Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao again sparred 12 rounds yesterday against three different sparmates at the Wild Card Gym, and looked ready to go another 12 after the session even as celebrated trainer Freddie Roach said he will be in Pacquiao’s corner on April 14. According to a source at the Wild Card Gym in a long-distance interview, Pacquiao breezed through a punishing 12-round workout against sparmates Jose Armando Sta. Cruz, David Rodela, and Lenny Zappagina–all taller fighters to simulate Jorge Solis’ style. Pacquiao faced the three fighters for four rounds each, after which the Filipino icon again said he was just starting up and hit the speedball for 12 minutes, jumped roped for 10 minutes, shadow-boxed for five rounds and did a series of abdominal exercises. Pacquiao, who now has close to 120 rounds of sparring for the Solis fight, and his ever-growing entourage then took a late lunch at the nearby Thai restaurant where he had fried rice, beef brocolli, crab soup, fried fish and sweet and sour lapu-lapu. Team Pacquiao is set to leave Los Angeles for Texas on April 8, and promoter Bob Arum plans on bringing the GenSan lefty to one of the San Antonio Spurs’ home games. Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach has informed 15rounds.com that he will be in Pacquiao’s corner for the fight. “I plan on flying in-and-out,” informed Roach. “Me and Manny are in constant communication … I talk to him every night and set up his sparring sessions for the next day.” Meanwhile, site coordinator Lester Bedford informed mediamen in an interview that nearly 8,000 tickets have been sold for the ‘Blaze of Glory’ card on April 14, which boasts of two world title fights on the undercard. Bedford told the San Antonio Express that tickets in all price ranges — $300, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $35 — are still available, although floor seats “are almost sold out.” Promoter Bob Arum, in the same interview with John Whisler, drew comparisons between Pacquiao and the great Aaron Pryor, stating: “The fighter he reminds me of most is one who never got his just due, but was one of the best fighters of the golden age of the 1970s and ’80s, and that’s Aaron Pryor. He was a much bigger fighter than Manny. But like Pryor, Manny’s boxing ability surprises you and the intensity, the number of punches and different angles he throws punches from is lot like Pryor.
