But as the Filpino boxing hero began training in earnest for the return bout last week, he was back at his familiar haunts at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club.
"With Manny, I think of it like this — if we go to Phoenix, Arizona, they have pool halls there, they have casinos there, they have dog racing there and horse racing there; Manny’s comfortable here," said Pacquiao’s noted trainer Roach as quoted by MaxBoxing.com. "He knows his way around a little bit, he has some friends, and the thing is, he’s not going out partying and stuff like that. So Manny doesn’t need a babysitter, he knows what’s at stake here."
In the past, while Pacquiao was getting ready for his fight, the gym and its surrounding area were transformed into ‘Pac-land’, with throngs of his Filipino faithful milling around for hours just to catch a glimpse of their national icon.