CHICAGO ? It was roughly six in the morning when he came back to his hotel room at 1133 West Vine St. in Hollywood, California. While the rest of civilization slept, he logged serious jogging miles at nearby Griffith Park Hills. Famished, he squared off with a bowl of fruits, mostly bananas. It was a mismatch, and he went on to wash down the conquest with a tall glass of powdered milk.
He then cools down, shoots the proverbial breeze. After 40 winks, he is up again at nine, when the day?s first heavy meal is served: rice and beef stew, prepared for in Pinoy fashion by his handlers Restituto Fernandez and Lito Mondejar. Before long, he is at the Wild Card gym at 12:30 p.m. Under Freddie Roach?s gaze, he punches bags and the earth shakes. He spars many rounds and his various spar mates cringe.
