LAS VEGAS ? The moment he stomped his feet on the ring that will be used Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) against Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao expressed a smile that indicated he liked the way he bounced off the canvas.
“Good,” Pacquiao said looking at the direction of trainer Freddie Roach, who was watching in the corner during a brief show for the media on Tuesday afternoon at the Events Center inside Mandalay Bay.
Pacquiao shadow-boxed, hit the speed ball, pounded the heavy bag and skipped rope for the benefit of the press and an army of photographers whose cameras clicked his every move.
Top Rank president Bob Arum was there and gave interviews, while Golden Boy Promotions chief executive officer Richard Schaefer joined him as well as the publicists of the two promotional outfits — Monica Sears and Ramiro Gonzalez of GBP and Lee Samuels and Ricardo Jimenez of Top Rank.
Oscar De La Hoya, the other half of the promoting groups, was no longer around when Pacquiao worked out for the media, but he was at the main lobby of the hotel to greet and exchange pleasantries with the popular Filipino puncher when he emerged from a stretch limo to re-enact the arrival rites, apparently for the benefit of television.
Pacquiao, 28, actually checked in Monday night from Los Angeles, while Barrera came in Sunday evening from Guadalajara. The promoters, however, had scheduled formal arrival ceremonies for Tuesday, so both fighters had to re-enact their entry.
Freddie Roach later took Pacquiao for serious work in a gym off the Strip as they begin to taper off.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao and Barrera are going to size each other up at lunchtime Wednesday when a press conference is held at the House of Blues. The next day, they?ll be available for interviews when a national Satellite Media Tour is conducted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the arena.
The official weigh in will be at 2:30 p.m. of Friday also at the Events Center.
