LOS ANGELES: Eight-division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao scaled the prolonged 5.6-mile distance of the mountainous Griffith Park on Wednesday in a fast 53 minutes and 20 seconds to the amazement of his trainers and running mates alike.
?It?s incredible,? chorused Pacquiao?s long time running mates, American Michael Hayden and Fil-Am AJ ?Mandirigma? Angeles to this writer following Pacquiao?s display of leg power and stamina.
?He?s very fast and strong. I?ve rarely seen anybody, even the pro-runners run at an averaged 9.2 minutes per second clip,? Hayden asserted.
?Ang bilis nga ni Boss. Hindi nga ako nakasabay hanggang summit,? Angeles, who normally had stuck with Manny in his many previous runs here, said.
?That only means one thing. That if Manny?s goal in running at Griffith is to improve his leg power and stamina, then, he?s already got it,? Nonoy Neri, assistant to chief trainer Buboy Fernandez, butted in.
?And that we?re right in our earlier assessment that Manny is in near perfect condition to fight,? Neri further said. ?Then we have to do away already the more rigorous plyometric system of conditioning and revert back to the more simple way of doing it.?
Neri was referring to Pacquiao?s coming fight with Keith Thurman on July 20 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Buboy agreed, saying ?If the boxing aspect of preparation is already there as we have been saying and the conditioning aspect is there, too, kailangan natin mag-ingat.?
Buboy said he?s been telling Pacquiao to take care of his health. Reduce his non-boxing activities to the minimum. Forget basketball for a while while in training.
?Mabuti naman at sinusunod niya ako,? Buboy said, adding that one other thing he wants to see is for Manny to lessen admitting visitors to his residence.
?Observe curfew hours imposed by his security. And to the visitors, including members of Team Pacquiao to refrain staying at Manny?s house up to the wee hours of the morning,? he appealed.
Buboy, likewise reminded supporters and friends and even relatives that at this stage of preparation: ?Bawal kay Manny ang magkasakit. If you?re not feeling well, say, you have fever, cough cold, please refrain from visiting him at baka mahawa pa ninyo siya at hindi matuloy ang laban.?
