Pacquiao back in gym, works double time

HOLLYWOOD – Manny Pacquiao made up for lost time Wednesday by working doubly hard and having just as much fun at the Wild Card Gym here.

Pacquiao showed up at the gym a little late than usual, which was 1 p.m., but the moment he got up the ring he trained like he’s never trained before.

Pacquiao, who took a much-needed rest and stayed away from the gym Tuesday, sparred for six rounds against Uzbek Alisher Rahimov and local boy Dave Rodela, then worked six more rounds with Freddie Roach’s black mitts.

Pacquiao is down to 146 pounds with nine days before the fight and has logged in a total of 140 rounds of sparring. On Saturday he’ll do five more, and on Monday he’ll do four before heading to Las Vegas by land.

Roach left Wednesday evening for Puerto Rico to be in the corner of Gerry Peñalosa who will challenge Juan Manuel Lopez for the world super-bantamweight crown on Saturday. Roach will be back Sunday.

It’s highly unusual for Pacquiao to spar and hit the mitts that long on the same day. But he did it, and kept asking for more each time his handlers blew the whistle and called “time.”

“It was a good day. He worked when he wanted to and played when he wanted to. He was in a good mood. The day after the rest day he was in great form,” said Roach.

Pacquiao had fun working out. Even in sparring he would often tell his mates to “hit me, hit me” and “punch, baby, punch” or at times allowing himself to get hit in the body and saying, “massage, massage.”

Rodela, a regular during Pacquiao’s training camps, did well in sparring but a couple of times looked on the verge of falling down, taking short, quick combinations of four, five or six punches.

“A lot of punches,” Rodela blurted after his cornermen took off his mouthguard. “He’s like Speedy Gonzales (the bristling cartoon character).”

Later on, after catching his breath, Rodela said, “Manny is too fast I can’t see his punches so I just close my eyes. I do the same thing but he’s just different. He’s blessed.”

The resident of Oxnard, California said Hatton has the good qualities, being “strong, fast and aggressive,” but Pacquiao “is too fast.”

After the sparring session, Pacquiao and Roach went through the mitts, trying on different combinations. There was a live discussion between the two who sometimes whispered to each other like they’re plotting an assassination attempt.

They did six rounds and Pacquiao kept asking for more. Roach, who now wears fighting shoes when working with Pacquiao in the ring, and of course his three-inch thick body armor, obliged.

“You see, just negotiate,” Pacquiao said laughing.

“He always asks for more and my job now is to say no. I give him a little here and there but that’s Manny Pacquiao. We don’t need to do anything else,” he said.

“The game plan is out and he knows how to fight the fight. All I can say in between rounds is ‘good job, have fun and stay loose.’ Weight is not too much of an issue. He can go down to 138. Weight is not a problem. We’re going down easily.”

Pacquiao also worked the double-end bag, speed ball and the ropes, and as he shadow-boxed for a couple more rounds took time to dance in front of the newest member of his training team, ex-heavyweight champ Michael Moorer.

Pacquiao egged him on to do a little dance, but Moorer, who rarely smiles, wasn’t in a playful mood.