LOS ANGELES-There was no official reason given yet but Manny Pacquiao’s main sparring partner, welter Javier Garcia, failed to show up for Wednesday’s sparring sessions, forcing trainer Freddie Roach to look for a quick replacement on Friday.
Sparring on Wednesday went the full 12 rounds with stand-by replacement Eder Rivas and fleet-footed Jorge Diaz chipping in three rounds each while unbeaten super-bantamweight Art Simonyan finishing strong in the final six rounds.
Still, Roach got a good bargain from the trio, as he relayed useful instructions to Pacquiao, things that could spell victory in his upcoming fight with World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation champion Juan Manuel Marquez on May 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
