LOS ANGELES ? While training Saturday afternoon, Manny Pacquiao had obviously heard the cue to stop but ignored it and continued to jump rope.
A few meters away, Buboy Fernandez and Justin Fortune walked towards Pacquiao and motioned him to stop. It fell on deaf ears.
Pacquiao, who will face Adrien Broner on Jan. 19 for the first defense of the World Boxing Association welterweight title in Las Vegas, had the ropes taken away by the two when mere words proved useless.
It was only then that Pacquiao agreed to stop but not before asking for one more round (three minutes).
No dice.
On Monday afternoon, just before Pacquiao and his team drive to Las Vegas, he will have his final workout at the Wild card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Freddie Roach (Nick Giongco photo)
Freddie Roach knows it?ll be hard to tell Pacquiao to slow down and it proved to be so when he emerged from the Filipino star?s dressing room carrying the news that his fighter won?t settle for a morning roadwork.
?I was telling him that instead of working out, how about just doing roadwork then leave for Las Vegas?? said Roach.
Pacquiao had none of it.
?I knew it would be difficult to convince him to slow down and relax but I will try to make Monday?s training as light as possible,? said Roach, who watched Pacquiao spar four rounds with Ecuadorian Arnold Gonzalez.
?We?ve done 130-150 rounds of sparring and he doesn?t need it at this point in his career. Now, it should be more on strategy.?
