By John F. McKenna (McJack): World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title holder Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO’s) will begin his training regimen next month for his long awaited rubber match with WBO/WBA/Ring lightweight champion Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KO’s).

The Trilogy matchup between Pacquiao and Marquez will be at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 12.

Freddie Roach told the Manila Bulletin that the first three weeks of Manny’s training will be in Baguio City in the Phlippines. Baguio City is Manny Pacquiao’s home base while he is training in the Philippines. Training will begin on September 19 and switch to Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood on October 8 for the final five weeks of training.

25 year old contender Jorge Linares, who is from Venezuela, will join Roach in the Philippines and will be Pacquiao’s major sparring partner during his training stint in Baguio City.

Linares is presently working with Roach at the Wild Card Gym in preparation for his fight with Mexican Antonio De Marco for the vacant WBC lightweight title. That fight will be held in Los Angeles on October 15.

Pacquiao and Marquez fought to an action packed twelve round draw in 2004 which was at the 126 pound limit. In their last fight in 2008 at 130 pounds Pacquiaon won by a razor thin margin. The outcome of both fights was controversial.

Controversy is always a good thing for a promoter whose main objective is to generate excitement and sell tickets and this fight is no exception. One of the reasons Marquez was selected as Pacquiao’s next opponent is because he is a well known entity to all boxing fans and a legend in Mexico. “Dinamita” has a loyal fan base which is sure to translate into huge Pay Per View (PPV) sales.

Pacquiao originally started his pro boxing career at 108 pounds and has continued to grow and pack on muscle over the years. He now fights as a welterweight and his fight with Marquez will be held at a catch-weight of 144 pounds. “Pacman” has managed to retain his speed and explosive power at the higher weight. “Dinamita” on the other hand has struggled when he has attempted to move up in class. For that reason Manny is a prohibitive 8 to 1 favorite.

Many people question Manny’s ability to put on nearly forty pounds of muscle over a fifteen year period and suspect that he may have used steroids at some point. However, when you look at the abject poverty that he grew up in and the lack of nutrition at that time of his life, it is not at all surprising. Once Pacquiao was introduced to good nutrition and a rigorous training program he developed into the muscular fighter we see today.