Surrounded by the framed pictures of the greatest boxers of yesteryear that hang on the walls at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Manny Pacquiao trained on one of the final days before the biggest fight of his career.
It was business as usual Friday afternoon for the Filipino boxer, who did not take the day off for Thanksgiving, as he resumed his workout schedule and training sessions with his trainer, Freddie Roach.
It was also the usual crowd that watched the pound for pound number one boxer in the world according to Ring Magazine prepare for his bout against ?The Golden Boy? of modern boxing, Oscar De La Hoya, which will take place Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Paquiao?s inner circle, including Roach, were never too far away from him, while a group of nearly a dozen members of boxing?s professional community, who appeared as focused as Pacquiao, observed from about 20 feet away from the ring.
The group of people that was farthest away from the boxer were his fans, who eagerly awaited outside the boxing club in hopes of scoring an autograph.
Pacquiao began Friday?s training session by warming up with some shadowboxing and moved onto practicing his jabs on mitts worn by Roach.
In his training blog at ESPN?s Web site, Pacquiao wrote on Nov. 28 that his training has not changed very much recently and that he has been concentrating on head movement and strategy in order to be prepared for his fight with De La Hoya.
He also wrote that his weight is between 149 and 150 pounds.
In an interview with the Manila Bulletin Online, Roach said he acknowledges some of the advantages De La Hoya has in height, but added that Pacquiao will overcome them because of his fighting style.
At 5?10?, De La Hoya has a four-inch height advantage over Pacquiao, but Roach said that does not change one of De La Hoya?s weaknesses.
?Oscar doesn?t like body punches, and Manny?s going to throw a lot,? he told the Manila Bulletin Online.
With ?The Dream Match? only a week away and all of the hype surrounding it, Pacquiao finished his latest blog entry by writing that his match with De La Hoya will not be a personal one.
?People tell me Oscar has said things like he is going to knock me out, and that he sees this fight as personal,? he wrote. ?But I don?t make predictions. And it is never personal. It is never personal for me. I am doing my job. And I?m going to do it well, and I?m going to win the fight.?
