IN A week’s time, Manny Pacquiao will no longer complain of the oppressive heat whenever he reports for training at the oven-hot ABAP Gym in General Santos City.
Hopefully by next week, Pacquiao would already be working out under more favorable conditions at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood where day-time weather is similar to that of Baguio City.
Pacquiao has been complaining about the heat whenever he trains six times a week beginning last week and even his training asssitants, who do not perspire as much as the fighter, haven’t been spared.
“Sobra ang init,” Nonoy Neri said as they were en route to the sweat shop for another two-hour workout that runs Monday to Saturday.
Pacquiao is booked to fly to Los Angeles on Wednesday for the final stage of his training for an April 14 clash with unbeaten Mexican Jorge Solis at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
While his arrival there may appear to be too late, this is not the first time that Pacquiao will report for duty at the Wild Card this late.
When he fought Hector Velazquez at the Staples on Sept. 10, 2005, Pacquiao only started intense training under Roach on Aug. 9 and the GenSan southpaw was able to adapt to the training regimen put up not only by Roach but by Australian conditioning coach Justin Fortune.
Pacquiao went on to beat up the rugged Velazquez in six rounds despite training only for a month.
Against Solis, Pacquiao’s training is longer since he has been regularly working out the past two weeks.
