Roach orders strict closed-door training

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Freddie Roach is putting on the clamps on this two-week-old training camp.

“I’m going to change things a little bit,” said Roach who vowed to shut down the Shape Up Gym here when Manny Pacquiao resumes his training today for his upcoming fight with Antonio Margarito.

Roach looked peeved Saturday when what was supposed to be a closed-door sparring session turned into a mini public workout, with so many people with really no business being there allowed in.

A couple of times, as sparring went on between Pacquiao and Mexican Michael Medina, Roach’s attention was caught by people getting in. He motioned a couple of times for someone to set up a barricade on the door.

When Pacquiao sparred for the first time last Thursday, only a few people were inside the gym. Even the self-proclaimed members of Team Pacquiao were barred from watching the two-hour session.

“I think there were just three of us inside,” said Mike Koncz, not counting the trainers.

That’s how Roach wants it to be from now on, especially when Pacquiao spars on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, now that they’re entering the crucial phase heading to the Nov. 13 showdown in Arlington, Texas.

For starters, the celebrated trainer said the HBO crew that will start taking clips for its “24/7” series on Pacquiao vs Margarito won’t be given the same access as before.

“No videos of the mitts and sparring,” said Roach.

The HBO crew can take footage as much, as long as it wants while Pacquiao plays basketball or darts, when he dines, moves around town or when he’s on the karaoke inside his Cooyeesan Hotel suite.

But not when he spars and works on the mitts.

“When 24/7 comes in we’ll be hushed up a little bit. We need to cook up some surprises for Margarito,” said Roach.

But Roach isn’t closing it down totally as he may give Pacquiao fans a chance to get closer to him during Saturdays, when sparring is done.

Pacquiao left Baguio for Manila Saturday afternoon to be with his young daughter who celebrated her birthday a couple of days back, and told Roach that he’d be back in time for today’s workout.

“We were all told he’d be back Sunday evening,” one of his bodyguards said. Otherwise, it would mean that Pacquiao would once again skip roadwork, and play basketball instead.

Roach, who said there’s no problem with Pacquiao playing basketball until four weeks before the fight, must be keeping his fingers crossed.