INTENSE SPARRING WELCOMES MANNY

Pacquiao sparmates in Baguio (from left) Urbano Antilon, Shawn Porter and his father Ken -CESAR REYES

By Gerry Ramos

A big, legitimate super-welterweight fighter greeted Manny Pacquiao in his Baguio training camp as sparring session for his Nov. 14 showdown with Miguel Cotto promptly began Tuesday at the Shape-Up gym inside Cooyesan Hotel Plaza.

Unbeaten Shawn Porter engaged the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter in three intense rounds, highlighted by numerous exchanges of hard shots, according to those lucky enough to watch the action held behind closed doors.

“The three-round sparring was good, really good,” said Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Konz.

“Malaki tsaka malakas,” said a source, who saw the 21-year old Porter of Akron, Ohio spar with Pacquiao for the very first time.

Porter, holder of a perfect 10-0 ring record with 8 KOs, is a first time Pacquiao sparmate in training camp, whom trainer Freddie Roach thoroughly handpicked to precisely imitate the fighting style of the 28-year old Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title holder from Puerto Rico.

“He’s perfect for this training camp,” said Roach of the 2007 National Golden gloves middleweight champion.

Porter is one of two Pacquiao sparmates who are now in Baguio City trying to get the Filipino ring icon in perfect shape for his 12-round fight with Cotto.

Lightweight Urbano Antillon, a regular Pacquiao sparmate, is the other one, while on a standby call is another Pacman regular sparring partner David Rodela and Puerto Rican Raymond Tito Serrano.

Sparring for the 30-year old boxing champ will be thrice a week or every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

By tomorrow, he will go two rounds each with Antillon and Porter in time for the arrival of Top Rank big boss Bob Arum.

The veteran boxing official will be immediately whisked to the City of Pines shortly upon arriving in Manila early morning of Thursday.

Arum’s visit at the Pacquiao training camp marks the scheduled media day arranged by the boxing superstars’ handlers, when training and work out by the Filipino ring idol will be made open to members of the working press.