THE COUNTRY’S top amateur fighters are doing their share in making sure Manny Pacquiao gets quality time while training at the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) headquarters in Baguio in preparation for his 12-round clash with Oscar Larios on July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum.
ABAP President Manny Lopez, who offered the facilities last week, said the ABAP Gym in Baguio “is well-equipped” and should be perfect for Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach.
“Wala ka na halos kailangang idagdag pa,” said Lopez, boasting that the sweat shop has everything needed for high-quality training.
Pacquiao intends to train for six days a week for four weeks beginning in June at the ABAP although he and Roach will likely stay at a property owned by San Miguel Corporation.
By the time Pacquiao and Roach arrive in the City of Pines, the GenSan fighter would have already logged countless rounds of sparring as they are expected to meet up almost daily at Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, starting on May 8.
“Representatives of Manny (Pacquiao) and myself are going to meet soon so we could all agree on the schedule. The (amateur) boxers in Baguio are willing to give way and sacrifice,” said Lopez.
In the States and even while he is in the country, Pacquiao normally trains from 1 to 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, Larios and his agent Rafael Mendoza are flying in from Los Angeles on the morning of April 27 via Philippine Airlines to join Manny Pacquiao in promoting their Big Dome battle.
The next day, Pacquiao and Larios will meet for the first time in a press conference.
The kickoff point of Larios and Mendoza’s trip will be at the fighter’s hometown of Guadalajara, where they are taking a three-hour direct flight to LAX for the 16-hour journey to Manila with a 45-minute technical stop at Guam.
Larios is returning to Mexico shortly after the whirlwind Manila visit so he could start training. A month before the Pacquiao bout, Larios will move to Japan and train at the Teiken Gym in Tokyo to avoid jet-lag when he arrives in the Philippines a week before the fight.
