LAS VEGAS ? Manny Pacquiao cut everything that he did in the gym to half on Thursday afternoon when temperatures reached a hellish 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.22 degrees Celsius).
Inside the IBA Compound where he trains in the run up to Saturday?s big fight with David Diaz at Mandalay Bay, Pacquiao still managed to put on his gray-colored sweatsuit as a signal that that was his last training session but instead of going all out with the mitts as he had done many times before, the 29-year-old Filipino moved as though his body was in pain.
“Super init,” complained Pacquiao, looking drained, as he was rested behind closed doors at his grand suite at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.
Asked if this was as hot as the time when he fought and won against Lehlo Ledwaba of South Africa seven years ago at the nearby MGM Grand, Pacquiao said yesterday?s weather was hotter.
“I remember that it was summer and it was hot, but not this hot,” he said.
Pacquiao?s punch-mitt routine was supervised by Buboy Fernandez, who filled in for Freddie Roach.
Roach was attending to the fight of a Filipino fighter who lost at The Orleans Hotel and Casino.
Fernandez, alongside with Wild Card assistant Eric Brown and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, subbed for the venerable trainer.
After going through the motions with the mitts, Pacquiao hit the speedball, jumped rope and shadowboxed and retreated to the comfort of an air-conditioned RV (recreational vehicle) that was parked just outside the IBA Gym.
After granting a TV interview, Pacquiao was driven back to his suite where a few fans and followers gathered to see him.
And by 9 p.m., Pacquiao was already in bed, according to Mike Koncz, who acts as the boxer?s trusted lieutenant after a light dinner since the official weighin will be held at 2:30 p.m. Friday (5:30 a.m. Saturday in Manila).
“I will make the weight,” said Pacquiao, who will skip breakfast and lunch but will wolf down white rice, tinolang manok and fruits immediately after.
The weight limit is 135 lbs and Pacquiao is expected to meet the requirement without having to go through last-minute weight reduction procedures like he did in the past when he struggled to make 130 lbs.
Pacquiao began training proper for this fight in the second week of May although he had spent some ten days working out a sweat in different cities in the Philippines.
“I believe that I have also done everything possible to be in shape for this fight,” added Pacquiao, who is making his debut at lightweight.
