn’t have weighed more than 139 or 140 to preserve his fitness level. She said her advice is to limit weight increase up to only eight percent.

“If Manny controlled his weight and came in at 140, he would’ve knocked out Marquez for sure,” said Salud. “Still, I think he won the fight. I scored it 114-113 for Manny and the margin of difference was provided by the knockdown in the third round. It was close and you couldn’t accuse any of the judges of taking sides or being inaccurate. But if Manny was at the proper weight, it would’ve been a one-sided fight and a walk in the park for him.”

Salud said he introduced Dr. Orbeta to Gerry Peñalosa several years ago and to this day, the WBO bantamweight champion adheres to her rules on nutrition and weight conditioning. “That’s why at 35, Gerry is still a world champion,” added Salud.

In cockfighting terms, Salud said it’s all about “point-feeding.”

“On the day of a derby, I used to go to my roosters at 6 a.m. and take care of their diet, avoiding to overfeed them,” said Salud. “It was very stressful which is why I don’t do it anymore. The roosters had to be fed properly with only the right amount of moisture in their feed. If they’re overfed, their body gets heavy. They don’t fly as high, can’t kick as strong and very easily get tired. When they jump, they fall down with their legs straight because they’re muscle-bound. There’s too much moisture in the body and they’re not able to digest what’s inside their stomach.”

Salud said the thinking that the bigger you are, the stronger you are doesn’t apply in fighting.

“Just imagine in Manny’s case, he weighed about 148 pounds before he began training for Marquez and it took about eight weeks to bring down his weight to 129,” said Salud. “But in a day, he brought his weight back to close to 148 for the fight. Surely, that had to have a negative impact on his body, muscles and brain. It’s not physiologically correct to gain that much weight in a day – whether man, woman or beast.”

Salud said he spoke to Pacquiao’s cockfighting handler Nelson Salvanera about his theory and they agreed it made sense.

“Nelson knows about point-feeding because he takes care of Manny’s roosters and gets them in tip-top shape for derbies,” said Salud. “He knows the bad effects of overfeeding a rooster on the day of a fight.”

Despite Pacquiao’s unwieldy weight, he beat Marquez, fair and square.

“Manny’s big heart made up for the moisture in his body and his muscle-bound condition,” continued Salud. “In all my years in boxing, I’ve never seen a fighter with a bigger heart. Manny was made up high there for our country. He’s God’s gift to us.”

Salud said when Pacquiao invades the 135-pound division to challenge WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, he should be careful not to go over 145 at fight time.

“Just because you make the limit at the weigh-in doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want or can until fight time,” said Salud. “If Manny bloats to 150 or more, you’ll see him moving sluggishly and we know he’ll need his speed and all his power to fight the bigger guys in the lightweight division.”

Salud said a visit to Dr. Orbeta’s clinic to seek the nutritionist’s advice would be helpful in planning a diet to get Pacquiao in the best physical shape for his next fight and beyond.

“I will personally accompany Manny to Dr. Orbeta if he agrees,” said Salud. “I think it would mean a lot in extending his boxing career. Manny is the pride of all Filipinos and we should all pray for his continued success. The night before the fight against Marquez, my wife Pampin and I prayed a fervent rosary for Manny. His victory over Marquez was a gift from God to our people. Let’s be thankful for Manny and give him all our support.”