HOLLYWOOD — On the eve of his departure for Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao found himself pinned against the ropes during a sparring session, taking a barrage of punches against the backdrop of a poster featuring a fierce Muhammad Ali peddling the tagline ?Impossible is Nothing.?
Pacquiao bobbed, sidestepped, sneaked in a punch and unleashed his own flurry. Everybody applauded. But Pacquiao strode to his corner and hollered: ?That [performance] was bad.?
Exactly a week before Pacquiao steps into the ring at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas for the third installment of his rivalry with Mexican Erik Morales, the Filipino boxing icon is still looking for the almost impossible: Perfection.
?He just believes that every day, he can get better,? said David Rodela, one of two Mexican boxers Pacquiao sparred with for a total of five rounds Saturday.
?He ain?t putting any limit on himself. It?s like everybody knows he hits it strong with the left hand but he?s been sharpening that right hook almost every day. He got me with it on the chin last week during sparring and I swear, it hurt.
?I know he fights at 130 [pounds] but for me, he hits like a middleweight,? Rodela added.
American trainer Freddie Roach knows exactly how hungry Pacquiao is for perfection.
?You can?t stop him from training,? Roach said. ?You tell him to spar five rounds, he goes for six. You tell him enough with the bags, he continues to hit them.?
And Pacquiao knows just exactly why he needs everything to be as close to perfect as possible when it comes to fighting Morales, a technically skilled boxer who has been training hard for this match.
?Morales is a great fighter and I have to prepare hard for him,? he told journalists during an open training session Thursday.
He is doing exactly just that.
Pacquiao sparred for five rounds Saturday against Rodela and Jorge Padilla, both 140-pounders with long reaches. He chipped at the jabs that kept holding him at bay and found a way to get into a phone-booth exchange with both boxers, something he hopes to do regularly against Morales.
?Morales is going to try to use his reach and distance to keep Pacquiao away,? Rodela said.
And Pacquiao has shown he is willing to patiently wear down his opponents? defenses before charging for the kill.
?The thing is, he?s got the speed (to go with his power) and he?s added a lot of footwork, side-to-side, and he throws you off so you get lost, and by the time you go look for him, he got you again,? Rodela explained.
After sparring, Pacquiao hit the bags. As if that?s not enough, Pacquiao is expected to hit the road early Sunday morning before going to church. He then will lead the Team Pacquiao convoy to Las Vegas.
Pacquiao was originally set to leave for Las Vegas Monday, but opted to go a day earlier because Monday falls on the 13th, an unlucky number according to superstition.
Pacquiao (42-3-2, 32 KOs) and Morales (48-4, 34 KOs) headline the Grand Finale card that also includes Brian Viloria?s attempt to regain the WBC light flyweight title from Mexican Omar Ni?o Romero and avenge the only blot in his 20-fight record.
