HBO’s 24/7 Pacquiao Vs. Marquez 3: Fan’s View

On episode 3 of HBO's "24/7 Pacquiao vs Marquez 3", fight preparations continue for November 12. Each fighter is shown training, handling media requirements, greeting fans and spending down time with friends and teammates.

You can tell a lot about a person by the stories other people tell about them and the meaningful things they do for their friends. One thing I learned—these two fighters look after the people on their teams.

Manny Pacquiao

David Rodela was introduced as one of Manny Pacquiao's sparring partners. David told the story of how Manny generously offered to give him the down payment to buy his first home late last year. David said, "He ended up giving me a check. I was happy - blown away. I'm just a sparring partner. I'm not family. He didn't have to do that. That was very generous of him just to cut me a check that allowed me to purchase my home."

Buying his first home was a life changing event for David. He said that he's content to be Manny's sparring partner. "I don't need to be rich. I make enough money just sparring. If I'm known as his sparring partner, that's fine. It doesn't bug me. What can I offer him? What I can do—to say thank you—is to do the best that I possibly can to get him ready for the fight."

David is one of three sparring partners alternating rounds with Manny Pacquiao. Each man offers Pacquiao a different slice of Marquez style boxing. David's task is to be resilient - get knocked down and keep getting up again.

Ray Beltran demonstrates Marquz's strength as a counter puncher "…employing a style using Pacquiao's natural aggression against him," the narrator said. Jamie Kavanagh provides a steady stream of attack, Marquez style.

Freddie Roach, Manny's trainer, said, "He has a little fire in him—a little extra edge that I haven't seen in a long time. I believe in my fighter. I believe in the work that he does. We haven't missed a step anywhere. Manny Pacquiao is a machine and that machine will execute."

Juan Manuel Marquez

Marquez demonstrates his generosity to a man he respects, Angel Hernandez, his strength and conditioning coach, by having him in his camp (for the last 8 or 9 weeks) even though Angel has skeletons in his closet regarding performance enhancing drugs (PED). Under a different name, Angel, was a central character in a federal investigation exploring doping in sports.

Angel avoided a prison term for drug trafficking by cooperating with the authorities and naming Olympic athletes that he supplied with PEDs.

Angel swears that, "What we're doing is strictly science. We've got nothing to hide." Marquez and his team appear unconcerned and certain that everything is legal about this training camp.

Nacho Beristain, Marquez's coach, said that Marquez is faster and more steady after taking a scientific approach to his strength and conditioning training. "He's got more explosive speed."

Fighters look after each other

While I watched the show, I thought about the news that Joe Frazier has liver cancer and is now receiving hospice care. It made me think of how much fight fans love and admire the men who willingly walk into the ring and put it all on the line. Boxing fans all over the world are sending love and prayers to Smokin' Joe to let him know he's not forgotten and he's not fighting this fight alone.

24/7 narrator: "Prayer is how the mind communicates with the soul. Fighting is how their souls communicate with the world."

Pacquiao vs Marquez 3 - Live on HBO PPV November 12, 2011

Source: HBO's "24/7 Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3"

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Cheryl Ragsdale started out boxing and has added kicks and BJJ so she can practice MMA. She trains with Keith Florian and UFC Fighter Kenny Florian at Florian Martial Arts - follow @thatgirlisfunny.

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