LOS ANGELES?When Manny Pacquiao and his entourage travel to Las Vegas on Monday, he?ll be doing it the long, hard way.
But he?ll be doing it in style just the same.
Instead of taking a plane ride that would need just less an hour, Pacquiao has opted to travel by land ? on a 2003 Lincoln Navigator which he bought here for $35,000 (P1.9 million).
The journey will cover 300 miles of what looks like a lonely, endless stretch of flat roads ? past the state of California and through the deserts of Nevada with just a couple of stops.
Pacquiao and those with him on his gray SUV (probably just the driver and his Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez), however, will have some kind of company.
The convoy of probably 10 vehicles will carry the rest of Team Pacquiao, from his American coach Freddie Roach, business manager Rod Nazario, Australian conditioning coach Justin Fortune and his closest friends and supporters.
They will board two Hummers (H2s) worth close to P2 million each, a Ford Explorer, a Ford Expedition, a Lincoln Town Car, an S-Class Mercedes Benz, a Series 5 BMW and a couple more vehicles.
The convoy takes off at the Oakwood Condominium (where Pacquiao is renting a unit for $4,000 a month) along Sunset Blvd shortly after lunch and after the Filipino champion holds his last sparring session at the Wild Card Gym owned by Roach.
Pacquiao, who only has two sparring days left (today and Monday), will be welcomed at the MGM Grand with a red carpet, according to a communique sent by organizers. An early meeting with the foreign media has been lined up.
In Las Vegas and the last five days leading to the fight against Mexico?s Erik Morales, Pacquiao?s training will be limited to some road work, punch-mitts, stretching and shadow boxing. No more sparring which is expected to be pegged at 160 rounds.
The official press conference is tentatively scheduled Wednesday at the 5,005-room MGM Grand while the official weigh-in for the 130 lb contest is on Friday, the eve of the fight to be watched by millions of boxing fans all over the world.
