Pacquiao does heavy workout on Good Friday

LOS ANGELES – On a Good Friday, Manny Pacquiao put on a dazzling show for his fans and the media, and looked all set to conquer San Antonio once more.

The Wild Card Gym was almost packed as Pacquiao held a two-hour public workout, unlike the previous one where the entrance door was closed and video cameras shut off.

Pacquiao did his usual stuff — the usual stuff that could make an ordinary athlete faint.

He did a couple rounds of shadow boxing, a few more pounding the mitts with trainer Justine Fortune, longer minutes on the speed ball, double-end bag, punching bag and skipping ropes, plus the icing on the cake – around 500 crutches and sit-ups.

At times, Pacquiao just won’t stop.

Fortune had to remind him that he needed only two rounds on the punching bag, and Pacquiao would say "I want three!" and when Pinoy trainer Nonoy Neri would call for a break, the hard-punching boxer would counter "What break? No break!"

As he wrapped up the day’s work to his favorite Latino beat of Shakira, the crowd, including fans both young and old, gave him a round of applause.

And the familiar voice of Wild Card resident Macka Foley rang out: "Manny Pac-queeaow! The best pound-for-pound! Move over May-weather!"

More applause.

"He’s ready. He’s 95 percent," said Fortune, the beefy Australian ex-heavyweight who supervised Pacquiao’s training at Wild Card the last three weeks.

Buboy Fernandez, the other trainer, said Pacquiao is fit to climb the ring any day, any minute. So far after close to seven weeks, they’ve logged close to 120 rounds of sparring.

Pacquiao needed another hour before exiting the gym, granting interviews with the foreign and local press, and planting his signature on boxing gloves, t-shirts, caps, posters and even cellular phones.

"Salamat sa inyo. Salamat po (Thank you)," he would often say.

Saturday will be his last day of training at Wild Card as he flies to Texas Sunday morning for the final push toward his April showdown with undefeated Mexican Jorge Solis.

Pacquiao said he can’t wait to get there, and relive his sensational 2004 victory over Marco Antonio Barrera, also at the Alamodome.

"I’m excited for this fight. This will be a good fight. This fight is for our country. Not for anything else," he said.