Manny Pacquiao receives a brief massage from Steve Fernandez on Wednesday April 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. Pacquiao is scheduled to fight Timothy Bradley April 12 in a WBO welterweight title bout. AP/Nick Ut
HOLLYWOOD—Maybe Manny Pacquiao has Timothy Bradley all figured out. Maybe he wants to put a lock on the American’s loud mouth.
Whatever his reasons are, Pacquiao would make a a face whenever Filipino sportswriters mentioned Bradley’s name Thursday at Nats Thai Food, just a few meters away from chief trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym here.
The Filipino ring icon smirked and chuckled when asked to comment on Bradley’s remark that he’s going to knock him out with a left hook when they clash for the WBO welterweight crown on April 12 in Las Vegas. (See story below.)
“Kawawa (pitiful),” said Pacquiao, while rubbing his forehead, as if to insinuate that Bradley is going to pay the price for taunting and disrespecting him in the buildup of their rematch.
According to Pacquiao, he’s already on the tapering phase of training and is ready to mix it up with Bradley, who insists that his killer instinct and firepower are gone.
Pacquiao said he sparred for just six rounds against two opponents, but spent a total of over two hours training under the watchful eyes of Roach, strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez.
According to Pacquiao, he’s right on the weight limit (147 pounds) and pointed to the variety of food available to Team Pacquiao and close associates at his favorite training retreat.
Joining him at the table were guests that included 1998 PBA MVP Kenneth Duremdes and fellow former pros Marlou Aquino, Rodney Santos and Jose Francisco.
“Kain ng kain (I eat and eat),” said Pacquiao, adding that he’ll spar for the last time on Monday before Team Pacquiao heads for Las Vegas.
Despite the cold weather (13 degrees centigrade) Pacquiao did morning run from his residence at Larchmont to Pan Pacific Park.
Though Pacquiao did not give details of the close-door sparring sessions, training assistant Roger Fernandez revealed that the Fighter of the Decade is now taking a different approach.
“He’s showing no mercy,” said Fernandez in Filipino. “Sparring partners are falling down.”