Distractions can be irritably annoying, and when it’s during preparation for the fight of your life, changes have to be made to accommodate the fighter’s needs. As rumors of training camp difficulties continue to mount for eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino superstar had to make a difficult decision and ban all interviews until training camp media day on April 15.
In an interview with the LA Times, Freddie Roach explained the reasoning for the decision.
“Since the red carpet (March 11 press conference) until now, we’ve done so much press – triple any other fight – he’s a little tired of it,” said Roach. “I told him I’ll pick up the slack if needed. I can be tired. He can’t.”
Pacquiao acknowledged that there is something mentally he needs to achieve in this training camp and has asked for time to focus, following a path that Floyd Mayweather Jr. laid the ground work for since the beginning of training camp.
“You have to focus without interruption after your activities of jogging and training. I don’t want to focus on anything other than boxing,” said Pacquiao. “I’m not complaining about interviews. They help us promote the fight and help the people know what’s happening in the camps. This is just the first time I’m asking for time to focus. There’s something I need to achieve in this camp, especially mentally.”
With the fight less than a month away, the clock is ticking. It all goes down May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
