For the first time in so many fights, Manny Pacquiao is busy preparing for a fight without his American trainer, Freddie Roach, in sight.
Pacquiao is scheduled to face Mexico’s Jorge Solis at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 14, and is now entering his third week of training in Gen. Santos City.
In his previous fights, the 28-year-old Pacquiao has flown to Los Angeles and trained at the Wild Card Gym, which is owned by Roach, at least eight weeks before the fight.
But Pacquiao has opted to train in Gen. Santos City this time, under his local trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri. He trains at the gym owned by his old friend Rey Golingan.
No fight has ever been easy for Pacquiao. And the coming one won’t be an exception as Solis, at 5’10 enjoying at least three inches in height advantage, is undefeated after 32 pro fights.
Pacquiao started fighting under Roach since 2001and in 14 fights had missed the celebrated American trainer only once or at most twice — winning both.
Roach is busy preparing Oscar dela Hoya for his May 5 encounter with Floyd Mayweather Jr., and won’t be around at Wild Card by the time Pacquiao comes in no later than March 14.
Roach will train dela Hoya in Puerto Rico but should be in Texas for Pacquiao by fight time. In his absence, former heavyweight boxer Justin Fortune will look after Pacquiao at the Wild Card gym.
Pacquiao was originally scheduled to leave for Los Angeles today but again has opted to stay. He’d rather train in Gen. Santos City and at the same time look after his political plans.
But Pacquiao has been training so hard the past two weeks, and even planned to hit the bags yesterday, a Sunday, which is normally his only rest day of the week.
