Battered performer Castillo: Fresh meat for Pacquiao

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Latest News from examiner.com Thu, 07 Oct 2009

Like a reformed vegetarian, Manny Pacquiao is in need of some fresh meat.

When it comes to employees he hires to beat up on, Pacman is a sharp toothed carnivore.

Former WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, who got his baptism in boxing as a 16 year old standing toe to toe with Mexico’s all time ring icon Julio Cesar Chavez, is expected to climb into the training ring in Baguio Saturday with Megamanny.

Coach Freddie Roach never wanted the “punched ticket” Castillo as a Manny sparmate. I can understand Roach’s frustration after he publicly rejected using Castillo in an interview with me on Sept. 10, the day of the Pacman-Cotto Yankee Stadium press conference.

It became a control freak situation with controversial, de facto Pacman “manager” Michael Koncz calling the shot and booking Castillo for a round trip ticket to Baguio.

On Wednesday, I asked Bob Arum whose idea it was to bring Castillo, age 35 and coming off a two round KO victory last month, to camp over Roach’s outright rejection.

“I don’t know,” Arum told me...

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