Notes from Manny Pacquiao's Training Camp

Posted by Igor Frank on 05.29.2008

A close look at Manny in action at the Wild Card Gym.



We are just about a month away from Manny Pacquiao challenging David Diaz for his WBC lightweight title. The event called "Lethal Combination" in lieu of both warriors' hard charging styles, is scheduled to take place on June 28th, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. HBO Pay Per View will begin telecast at 6:00 pm pacific time, with suggested retail price $49.95. Limited amount of tickets is still available through Ticketmaster or Mandalay Bay box office.

"This is my drive for five," said Pacquiao. "Five world titles in five different weight classes and I will not be denied. I am fighting for history, for destiny and for my people of the Philippines." Freddie Roach, Pac Man's head trainer, did not sound as convincing; he was cynical about Manny's commitment to this contest and said: "People think it is an easy fight, but it is not. We are coming up in weight to fight a bigger guy. David is a strong champion and he always comes to fight."

I decided to stop by a Wild Card Gym on Monday, Memorial Day to see just how dedicated is Manny to his training a month away from a fight, secretly hoping that he would not take a day off and that it would be quiet at the gym. I got one out of two wishes: Pacquiao has reported for training on time, but the gym was full of people, who came to watch Pac Man spar.

As Manny walked in with his attorney-advisor and his entourage, his body guard tried to clear out the gym for a private work out without much success. Manny, however undisturbed by all the activity, got to work right away and spared eight hard rounds with three different boxers. He started slow, but then wormed up and gave hell to all three of them. Freddie asked one of the sparring partners to step down after two rounds, because he was getting killed. Manny looked fast and agile and was able to put together terrific combinations. He also worked on absorbing body punches, which is a strong suit for David Diaz, by lifting his arms and letting his opponent hit him downstairs for about thirty seconds. Pacquiao was gliding around a squared circle as if he was a figure skater in the ice ring and that is the way I can usually tell about his preparation: his foot movement. Manny appears to be in tremendous shape already. He weighed 142 pounds, only seven pounds above the contracted weight. Manny is working very hard following his coach's advice to take this bout seriously, knowing that most fights are won and lost in the gym.

Pacquiao is an easy guy to like, as he walks in the gym, he greets most people with a disarming smile and a handshake. He is very personable and humble and money and fame does not seem to change his ways. Even though Pacquiao has beaten a lot of great Mexican champions, because of his exciting brawling style, he was able to gain popularity among Mexican fight fans as well. One such a fan told me at the gym that they want to be everywhere Manny is, just to support him. That is sounding more like cult following…Rumors about his generosity and genuine good nature are flying over continents (from Philippines to United States). Here is the latest story I heard in the gym. As I was watching Manny go through his routine, I observed another Pilipino boxer working the heavy bag with vigor." Who is that?" I inquired from a gym regular: "I have never seen him before." I was told that it was Vernie, a fighter from Philippines, who moved here from Florida a few months ago to train. Last month he got evicted from his apartment in Hollywood and when Manny came to Los Angeles for training camp, Vernie asked him for help. Many could have given him some money or even could've asked Freddie to put him up at the gym, but instead he invited him to stay as a guest at their house and now they are friends: they train together, they eat together and they live together. These kinds of stories are plentiful when it comes to Manny and that is what makes him an iconic figure in Philippines. If you want more of Pac Man, he has a public work out scheduled in San Diego for Thursday and another one for Saturday in Berkeley; otherwise I will see you at the fight…