MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao did eight rounds with the mitts yesterday in Los Angeles as he started warming up for his eight-week training for his May 2 fight with Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas.
“I’m okay. We did eight rounds with the mitts today,” said Pacquiao during an on-line chat from his La Palazzo apartment in LA.
But his face turned sad as seen through his webcam when told of the news that singer-actor Francis Magalona had passed away yesterday noon. They were friends.
Pacquiao had his first day of workout the other day, and LA-based orthodontist Ed dela Vega said the Pinoy icon did two rounds of shadow boxing, three rounds of mitts, two rounds each on the speed and double-end bags, nine straight minutes skipping ropes and his routine abdominal exercises.
The Wild Card Gym was in a party mode Thursday as Freddie Roach celebrated his 49th birthday, complete with the Irish-green buntings, trays of pasta and a couple of birthday cakes with candles he had to blow.
Pacquiao will train daily except Sundays and sparring, according to Roach, should begin on March 17. Sparring sessions are done on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Meanwhile, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said talks of a Juan Manuel Marquez-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight is no joke, and is in fact starting to shape up.
According to ESPN.com, Mayweather Jr. is bound to come out of retirement, and probably face Marquez, the arch-nemesis of the Pinoy pound-for-pound champion.
“Of course, there is no question about it,” said Mayweather Sr. when asked about his son coming out of retirement. “He’s trying to get a fight right now, as we speak. He’s gonna fight again.”
Marquez knocked out Juan Diaz in nine rounds last Sunday in Houston to emerge as the WBA, WBO and IBO lightweight champion. Then he challenged Mayweather Jr. to fight him.
“I’m serious. Marquez is serious,” Schaefer was quoted as saying. “Marquez actually held a press conference [Wednesday] in Mexico City, and he was clear that he likes to take on the biggest challenges.
“And it’s obvious Pacquiao is running from him, so he has his sights set on Mayweather, who he considers the best pound-for-pound fighter. He said if Mayweather is serious about fighting, he should come out of hiding and let’s fight.”