HERE’S ONE piece of juicy anecdote that took place at the Wild Card Boxing Club last Monday.
Manny Pacquiao and sparmate Israel Vazquez were working out on top of the ring when the Filipino allowed the Mexican to hit him on the body repeatedly. Vazquez did more than strike Pacquiao’s ribcage with hooks and straights.
He did one thing that probably earned the ire of Pacquiao: Hit the GenSan lefty with an uppercut that landed on his nose.
“Pinapasuntok ko siya sa katawan pero bigla siyang nagpakawala ng uppercut,” Pacquiao said. The Bulletin saw how Pacquiao held up his arms high so Vazquez could hit him there, but the latter struck upstairs.
Pacquiao then felt something coming out of his nostrils.
“Akala ko ay kung ano lang pero hindi pala,” said Pacquiao.
It was blood.
At the end of the six-round workout, Pacquiao and Vazquez, who have been sparring with each other for over two years now, embraced each other as a sign of mutual respect.
On his way to purchase a brand-new cell phone on Vermont St. in Los Angeles, Pacquiao joked that when they spar again, he would beat up Vazquez.
In an interview conducted by fightnews.com that came out of the internet yesterday, Vazquez described Pacquiao as being “unforgiving” and “one of the fastest guys he’s ever faced.”
Vazquez said his workouts with Pacquiao has helped him improve a lot.
Vazquez, also being trained by Freddie Roach, is one of a handful of sparring partners helping out Pacquiao prepare for a 12-round clash with Hector Velazquez of Mexico on Sept. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Pacquiao spars behind closed doors every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
