LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao is just too happy where he is right now.
After weighing in at 139 lbs Saturday afternoon at the oven-hot Wild Card Gym here, Pacquiao said everything has fallen into place for his June 28 date with WBC lightweight champion David Diaz in Las Vegas.
The fight, scheduled 12 rounds, is set at 135 lbs. And while Pacquiao may have had trouble making 130 lbs in his most recent fights, this time there’s really no concern regarding the weight.
“Didn’t you see I even had my clothes on?” Pacquiao said as he emerged from the tiny office being kept by Roach inside his famous sweatshop in the Hollywood area.
Only Pacquiao and Roach were inside the office when the weigh-in, as mandated by the WBC one week before the fight, took place.
“One-thirty-nine,” Roach said as he squeezed his way out of the gym’s reception area.
Pacquiao said at 139, he’s right on target, meaning he has almost six days left to lose four pounds and show up for Friday’s official weigh-in at 135 lbs or even less. He said he can make it at least a pound lighter.
“Coach Freddie said there’s no need to hurry keeping the weight down especially in this kind of weather,” said Pacquiao, who had to excuse himself from all the autograph-signing and picture-taking after his two-hour workout.
He said it was just getting too hot inside the gym. He proceeded to his favorite Thai restaurant downstairs, and there he gave some fans the chance to mingle with their favorite ring hero.
Temperature within the LA area rose to as high as 106 degrees or in the low 40s. Roach said he’d “never seen LA this hot.”
Roach was just as happy to see Pacquiao in his present shape.
“Yeah, 139 (lbs) is good. With a week to go it’s better than expected,” he said.
Pacquiao sparred six rounds against Julio Gamboa and Steve Quinones Saturday, raising his total to 136 with four more rounds, the last four rounds, scheduled Monday morning since a press conference is scheduled at 2 p.m. at Sta. Monica here in LA.
Roach has decided to give Pacquiao a full day of rest Sunday to be spent only by hearing mass in the morning.
“He won’t even run tomorrow. It’s his rest day. I’m giving him a full rest day,” said Roach. – Abac Cordero