By Eric Thomas: World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao’s fitness trainer Alex Ariza is impressed with Pacquiao’s power, saying in an article at the Manilastandardtoday that Pacquiao’s power is “unreal” after watching Pacquiao beat up on sparring partners Mike Dallas Jr. and Raymond Beltran last Saturday. Pacquiao reportedly stunned Dallas in the 2nd round of their sparring session as Pacquiao pummeled him.
Later in the same sparring session, Pacquiao hurt Dallas with big punch to the chest area. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach looked happy with the sparring session, smiling after watching Pacquiao tear up Dallas and Beltran. Ariza, speaking about Roach, said “He was happy and when he and Manny are happy, I am happy.”
Pacquiao will be facing former International Boxing Federation welterweight champion Joshua Clottey on March 13th next month at the Dallas Cowboy stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Although Clottey was beaten in his last fight against Miguel Cotto last year in 2009, the WBO still has Clottey ranked number #1 in the welterweight division, which is why Pacquiao opted to fight Clottey rather than someone else who hadn’t been beaten recently.
Ariza, still gushing over Pacquiao’s sparring sessions with Dallas and Beltran, said, Pacquiao looked phenomenal today. He looked the best that I’ve probably see him. His [Pacquiao] footwork, speed, power was unreal.”
In his last fight, Pacquiao stopped former WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the 12th round in 2009. The fight was one-sided from the beginning with Pacquiao’s speed and power simply being too much for the slower Cotto. For much of the second half of the fight, Cotto was in survival mode, moving constantly.
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