LOS ANGELES ? Manny Pacquiao did light workout in his first day at Freddie Roach?s Wild Card gym in Hollywood, confident he will hit peak form in time for his May 8 encounter with IBF and WBA featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Checking in at the Vagabond Inn at 10 p.m. Friday night, Pacquiao, with trainer Buboy Fernandez and Lito Mondejar, got a warm welcome from regulars at the Wild Card gym as he jumped into serious training by punishing the heavy bag and the speed ball.
Pacquiao tipped the scales at 135 pounds, nine pounds above the 126-pound limit, but Roach was the least concerned, saying with Manny?s attitude in training he will lose the excess poundage in no time.
“I know Manny. Whenever he goes to the gym, he is all business, like any day in the office. It is easy to work with Manny and everything will work out fine,” said Roach, adjudged 2003 Trainer of the Year for leading Pacquiao and heavyweight James Toney to big wins last year.
Wild Card gym regulars who saw Pacquiao said he doesn?t look out of shape as some newspaper reports claimed he was in the months after his rousing win over Mexican icon Marco Antonio Barrera.
