MANILA -- Boxing coach Freddie Roach has already arrived in Manila and brought in a tall fighter for Manny Pacquiao to spar with.

American junior welterweight Jose Carlos Ramirez will be one of Pacquiao’s two foreign sparring partners for the Jessie Vargas fight.

Ramirez stands 5-foot-10, making Pacquiao even look more diminutive at 5-foot-6.5. The American said he is here to help prepare the Filipino champion against Vargas who enjoys a 3.5-inch height advantage.

• READ: Freddie Roach arrives in Manila

The two sparred for four rounds on Tuesday at the Elorde Boxing Gym near SM Mall of Asia.

“I’m still suffering from jetlag. But that was not an excuse. I came here to help Manny Pacquiao prepare for his fight against Vargas,” Ramirez told Aquiles Zonio in a report on Philboxing.

Ramirez, who represented the US in the 2012 London Olympics, said he already felt Pacquiao punching power and observed how the Filipino uses his angles while throwing his fists.

“He’s strong and quick aside from throwing unpredictable punching combinations,” he said.

He would have wanted to give the Filipino a better challenge but he said he has yet to recover from jetlag.

“I feel laggard today but I will try to step up in the next sparring sessions when I can recover. I just arrived from a long travel,” Ramirez said.

Pacquiao has fought boxers much taller than him before and won every time.

In 2010, he pummeled the 5-foot-11 Antonio Margarito en route to a lopsided decision. Four years later, he did the same against a 5-foot-10 Chris Algieri.

But Vargas is the reigning WBO welterweight champion which is why Team Pacquiao needs to prepare their fighter thoroughly.

Meanwhile, Roach said he liked the gains made by Pacquiao, despite his break from boxing due to politics.

“I like what I see. He’s very inspired and aggressive. But what really surprised me was his punching power. I can feel it,” Roach said.

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