HOLLYWOOD ? After a subpar showing in his last fight, Manny Pacquiao had given up many of his vices, turned to God and had a renewed focus in preparation to fight Timothy Bradley, according to trainer Freddie Roach on Wednesday.
Then Pacquiao was a no-show for his afternoon workout at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Public relations manager Fred Sternburg and Roach apologized to some of the media who gathered at the gym and explained that the media could return next week to talk to Pacquiao.
Then Roach said, ?When you come back, tell him Tim Bradley doesn’t miss a day.?
Pacquiao and Bradley will fight on June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight belt in a pay-per-view event.
The gym was still buzzing from the various world-class fighters Roach trains at his gym located on Vine, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset. Roach’s other star fighter, Amir Khan, came in for a workout even though his rematch against Lamont Peterson has been cancelled. Former Saturday Night Live star Rob Schneider also paid a visit to the gym, that often attracts Hollywood notables.
But the biggest star was a no-show.
Pacquiao arrived from the Philippines on Saturday, and the camp said he missed the work out because of both jetlag and an intense plyometric workout earlier in the day that left him too sore to work out.
Focus has been a concern for Roach when it comes to Pacquiao, the boxer of the decade whom Forbes Magazine ranked as the fourth most-influential athlete in the world.
With his popularity, Pacquiao has gotten several opportunities outside of the ring. The opportunities range from being a congressman in the Philippines to covering the adult contemporary song ?Sometimes When We Touch,? which hit No. 19 on the Billboard charts last year. Traditionally after his fights, Pacquiao will perform concerts.
But Pacquiao had a subpar performance against his longtime rival Juan Manuel Marquez. A fight where Pacquiao and Roach thought they would win by knockout, Pacquiao got a close decision that drew boos from fans in the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
After the fight, it was revealed that Pacquiao also had problems with his wife.
?All the distractions caught up to us and we had our first bad night in 10 years,? Roach said. ?He knew he had to make some changes, he wanted to get his wife back, get everything in order in his life and he went back to the Bible.?
But Roach said, prior to Pacquiao’s no show, that he has been pleased with his star fighter’s focus. Roach said Pacquiao gave up a lot of his interests and focused on his religion to get back on track.
?He started praying, going to bible study, he gave his casino away, gave his cockfighting away, he hasn’t drank in a year. He doesn’t play basketball anymore, he doesn’t play darts anymore,? Roach listed. ?He gave up a lot of things in his life, he’s into the Bible. The boxing part for me is the same. The focus and the concentration are a lot better.?
