Pacman steps up training in Week 3

<

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Tougher and longer days await Manny Pacquiao when he enters his third week of training today in this cold and foggy City of Pines.

Things are just getting started, according to his chief trainer, Freddie Roach.

“More rounds of sparring and lots of hard work,” Roach said yesterday as he enjoyed the day off in his cozy room at the Manor Hotel while his ward was 250 kms away in Manila helping the victims of last week’s tropical storm “Ondoy.”

Roach said Pacquiao should be back in Baguio late last night.

After two weeks of training, Pacquiao must have burned a ton of calories and slowly, his body is taking the shape of his old, deadly form. He’s been into a total of 12 rounds of sparring against heavier guys like Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon.

“Relax lang kayo,” Pacquiao said as he shadow-boxed, looking down at scribes leaning on the ring.

“May six weeks pa tayo (We still have six weeks). Madami na kasi yatang nag-panic, eh (I think a lot of people have panicked),” said Pacquiao of those who felt Pacquiao was late in training, and that he was taking the fight for granted.

Last Friday, Pacquiao talked to reporters, and said he felt good just two weeks into training.

“Okay na ang pakiramdam ko (I feel good),” he said.

Another sparring partner, Jose Luis Castillo, will plane in tomorrow to give Pacquiao a tougher time in the ring. Omar Henry, a Miguel Cotto clone, was supposed to come but failed to come to terms with Team Pacquiao.

Castillo, a Mexican lightweight champ, may not be in top shape but the assurance from his camp that he is earned him a ticket to the Pacquiao camp.

“If he’s not in shape I’ll send him home right away,” Roach said. Sparring is held Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and from three, four and five rounds last week the numbers will gradually rise from six, eight, 10 and 12.

Pacquiao was in his toughest day of training last Saturday when he went three hard rounds with Porter and two with Antillon, then did more than 30 minutes of isometric exercises only the fittest athletes could handle.

Then he left for Manila at around 6 p.m. in his Hummer and a convoy of SUVs. Based on plans, he was to move around the places hardest hit by last week’s storm (Marikina and Pasig) on board a bus loaded with relief goods.

Notes: Manny Pacquiao said he prayed so hard on the night of Friday as text messages of how powerful the typhoon, codenamed “Pepeng” was. “Nagdasal talaga ako ng husto na huwag na tamaan ang Maynila (I really prayed so hard that it spare Manila),” he said. “Nahirapan na ang mga tao ng husto last week (The people have suffered from last week),” added the boxer. “Kaya lang ang napapansin ko sa iba nating kababayan, nagdarasal lang kapag nandiyan na ang problema (But I notice that some of our countrymen only pray when the problem comes). Kailangan natin magdasal kahit walang problema (We must pray even when there’s no problem).”.... Bob Arum, who took a glimpse of Pacquiao’s training at the Shape Up Gym here last Thursday, was scheduled to fly home to Las Vegas last night. He left Baguio Saturday morning after staying two nights in Chavit Singson’s villa inside Camp John Hay. “A very nice place,” said Arum, who flew to Baguio from Manila on a private plane owned by the former governor of Ilocos Sur and now deputy National Security adviser... Threats of landslide, erosion and flooding did not stop Pacquiao from taking the 250-km ride to Manila Saturday evening. The wind was howling and the city of Baguio was covered with rain and fog yesterday morning, but again, it should not stop Pacquiao from returning.