With only 40 days left before the fight, Manny Pacquiao is just about to begin the hard grind in training for his awaited lightweight debut against WBC champion David Diaz of the United States.
Over the phone, Pacquiao yesterday said sparring should begin this week at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood where he?s been sweating it out daily since arriving in LA exactly a week ago.
?I was told sparring starts Tuesday. I feel good. No more jet lag,? said Pacquiao, who was getting ready to call it a day, after dinner in his posh La Brea apartment unit, when contacted by The STAR.
?I?m ready to spar with whoever coach Freddie (Roach) brings in. He?s the one who chooses my sparring partners,? added Pacquiao, who earlier in the day did his normal routine at the gym.
For the past two days Pacquiao worked out under Buboy Fernandez because Roach is in Mexico, and should be back in LA on Sunday, normally a rest day for the Pinoy champ.
Freddie Norwood, one of only four men who have defeated Juan Manuel Marquez on the ring, is being lined up as Pacquiao?s sparring partner, along with the rising Victor Ortiz.
?Coach Freddie knows what type of fighter we need for sparring,? added Pacquiao.
With only 40 days left before the battle for the WBC lightweight crown at Mandalay Bay, every minute now counts for Pacquiao in his bid for a fourth world title in different weight classes.
Pacquiao said he plans to log in a total of 120 rounds of sparring for this fight scheduled for 12 rounds. It?s the typical number he submits while preparing for a fight ? big or small.
Pacquiao spars on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On these days, he runs in the morning but takes on a flat course. In non-sparring days, he takes on the uphill course in his favorite Griffith Park.
Pacquiao would have around 15 days of sparring should he start on Tuesday and until the week before the fight. Pacquiao normally travels to Vegas five or six days before the fight.
Sparring starts with a four-rounder, and gradually goes up to six, eight, 10 and 12 until Roach sees it fit to begin the tapering off. The number of rounds should go down the way it went up.
