LAS VEGAS ? During the 300-mile journey from Los Angeles to here on Monday afternoon, Manny Pacquiao was light, relaxed and worry-free as the countdown for Saturday night?s clash with Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico nears an end.
Pacquiao arrived here at 8:30 p.m. on board his Lincoln Navigator, the lead vehicle of the 12-car convoy that took off at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood at 4 p.m. The convoy made a stopover in Barstow where he took time to impress boxing men Ramon Lainez and Gerry Garcia the hardship he went through during eight weeks of intense training under Freddie Roach.
“This is the toughest training ever,” he said. “I added extra minutes in everything I did in running and in the gym.”
Pacquiao completed 140 rounds of sparring prior to his departure for Vegas also known as Sin City.
To illustrate how relaxed he was on his way to Vegas, Pacquiao made funny faces to passengers of a 15-seater van which his Navigator overtook. The van carried a news crew from GMA channel 7, and his gesture elicited laughter from his entourage.
Even when he hosted a sumptuous dinner of sweet and sour lapu-lapu, chicken afritada, chopsuey, chicken adobo, beef steak and white rice at the same lavish suite that he occupied when he fought Marco Antonio Barrera for the second time last October, Pacquiao stayed in a jolly mood, giving in to an almost endless parade of well-wishers who sought his autograph and photos.
Roach dropped by during the meal and gave out instructions for the final three days of training.
There will be a morning jog on Tuesday at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus starting at 7:30 a.m. followed by a light workout from 3-5 p.m. at the IBA Compound on Euclid Street, his favorite training camp when in Vegas.
There?ll be no more sparring session for Pacquiao. He completed them by going four rounds with Juanito Garcia in Los Angeles. From Tuesday until Thursday, Pacquiao and Roach will just drive to the IBA Compound.
While Pacquiao continues to sweat out in the next few days, it will be a different regimen for Marquez, he was told.
The Mexican will do light workouts and hold serious discussion with trainer Nacho Beristain regarding style and tactics, particularly focus.
“Beristain fighters are sheltered,” said publicist Ricardo Jimenez of Top Rank.
Marquez had his last workout last Friday in Mexico City and arrived in the States on Saturday.
