Pacquiao had his first sparring session at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles last Monday or nine days after flying in for Manila for an eight-week grind heading into this third and pivotal match against Morales.
The Mexican legend, on the other hand, is training high up in Otomi in Mexico. He came off a stringent two-month weight reduction program in LA before proceeding to his mountainous training camp.
Morales told HBO in a recent interview that he’s beeen training like he’s "never done before" and will begin sparring this coming week for the Nov. 18 fight at the Thomas and Mack Center.
For the meantime, Morales has been hitting the road every morning at around 10 o’clock then returns to his cabin and rests. He works out at the gym at around five in the afternoon.
In the evening, he takes his heaviest meal of the day, and before hitting the cold sack spends some time on the computer, watching television or meeting the members of his team.
Back as Morales chief trainer is his father Jose with whom he had a falling out shortly after a bitter loss to Olympian Zahir Raheem last September. Everything’s been ironed out for the big fight.
Also helping out Morales in his training is psychologist Jon Jon Park who came in to replace Jorgen Persson of the Velocity Training Center in LA and physician Roman Cruz. Six other experts took care of Morales at Velocity.
The Morales group, which includes Oswaldo Alvarado, Refugio Tizcareño, Jorge Quezada and chef Juan Álvarez, has never left the camp since they came in. They plan to leave for Las Vegas probably five days before the fight.
"With these gentlemen I am developing a program that had never been done. I see that they know how it’s done and I am convinced that I will achieve the needed weight," Morales was quoted as saying in Spanish.
Since losing to Pacquiao last Jan. 6 in Las Vegas, Morales has ballooned to more than 150 lbs. But after the fight contract was signed and sealed, the three-time world champion has worked off the excess.
Reports said he weighed 143 lbs when he graced a press conference with Pacquiao at the Beverly Hills Hotel a couple of weeks back. He should weigh less by the time he begins sparring.
Pacquiao, according to his chief trainer Freddie Roach, is just six pounds heavier than the 130 lb limit, and has continued to sweat it out daily at the Hollywood gym owned by the celebrated American trainer.
"It’s going real well. He sparred four rounds yesterday. Manny (wasn’t) feeling well this morning, he has a little cold so I gave him the day off, and we’ll get back to it tomorrow," Roach told boxingtalk.com the other day.
"He’s actually a little ahead of schedule, he’s only six pounds overweight. Manny responds quickly, he’s a little ahead of schedule, so the day off will do him good," Roach added.
But somewhere in the cold mountains of Mexico, there’s a Morales training like hell.