MANILA, Philippines?Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao starts training in utmost secrecy Tuesday for his June 28 showdown with Mexican-American champion David Diaz.
The closed-door policy will be ?strictly observed? at the Wild Card Gym from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., the time when Pacquiao sharpens up at the Hollywood facility owned by renowned American trainer Freddie Roach.
Security chief Rob Peters announced that friends and acquaintances of Pacquiao?the World Boxing Council super featherweight titlist who is gunning for Diaz?s WBC lightweight crown?won?t be given preferential treatment, according to Dr. Ed de la Vega of Philboxing.com.
People allowed into the gym can?t take pictures using flash bulbs. Video cameras are banned.
Pacquiao is into the third week of his preparation for the massive PPV (pay-per-view) bout scheduled at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Before the Wild Card?s doors were shut closed, however, Roach allowed local and international media to cover his prized ward?s sparring sessions with Filipino-Puerto Rican Carlos Tangaro, Mexican Steve Quiniones and Scot Gary McMillen.
Tangaro, who trains and lives in the Cochella Valley area, gave Pacquiao a good warm-up before the champion took on Quiniones for three rounds.
Against the taller McMillen, Pacquiao managed to sneak in several combinations, elating Roach.
Pacquiao has managed 12 rounds of sparring and scaled down to 143 pounds, just eight pounds off the 135-lb lightweight limit.
On Saturday, the GenSan lefty will fly to San Francisco for a promotional tour of the bout, dubbed ?Lethal Combination.? He said he would spar and train in the city where a large concentration of Filipinos live.
On Monday, Pacquiao pummeled the heavy bag, the double bag and the speed bag before tapering off with the skipping rope and conditioning exercises supervised by Nonoy Neri and Eric Brown.
Diaz, who is training at the Jabb Gym in windy Chicago, said he is working harder with the bags.
?Manny is fast, you gotta be there for him, I feel its gonna be as hard,? Diaz told Dennis Principe during the Sports Chat program on radio station dzSR on Monday.
?I?m not changing anything, as far as my style is concerned, its working for me so why change it.
?With Manny, you can?t just rush in because you?re gonna be in the floor looking up, so you?ve gotta be careful.?
The 31-year-old Diaz also revealed that his fight against Pacquiao carries a no-rematch clause.
