LOS ANGELES — With only 10 days before the big fight, Manny Pacquiao is pushing himself so hard in training that one of his associates has already likened the boxer to an “animal in the ring.”
“Yes, he’s already like an animal in training,” said Jake Joson Wednesday after watching Pacquiao, scheduled to face Erik Morales on Nov. 18 in Las Vegas, train at the Wild Card Gym here.
“He said he wants to finish off Morales in the early rounds, and that he’s going to fight like there’s no tomorrow. That’s why he’s training like an animal,” added Joson of the 27-year-old Pacquiao.
The unofficial count says Pacquiao has logged close to 150 rounds of sparring since he started training in the Hollywood gym, owned by Freddie Roach, almost two months ago.
Pacquiao had seven rounds of sparring against two boxers Wednesday. Thursday is the only public workout for the Filipino ring icon, but with no sparring. Gym work starts at noon.
Pacquiao will hold his last sparring session on Saturday, the day Roach, his chief trainer, returns after a two-day stop in Chicago where one of his fighters will climb the ring.
Pacquiao will leave for Las Vegas on Sunday, and not on Monday which falls on the 13th of November. In Vegas, Pacquiao will just go through the motions at the IBA Gym, a few blocks off the fight venue.
Notes: Lito Camo, the singer-composer who’s behind Manny Pacquiao’s recent hits, flew in from Manila Wednesday evening with one special package containing the boxer’s fighting shoes made by Nike. The red-and-white pair, with its lace-free design, reportedly costs $1,000 a pair, and will not be released to the market until next year… So far, there are only three pairs out, and two of them are with Paqcquiao. The other one is still in the Nike headquarters in Portland, Oregon. Some of the avid followers of Pacquiao in training are Ilocos Sur strongman Chavit Singson who has visited the gym at least thrice in a month, and just the other day Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla who came with some family members.
