Manny Pacquiao, with coach Freddie Roach. AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The sparring sessions can wait for Manny Pacquiao.
With chief trainer Freddie Roach still unavailable, focus will be on putting Pacquiao into shape for the tougher grind of his preparations for his welterweight Super Fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao started light training at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood last Monday (Tuesday in Manila) under the supervision of strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez.
Though Pacquiao seems ready to step up his training, Fortune is inclined to follow the timetable charted by Roach, who is in Macau to work the corner of Chinese superstar Zou Shiming in his battle with Thai Amnat Ruenroeng for the IBF flyweight title on March 7.
Fortune told the Inquirer that the first two weeks (in Los Angeles) will be spent in conditioning sessions followed by sparring.
Roach is flying back to LA on March 8 and, after a one-day rest, will take over Pacquiao’s training.
In an interview by GMA, Fortune put Pacquiao’s condition at just 60 percent. Even at that level, however, the speed and power of Pacquiao were already evident as he cut Fernandez’s lip with an uppercut in their mitts session Tuesday.
According to Fortune, “Roach h ired a slick sparring mate—a black guy and a former Olympian who is a Mayweather look-alike when it comes to fighting style.”
Meanwhile, betting for Mayweather-Pacquiao took a big turnaround in Las Vegas following a deluge of bets for the Filipino icon.
While Mayweather opened up as huge 2½ to 1 favorite, the odds dipped to -200 for the unbeaten American and +170 for Pacquiao at South Point sports book. Westgate LV Superbook put Mayweather at -210 and Pacquiao +180.
“I’ve never seen Mayweather this low eight weeks out before the fight,” said Jimmy Vaccaro, who runs the South Point hotel sports book. “It’s a one-way attack on Pacquiao. We’re well into a six-figure loss right now if Pacquiao wins.” Roy Luarca, Aquiles Zonio, AP
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