FightFan.com’s Ace Freeman spent a day behind the closed doors of Manny Pacquiao’s training camp at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, CA. Read on for an inside look at Pacquiao’s training, only on FightFan.com!
Freddie Roach?s Wild Card Boxing Club was full to capacity at 11:00 AM the morning I dropped by in hopes of an interview. Always accommodating, Freddie took the time to answer some of the questions I had for him about the upcoming Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya fight. The excitement in his eyes while talking about the match up almost gives the impression he?s back in his fighting days and is the one preparing for this fight. This was a shared enthusiasm among all the members of Team Pacquiao that I came across in Hollywood, but no one exuded it more than Pacquiao himself.
The atmosphere around the gym that morning was similar to that you?d find outside a movie premiere. Hordes of fans lined the parking lot hoping to get a glimpse of Manny Pacquiao upon his arrival. Freddie Roach sat at the front desk in a rare moment of down time while a fellow Wild Card worker announced to everyone in the gym it was time to pack up and leave. The Wild Card is closed to the public and to it?s regulars from Noon to four every afternoon until early December so that Pacquiao might train relatively free from distraction.
?The more people there are around, the more he plays,? Freddie Roach told me. ?Manny is such a genuine guy that he can?t help but make himself available to the people. I?ve got to try to keep the place as cleared out as possible so we can get down to business.?
With that said, the gym fell strangely silent for a few moments. During the hours it?s open to the public the Wild Card is a noisy place, but ahead of Manny Pacquiao?s arrival the place was like a library. One by one members of Team Pacquiao arrived.
It was a good fifteen minutes before Manny made his entrance, fresh from having signed autographs and posed for photos with the crowd of adoring fans below. Pacquiao had a warm smile on his face and was dressed from head to toe in Nike gear. He looked very trim in the face and appeared to be in great shape. Roach had made mention earlier that Pacquiao is currently 152 pounds with 6% body fat. This was immediately evident as Pacquiao took off his coat and made his way to the locker room to suit up.
?Today we hit the mitts for twelve rounds,? Freddie Roach commented. ?Then Manny does the speed bag, the heavy bag, and he finishes off with plyometrics in the other room. It?s pretty intense.?
Pacquiao soon emerged from the room ready for action. He spent some time stretching with strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza. During this time Freddie Roach suited up in his body shield and mitts like he was ready for combat. He made mention of the fact that Manny can get pretty fierce during pad work.
Pacquiao climbed into the ring and started out with some light shadow boxing. In person Pacquiao?s calf muscles always immediately stand out whenever he?s in the ring. The power and explosive speed that has become his trademark begins with his lower body as his legs are often the starting point for his lightning quick movements.
Pacquiao glided around the ring effortlessly, suddenly stopping and changing direction. His shadowboxing encompassed a great deal of upper body movement where he would stop suddenly, bend at the waist and unload a combination before changing direction. The fluidity of his movement in person is nothing short of amazing. I have always contended that Pacquiao must share some rare genetic predispositions with the late great Bruce Lee. Both Pacquiao and Lee have similar freakish builds and seem to share the same ability to generate such quick explosive power.
Finally Roach made his way into the ring. ?Lets go coach!? Manny shouted at him playfully. The relationship that Pacquiao shares with Roach is immediately evident upon seeing them together. Aside from the fact that Roach is one of the most down to earth individuals one could meet in all of boxing, the bond he shares with Pacquiao is unmistakable.
Pacquiao seems to relish the comfort he shares with Roach, which dates back years to when Roach took him under his wing as an inexperienced youngster. The transformation Pacquiao has made as a fighter in recent years is part and parcel of his candid relationship with Roach. While I have seen many top fighters speak to their trainers and staff like employees, mega star Manny Pacquiao still humbly refers to Roach as ?Coach Freddie?. It is this level of trust and respect that has propelled the duo to the top of the sport.
?Yes Coach!? was Pacquiao?s response to many of Roach?s instructions once their pad work began. Pacquiao started out working on feverish combinations. Freddie would call out a series of punches, and Pacquiao would respond winging each shot with an exasperated ?Bang bang bang!?
Pacquiao uses superb footwork in training to position his upper body in an attack position, and often is out of the way on the defensive as quickly as he came storming in. The tireless way he works on moving his body in and out of range shows why he executes this so well in fights. His movements are all very precise and preformed at top speed. Pacquiao has very specific intentions for where and how he wants certain punches to land, and in training he would constantly yell out ?Bulls eye!? when he liked the way a punch landed.
During the early stage of the pad work, Roach?s body shield became a frequent target. The way Pacquiao went to the body immediately stood out. Roach liked what he saw in that regard, until there was a huge straight left hand to the mid section he didn?t see coming.
?I?m going to break his ribs!? Pacquiao shouted out after raking Roach?s mid section with a brilliant punch. The look on Pacquiao?s face during training is remarkable. The level of focus and attention to detail leaves his eyes looking like he is studying for the most important test of his life. There is absolutely no room for doubt as to the degree of seriousness with which Pacquiao is training for this fight. He has the look of a man possessed.
Earlier in the day I had asked Roach for his thoughts on Manny?s motivation for this fight. With the dollar figures thrown about it?s easy for many people to assume this is about the payday, but not so according to Roach.
?The money doesn?t hurt, but that?s not what this is about for Manny. He and Oscar are both good people and they?re gentlemen, but I?ll tell you? they don?t like each other. For Manny, this is personal.? Roach added.
This sentiment can be seen in Pacquiao?d demeanor as he prepares for this fight. The duration of the work in the ring between Pacquiao and Roach was spent on many fine details. The two would spend a great deal of time working on very subtle movements, specific punches, and defensive postures. It?s best for all involved that I don?t go in to the specifics of these items here, but Pacquiao fans can rest assured that the fire storm of offense they witness in Manny?s fights is not just an influx of random punches.
Pacquiao and Roach?s attention to detail in their training together is the very reason why most people currently consider Manny to be the top fighter in the sport. The two work off each other, as Manny will constantly stop Roach to point something out about a specific punch or movement, and Roach will do the same to offer his insight on what Oscar will be doing and looking for during the fight.
It is still over a month away from fight night, and Manny Pacquiao?s training camp is in full swing. His upcoming clash with Oscar De La Hoya is going to be the fight of his life, and currently he is engulfed in the training camp of his life. The moniker of ?Dream Fight? isn?t just a fancy tag line for this fight. For Pacquiao it?s a burning reality that has fully consumed him.
