HOLLYWOOD—He hummed a Visayan song and pretended that he’s a television announcer while doing abdominal exercises. He posed for photographs, then checked out the images himself.
Manny Pacquiao was cool and relaxed Thursday as he breezed through training at the Wild Card Gym.
“I’m 100 percent ready,” Pacquiao declared before the throng of media, members of the Los Angeles Fire Department and onlookers, including the unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., at Freddie Roach’s famous lair.
“Just waiting for fight time.”
The Filipino superstar’s battle with Antonio Margarito for the World Boxing Council’s vacant super welterweight title will not take place until Nov. 13 at the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but he is already raring to go.
Pacquiao has rediscovered his old speed and flash, and this makes him happy.
“When I weighed over 150 pounds, it slowed me down,” said Pacquiao, referring to his weight during the early part of training back home in Baguio City.
Roach eventually decided to bring the fighter’s weight down a bit when training camp moved here, and the pleasant effects quickly showed. Pacquiao began to dominate his sparring partners in a solid performance that drew Roach’s praise.
On Thursday afternoon he sparred for seven rounds with David Rodela, Rashad Holloway and Ray Beltran, all lighter fighters but faster than his former sparring partners, Glen Tapia and Michael Medina.
“I’m comfortable at my weight now,” said Pacquiao, as he shuffled his feet and threw imaginary punches.
Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez bared that Pacquiao tipped the scales at 147.5 lb after his early-morning roadwork Thursday.
Fernandez said the plan is for Pacquiao to hit 148 lb during the weigh-in and to climb the ring at no more than 150 on fight night.
“I only agreed to go up in weight because this is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Pacquiao, who at 5 feet 6½ is considered too small to contend even at welterweight. “I can still fight at 135 if I want to.”
Fernandez, a bosom buddy of Pacquiao, said that Manny, being naturally brave, only gave the heavier divisions a crack but found that he could hack it. “But we feel he should go no higher than 154.”
Pacquiao knows that, of course. Extra poundage slows him down.
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