Roach reveals Pacquiao strategy vs Algieri: 'We're targeting the midsection'

MACAU — Up against another tall and hefty foe, expect Manny Pacquiao to go for the mid-section when he clashes with Chris Algieri in their World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title match on Nov. 23 at Cotai Arena inside The Venetian here.

 

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach bared that they are looking to hit Algieri in the midsection, the same strategy the Filipino champion used in his win over Antonio Margarito in their World Boxing Confederation (WBC) super welterweight fight in 2010.

 

"We're targeting the midsection," Roach said Tuesday moments before Pacquiao plunged into the final leg of his preparation, where he did several minutes of mitts and another round of sparring. "The most important thing is to work on his body. He has the height, but he doesn't have good defense. His body is always wide-open. We have to exploit it."

 

The Hall of Fame trainer added that Team Pacquiao has ran a grueling, seven-week training camp in General Santos City, where their primary focus was to prepare Pacquiao against taller, heftier foes.

 

"We had a good camp and good sparring partners," he said.

 

"We don't have any concerns going into this fight. We're very prepared. I made sure Manny gets an intense training to prepare him against a bigger opponent like Algieri."

 

Reports have it that Pacquiao ran like a well-oiled machine during the camp.

 

In fact, he reportedly sent his sparring partner, 5-foot-10 Stan Martyniouk, to the canvas twice and asked for an extra four-round sparring with Viktor Postol before flying to this Chinese gambling city late Monday. And a day after his arrival, he worked out inside his suite to break a sweat before taking his lunch and going for another afternoon workout.

 

Roach said Martyniouk is a heavy puncher that prepared Pacquiao for the attacks of Algieri. On the other hand, Postol is an aggressive fighter who punches and defends like the 30-year old former kickboxing champion.

 

"I think they're like Algieri in some way," he said. "They move like him and their agrressive style gave Manny a good preparation. So whatever Algieri brings to the table, we're ready for it."

 

Aside from throwing in aggressive sparring partners, they also paid extra attention on the heavy bag.

 

"The heavy bag is a vital part of our training camp," Roach said as the national anthem blares on the background to signal the start of their workout. "That's one of the reason why we failed to do a stoppage in our previous fights. Now, we're back to correct our lapses."

 

"We're trying to bring back the old, aggressive style of Manny." — STR/JST, GMA News