Manny Pacquiao unrelenting in workout

MANILA—Manny Pacquiao hurt his left wrist early in a punch mitts session with Filipino trainer “Buboy” Fernandez on Thursday evening at the Planet Jupiter Gym in Makati City.

But after a short break, Pacquiao shrugged off the discomfort and continued his workout for six rounds in-between discussing strategy with Fernandez on how to counter Juan Manuel Marquez’ favorite right straight and uppercut.

Pacquiao told the Inquirer that Fernandez was adept at strategy for the Marquez duel at the MGM Grand on Nov. 12 because “he watched my two previous fights with Marquez and he knows his style.”

Pacquiao was throwing combinations to the mid-section which was protected by a body-guard when he inadvertently landed a hard left on the punch-mitt that Fernandez used to cushion the impact of Pacquiao’s body shots.

Pacquiao appeared to twist his left wrist as he connected and shouted and grimaced in apparent pain with adviser Michael Koncz and Fernandez himself showing concern.

But Pacquiao made Fernandez remove his body-guard and Pacquiao went through his regular routine working on the speed ball along with skipping rope and a series of abdominal exercises.

Although he was faster and hit harder on the fourth day of his return to the gym after a four-month layoff since his last fight against Shane Mosley, Pacquiao said he was “not satisfied because I am only 50 percent.”

Reacting to Marquez’s earlier statement warning him to train hard because their fight was going to be a war, Pacquiao replied: “It’s going to be a war for him, for me it’s going to be fun.”

But Pacquiao later insisted that “it will be a good fight and we’ll give the fans a great fight to watch.”

Fernandez said that Pacquiao’s  trainer Freddie Roach had taught him how to handle light training at the start of his workouts.