Baguio ideal venue for champ's training

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BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – This city braces for Monday’s arrival of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who chose to set up his camp here in his buildup for his keenly awaited showdown with Puerto Rican champion Miguel Cotto in November.

“Baguio is a wise choice for his training, contrary to Freddie Roach and Bob Arum’s wishes, because it provides good cardio-vascular development as well as for stamina and strength,” said Boy Velasco, one of the coaches of the national boxing team.

Pacquiao said that eight weeks would be enough to put himself in top shape for the Cotto bout on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas where the power-punching Filipino is aiming to add the WBO welterweight champion to his growing list of victims.

But Roach and Arum fear of distraction with fans expected to come in droves during gym training at the Teachers Camp and during roadwork.

“Team Pacquiao should really take into considerations distractions, especially that the city is a major tourist destination,” said former Gintong Alay national camp director Narciso Padilla.

However, Velasco said security has been arranged this early that would ensure the world pound-for-pound king’s unhampered training.

He added that the ABAP (Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines) gym is ready.

“The facility has undergone face lifting even before Pacquiao decided to train here,” said Velasco.

Still, the greatest asset of this city is its high altitude, said Padilla.

“We hope, however, that local residents will cooperate in supporting Pacquiao’s two-month training program here by respecting the training regimen especially during his outdoor road-runs and work-outs,” Padilla said. – Artemio Dumlao

Pinoy icon's toughest test: Early fight odds on Pacman

By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)

SAN DIEGO – Bob Arum knows too well that Nov. 14 is not going to be a picnic for Manny Pacquiao.

In fact, the big boss from Top Rank expects a real tough fight for the pride of the Philippines who’s scheduled to challenge Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico for the WBO welterweight crown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

With a quick glance at the fight odds, Pacquiao at +250 (you need to bet $250 to win a hundred) and Cotto at -210, it’s not hard to say that the Filipino icon is favored to win a record seventh world title in different weight classes.

But Arum said it won’t be a walk in the park.

“One thing is for sure. If Manny wins it’s not going to be easy. It will be tough,” said Arum yesterday from the frontseat of the Suburban that was taking him to a three-hour ride from Los Angeles to the Petco ballpark in San Diego.

Joining the legendary promoter in the trip to the home of the Padres, where Pacquiao was to throw the ceremonial pitch in the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, were Top Rank’s Lee Samuels and Bill Caplan.

“Believe me, this will be the toughest fight of his life,” Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, told the media during the “Firepower” press tour that took Pacquiao and Cotto to five key cities in the US the last six days.

The tour ended the other day at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. Cotto has flown back to Puerto Rico, and should be ready to begin the hard grind in his camp in Tampa, Florida.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, stayed behind, and had to travel to San Diego at noon yesterday to be at the Petco Park. It was the third baseball stadium which he has visited the past week after the Yankee Stadium and the AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Arum said if Pacquiao gets past Cotto, and there’s no easy way he’s gonna do that, the reigning pound-for-pound champion will be back on the ring on March 15 against the lucky one who is picked as his next opponent.

“He doesn’t want to fight in February so we’re looking at March 15,” said Arum.

Pacquiao will seek a congressional seat in his hometown in Saranggani province in southern Philippines during the May 2010 elections, and a fight in March will be right inside the calendar.

“He can fight on March 15, and that gives him enough time to go out and campaign,” said Arum.

Among those being tipped as Pacquiao’s next opponent are Floyd Mayweather Jr., the undefeated ex-pound-for-pound champion who takes on Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Shane Mosley or Edwin Valero.

Pacquiao said depending on the results of their fights, he and Mayweather could end up facing each other next year. But whether it will be the one prior to the elections remain uncertain.

Once the fight pushes through, Pacquiao could earn from $25 million to $30 million or roughly P1.5 billion, and Mayweather a little less.

“Kapag nanalo kami pareho ni Mayweather, kami na yan (If I and Mayweather prevail, then it should be us),” said Pacquiao. “Nag-uusap na. Basta. Nag-uusap na (Talks are on).”

Notes; This back-breaking press tour of five key cities in seven days is nothing new to Bob Arum. The Harvard lawyer who has gone promoting some of the great, great fights in history over the last 40 years, has had some tours that would make this one look like a picnic. He said the toughest he’s been to was for the Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns fight in ’80s. “It took us 23 cities in just 14 days,” he told Pinoy scribes who travelled with him to San Diego from LA. “And it was fun even if the boxers got into each other’s nerves at one point and I had to break up a fist-fight in St. Louis. That’s why when the opening bell sounded there was no more feeling out between the two boxers. It was a street fight,” said Arum. The Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto press tour got off in New York last Thursday, and took both fighters to Puerto Rico, San Francisco and LA. There were days when they stayed longer up in the air (plane ride) than they were on the ground. But the result has proven to be a tremendous success, and Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, said there’s never been like it in Pacquiao’s recent fights. Pacquiao was to take a late-night flight to Manila Tuesday and should be home on Thursday. Training, under Freddie Roach, Buboy Fernandez and Alex Ariza, begins on the 21st in Baguio City.

Pacquiao to start promo tour for bout

MANILA, Philippines - Late nights will soon be over for Manny Pacquiao.

The world’s best boxer today is set to embark on a whirlwind press tour of five key cities to mark the start of his preparations for the Nov. 14 clash with WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.

He leaves for New York on Wednesday to be at the Yankees Stadium at noon of Sept. 10 for the launch of the press tour that would take him and Cotto to Caguas, Puerto Rico on Sept. 12, the AT&T Park in San Francisco for the Giants-Dodgers match on Sept. 13, the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles on Sept. 14 and the PETCO Park in San Diego (Pacquiao only) for the Padres-Diamondbacks match on Sept. 15.

After a day or two, Pacquiao heads back to the Philippines, hopefully with his chief trainer, Freddie Roach, on hand, for the start of his training in Baguio City. According to plans, Pacquiao will train in the country’s summer capital, and would move to the Wild Card Gym in LA three weeks before the showdown.

Once training starts, it means no more late nights, parties, and shooting of movies and commercials for the 30-year-old icon who said the other day that while he was very busy the last couple of months he made sure he knew his limitations.

“There are some late nights because I worked on my showbiz career. But I made sure I get enough rest. I know my body. Sinigurado ko naman na sapat din ang pahinga ko kahit na medyo napupuyat,” said Pacquiao, who vowed to give it all once training starts.

While his tireless Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, worked for possible training sites in Mexico or Vancouver, Pacquiao chose Baguio City, and has asked Roach to come over as soon as the press tour is done and over with.

Pacquiao the other day cleared the air on the rumored rift between him and Roach regarding the training, and on some things being written about Koncz.

“Things are being said and written about Mike Koncz but to set it straight he’s just doing his job. I like him because he gets the job done. And contrary to what’s being said, it’s not him calling the shots. I do. He only does what I tell him to do. Masipag siya (He’s hardworking),” said Pacquiao of Koncz.

Pacquiao’s Filipino trainer, Buboy Fernandez, is now up in Baguio for an ocular inspection of the possible training camp inside Teachers’ Village. The route that will cover Pacquiao’s roadwork, both flat and mountainous courses, is being laid out by Fernandez.

He said eight weeks should be enough to get him in tip-top fighting form and everybody who knows the pride of Saranggani Province in Mindanao could attest to the fact that when he trains he trains like no other.

Tax laws have prevented Pacquiao from staying in the US for the duration of his eight-week training as aliens like him are only given so much time to stay there. He is close to his limit (180 days in three years), and if he goes beyond that he will be heavily taxed.

No rift with Roach: Pacman prefers Baguio training for Cotto tiff

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao yesterday cleared the air as to where and when he’d like to start training for his upcoming fight with Puerto Rican champion Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao also said there’s no rift between him and his chief trainer, Freddie Roach, and they’d finalize the training schedule during the fight’s press tour next week.

Then the reigning pound-for-pound champion said Baguio remains as his choice as training headquarters. In fact, he said his Filipino trainer, Buboy Fernandez, is now up in Baguio.

“He’s up there to check the facilities,” said Pacquiao of the country’s summer capital, chilly most of the year, around 150 miles north of Manila and 1,500 meters above sea level.

Roach said Baguio is not an ideal place to train because of the distractions (too many fans and tourists), and has offered a secluded resort in Toluca, Mexico, instead.

Bob Arum of Top Rank wants Vancouver, but in the end it’s Pacquiao who makes the call, and as it is, it’s Baguio for the main bulk of his training for the Nov. 14 title fight with Cotto.

Pacquiao said he will discuss things with Roach when they hook up next week for the press tour in New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

“Then maybe from there he can come along with me, and we’d start training in Baguio. It won’t be short. Kailangan niya pumunta dito (He needs to come here),” said Pacquiao.

He said eight weeks should be enough to get him in top shape for the fight, and said the last three weeks he might move to the Wild Card Gym in LA for the final push.

“I understand our countrymen or my fans feeling worried about my training. I want to assure them that I’m not taking it for granted. I know myself. I know that eight weeks should do it,” he added.

Pacquiao faced the press yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas and announced his latest partnership with Solar Sports, led by Wilson Tieng and Peter Chanliong, regarding a new promotional outfit.

Together, they’re setting up an outfit that would help promote more Filipino fighters for fights overseas.

“Basically we’ll engage in the business of production, promotion and distribution of boxing shows to the world market, not only here in the Philippines. We have a lot of boxers who can fight on an international scale,” said Chanliong.

The Solar Sports chief operating officer said the outfit, which will be named soon, will not have any direct clash with the Manny Pacquiao Promotions which “has its own business.”

Chanliong said that in the new outfit, Pacquiao will be the “chairman and the boss” and that we’ll help “Manny make more money” as if Pacquiao is not yet close to being a Filipino billionaire.

“More money?” Pacquiao cut in.

He also said he’s now at 150 lb which is just five pounds off the catchweight agreed upon by both boxers.

“No problem,” he added, just enough to assure everyone that there’s really none.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao got another promotion in the army reserve force, this time being installed as sergeant major of his unit.

From being a master sergeant, Pacquiao was promoted to the rank of senior master sergeant, the second highest rank for enlisted personnel.

“Master Sgt. Manny Pacquiao was given the rank of Sergeant Major for the 15th Ready Reserve Division of the Philippine Army,” said Lt. Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, army spokesman.

Pacquiao was also awarded the Outstanding Achievement Medal for the honor he has given the country in his past fights and serving as inspirations for many of the Filipinos, Burgos said.

In his speech, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, who also attended the event, said that the boxing champ, instead of joining other civic organizations decided to “volunteer for Team AFP and don the military uniform where he could be of service to the country.”

He said that his fights are no longer a quest for personal achievement, but for the honor of the country that is truly proud of his feats in sports.

“Even groups who are fighting against each other stop just to watch Manny fight,” he said. with report from James Mananghaya.

Roach: Cotto will go full route vs Pacman

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach wasn’t joking when he said lately that Miguel Cotto would be Manny Pacquiao’s “toughest fight.”

Yesterday, the three-time Trainer of the Year, who’s still mourning the very recent death of his younger brother, Joey, told doghouseboxing.com that Cotto has all the qualities to make a very dangerous fight for Pacquiao.

Roach predicted knockouts in Pacquiao’s recent fights, and turned out to be a good fortune-teller as the Filipino pound-for-pound champion decked David Diaz, Oscar dela Hoya and Ricky Hatton one after the other.

But in a lengthy interview with David Tyler, the American trainer can’t say the same with Cotto.

“You know that I’ve been making a lot of predictions lately, and I will give you one for sure.....this fight will go the distance!” Roach said during the interview.

“Cotto certainly has his hands full but he has some advantages against us. By fight time he will be 20 pounds heavier than us. He will be the bigger, stronger fighter who is a very resilient guy,” Roach added.

Roach said Cotto is a natural welterweight (147 lb) and the fight being at a catchweight of 145 lb may not spell a big difference.

“He is a true 147 pound fighter, he is very strong, he is a tough guy,” Roach told doghouseboxing.com.

Roach said he’s disappointed that Pacquiao, just a little over two months before the Nov. 14 fight, has yet to decide where or when training would start.

Cotto has been at the gym for almost three weeks now while Pacquiao is busy shooting movies and commercials. But Team Pacquiao said they’d all be done and over with by Sept. 5.

Pacquiao will fly to the US next week for a whirlwind press tour that would take him and Cotto to New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco and Los Angeles in six days.

Then Pacquiao plans to return immediately to the Philippines and kick off his training in Baguio City, a tourist destination that does not sit well with Roach as training site.

“I’m not pleased with him training in the Philippines, there are too many distractions, but that’s what he wants to my understanding, and I believe he is taking this fight too lightly. Mark my words this will be the toughest fight of his life,” said Roach.

Roach sounds alarm - Pacman busy in showbiz

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach is sounding the alarm over in Los Angeles and Manny Pacquiao is busy shooting a commercial somewhere in Metro Manila.

The three-time Trainer of the Year yesterday told fighthype.com he’s “pissed off” about Pacquiao’s failure to make it clear where he wants to train for the Nov. 14 fight with WBO champion Miguel Cotto.

Roach said he talked to Mike Koncz over the telephone the other day, asking Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser if they’ve made a decision on where or when the training for the fight would start.

“I talked to Mike Koncz yesterday, and I said, ‘Where are we going to train?’ He said, ‘I haven’t asked Manny yet.’ I said ‘you haven’t asked Manny yet? What do you mean you haven’t’ asked Manny yet.’”

All Koncz could say was that Pacquiao was busy making a movie, and Roach, as suggested by the report, must have blown his top when he said, “What the hell? You’re scared to ask Manny?”

Roach, normally cool, added, “I’m pissed off about it.”

Yesterday, The STAR failed to get in touch with Koncz but got through on the phone with Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal, who said there’s only so much Koncz or anyone else around Pacquiao could do.

“It’s not only Freddie who’s trying to get it (training) started but us, too. But Manny’s too busy finishing his movie. We, including Mike, never fail to remind him of his commitments on and off the ring,” said Gacal.

“But he’s the boss. He makes the decisions. You know Manny. Freddie knows Manny,” said the lawyer, who said Pacquiao was busy shooting a commercial for a deodorant as of presstime yesterday.

“I’ve asked everybody concerned that all these should be over by Sept. 5. That’s pack-up time,” said Gacal.

Pacquiao said he wants to train in Baguio upon his return from the five-day press tour that starts on Sept. 10 and would take the Filipino pound-for-pound champion and Cotto to New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco and LA.

Roach said Baguio is not the ideal place to train because of all the distractions. He said he fears the same thing would happen as when Pacquiao trained for some time in Cebu City for his last fight with Marco Antonio Barrera.

Roach said there’s Toluca or Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, or Cancun and even the Bahamas as the other places to train. But not in Baguio because “we don’t need vacation areas with tourists watching us and so forth.’

“Right now we really don’t know yet where training would start. But Manny still likes Baguio. ‘Yun pa din ang gusto niya (He still likes it),” said Gacal.

Two title belts up for Manny

LAS VEGAS – When Manny Pacquiao takes on Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here on Nov. 14, there will be two titles on the line and if the Filipino icon wins, he’ll cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters ever in the history of the sport.

Cotto has agreed to defend his WBO welterweight title after Top Rank chairman Bob Arum convinced him to. The other crown at stake is the newly created WBC Diamond Belt, the first time the governing body is awarding the prize.

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz said yesterday the WBC belt is studded with 400 diamonds and the winner will pay $40,000 to own it.

“The WBC approved in its last convention in China to put up a Diamond Belt to recognize a championship-caliber fight at a catchweight limit,” said Koncz. “Don Jose (Sulaiman) phoned me offering the Belt to the winner of Manny’s fight against Cotto. He told me it was a big honor for the WBC to be involved with Manny and there wouldn’t be a sanction fee to pay.”

Koncz said he will scout possible training sites in Mexico before leaving for Manila on Thursday with fighter Bernabe Concepcion to meet with Pacquiao. He plans to visit Cancun and Puerta Vallarta.

“Manny’s instructions are to find a training site where there are hills for him to run up and down,” said Koncz. “That struck out the Bahamas as an option because it has no hills. I’m not sure about Cancun and that’s why I’m leaving tomorrow to meet with the Yucatan Governor and survey the place. At least, I know there are hills in Puerta Vallarta so that’s a real option.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said he hopes to kick off a media tour with Pacquiao and Cotto at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Sept. 10. That will lead to a Puerto Rican tour then a stop in San Francisco where a press conference is scheduled after the Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game before 50,000 fans, another press meeting in Los Angeles and finally a visit to Mexico where the travelling party will be received by the President.

Arum said right after the whirlwind tour, he expects Pacquiao to start training, possibly somewhere in Mexico. If Pacquiao plans to return to Manila, Arum said he will try to talk him out of it.

Cotto has already started training but Koncz said he’s not worried about Pacquiao.

“I know Manny wants to finish his obligations in shooting commercials and filming his TV shows and movies by the end of the month,” said Koncz. “Once Manny gets serious in training, you’ll see his determination and commitment. He’s a different man in training.”

Koncz said he expects Cotto to be more competitive than Oscar de la Hoya or Ricky Hatton.

“This could go 12 rounds,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it lasts the distance. Cotto’s a guy who can give Manny trouble. He’s big, he’s a great body puncher. He’s a fighter like Manny. What will happen after the fight? It all depends on the outcome. If it’s close, we could do a rematch. Maybe, this could even end up in a trilogy like Erik Morales. Cotto’s known as a bleeder but while he is affected when he gets cut, he doesn’t quit.”

Koncz said even as Pacquiao continues to attend to his various non-sports commitments before flying to the US, he is keeping in shape.

“He’s been jogging and playing a lot of basketball as part of his preparations,” said Koncz. “He’s cross training. I think he should be ready to fly within the first week of September.”

As for future opponents, Koncz said Sugar Shane Mosley isn’t a pay-per-view attraction and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has unreasonable money demands.

“I don’t know if Mosley will draw although in the end, it’s really Manny whom the fans want to see,” said Koncz. “As for Mayweather, unless he realizes it’s Manny who’s the attraction, not him, we won’t even talk to him.”

Koncz said his only boss is Pacquiao and sometimes, he is misunderstood because of his loyalty to the Filipino icon. For instance, Concepcion failed to attend the press conference for his fight against Steven Luevano here and Koncz was unfairly blamed for it.

“Manny didn’t want me to go to Las Vegas because I still had things to do in Los Angeles,” said Koncz. “But I reasoned to Manny that I had to be with Bernabe just as his managers were with him throughout his early years. He allowed me to go in the end as Bernabe wouldn’t go to Las Vegas without me. That meant arriving a day after the press conference.”

Koncz was also chastised for throwing in the towel in the sixth round to save Juanito Rubillar from further punishment in his WBA lightflyweight title fight against Giovanni Segura in Mexico last July.

“What fans don’t know is I spoke to Juanito in between rounds and asked him if he was okay, if he could continue the fight despite a bad beating,” said Koncz. “He didn’t answer me. I asked him during at least two timeouts. His trainer (Erbito Salavarria) wanted him to go on but I felt it was enough punishment.”

Although Rubillar took the fight on two days notice, he bankrolled close to P1 Million as a late substitute for Sonny Boy Jaro who now faces Segura in Mexico for the WBA title next month.

Pacquiao lethal left holds key vs Cotto

MANILA, Philippines - The punch very similar to the one that brought Ricky Hatton down for good may yet again be the key when Manny Pacquiao fights the younger, bigger but slower Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14.

This was the observation made by Pacquiao’s former business manager, Rod Nazario, who had the pound-for-pound champion as special guest yesterday at his Wild Card Gym in Parañaque.

Pacquiao, despite his very hectic schedule, visited the gym, where he also trained for some of his recent fights, for the ninth anniversary celebration of the television boxing program In This Corner.

“I’ve watched Cotto’s recent fights, and remember this, Manny,” Nazario said as the boxer he used to handle listened. “Cotto has the tendency to drop his right hand as he launches an attack.”

Nazario told Pacquiao that “a short and crisp left” could be the key.

“Like in the Hatton fight, you didn’t have to go after him. All you needed was wait before you could throw that short left,” said Nazario who, despite his medical condition, still came to see the Hatton fight in Las Vegas last May.

Nazario pulled off a big surprise when he gifted Pacquiao with a rare 1856 chess set, made in Russia, which he bought in an antique store in Orlando for $1,050. Pacquiao, a chess buff, said he’d have a special chess board of narra wood with ivory trimmings made.

“Hindi ka na mananalo sa akin (This time you can’t beat me),” Pacquiao told Nazario who, this early, had announced that next year’s In This Corner party will be held at The Manila Hotel.

Nazario is part of the original Team Pacquiao, along with Moy Lainez, Lito Mondejar and Gerry Garcia. Together, they also helped put up the Blow By Blow program that lasted six years until 2000, and then In This Corner.

Pacquiao said Cotto will stake his WBO welterweight crown when they clash at the catchweight of 145 lb.

Pacquiao arrived past noon and went straight to Nazario who was holed up in his office. He came on board his grey Porsche Cayenne and left more than an hour later on his black Hummer for Quiapo to resume shooting his new movie.

Pacquiao said he’s eager to start training for the Cotto fight set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas but said he has to honor all his prior commitments, mostly showbiz related.

Pacquiao will be in the US for the launch of the press tour that will take him and Cotto to New York’s Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10, Cotto’s hometown in Caguas, Puerto Rico on Sept. 12, and the AT&T Park in San Francisco the following day.

Pacquiao, who will grace the Giants-Dodgers game in San Francisco, said he’d fly back to Manila after the press tour, and should immediately start his training, most likely in Baguio City.

Then after a week or two, Pacquiao will move somewhere outside of the US to resume his training, probably in Mexico or Canada, and will be in Los Angeles or Las Vegas for the final push.

Pacquiao said he stayed up so late Thursday night as he joined the officers of the USS George Washington, the world’s largest warship, which is docked off Manila Bay, just behind the SM Mall of Asia.

Pacquiao toured the 18-storey ship that carries more than 60 fighter planes and a crew of 5,000 at around 6 p.m. Then he had dinner with AFP and US military officials at Mandarin Hotel.

Pacquiao vs. Cebu

MANNY Pacquiao cleared his busy schedule to give way to a “budding basketball career” as he will see action in the opening week of the 2009 Liga Pilipinas Conference 3 at the New Cebu Coliseum.

The boxing superstar will lead the MP Gensan Warriors, a team he owns and manages, in the Aug. 19 to 23 event.

He will be playing against host team M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala -Cebu Niños, Quezon Red Oilers and the Zamboanga Amores in a four-day basketball competition.

“Manny will play the entire tournament. And it was him who requested that the MP Warriors be scheduled to play in Cebu because he wanted to be here and play basketball,” said M. Lhuillier coach and Cebu City Councilor Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba.

The Warriors will open the tournament against the Zamboanga Amores in the 5 p.m. game on Aug. 19.

The match will be followed by the Niños and Red Oilers game.

Cebu will face Pacquiao’s team on Aug. 21

Last January, the Warriors hosted the opening of the Second Conference and Pacquiao also saw action in the opener against the Trace Laguna Stallions.

Pacquiao, who has also joined a pro billiard tournament, played for 11 minutes. He scored two points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out one assist.

He was also 0-of-4 from the three point range and 1-of-7 at the 2-point field.

Cebu’s hosting of the Conference 3 will also be under the new format of the Liga Pilipinas.

Developmental league

All 10 teams will play in the usual pocket tournaments to determine the standings.

The top two teams will automatically qualify to the “Super Leg Final Round,” which will involve five teams playing a single round robin format.

After the Super Leg Final Round, the lowest-ranked team will be eliminated and the top four will play a knockout crossover match.

The winners will vie for the conference title.

Meanwhile, Alcoseba said that the proposed partnership of the Liga Pilipinas and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for a developmental league is now on the drawing board and will be finalized soon.