LOS ANGELES-Manny Pacquiao continued to strike fear into the hearts and minds of his sparring partners as he knocked down Armenian Art Simonyan in the first canto before coasting through six rounds Friday at the Wild Card gym in Hollywood.
As much as he wanted to maintain a low key in his preparations against WBA and IBF champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, Pacquiao knew that he could not avoid sending a clear and fast message to his opponent’s camp: Prepare for the worst.
Pacquiao struck Simonyan with a single punch, a left straight, and decided against going for the kill when he could have easily scored a knockout any time he wanted, knowing that there is still a shortage of sparring opponents.
Entering his third day of sparring sessions (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), Pacquiao has now completed 18 rounds and is peaking at the right time. He does gym work and calisthenics on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
