Manny Pacquiao does shadow boxing during his last day of workout at Wild Card gym. Photo by Francis T.J. Ochoa
HOLLYWOOD—The punches came in rapid-fire fashion. Faster than the eye can focus, the shots came in bunches of four, five, six, followed by a heavy, knockout punch.
Though Pacquiao delivered them in restrained, well-timed fashion, chief trainer Freddie Roach still grimaced from the impact. Even with his protective armor, the shots hurt.
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Pacquiao was so fired up, he still wanted an extension to his four-round mitts session. “Kulang pa (Give me some more),” he said to his training team.
Roach, however, had had enough. He walked to the corner where strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune stood and slowly removed his vest. Assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez saw Roach panting from the effort and gave a helping hand.
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“He’s good (to go),” Roach whispered to Fortune, who nodded in agreement.
Obliging Pacquiao’s request, Roach pointed at Fernandez, who approached his bosom buddy to continue the mitts work, which followed four rounds of sparring that was held mainly to maintain his sharpness and timing.
Pacquiao wasted no time attacking Fernandez, who wore no armor, catching him in the corner and peppering him with combinations.
The bell rang and Pacquiao, looking for more action, pounded the upper strand of the ring ropes.
Continuing his shadowboxing, Pacquiao briefly turned into a perpetual-motion machine as he threw combinations.
After a strong blow to the rope, Pacquiao finally stopped and walked over to Fernandez and Fortune to start his abdominal exercises.
Then for the first time ever in camp, he asked all Filipino media present to have a shot taken with him in the ring.
It was another short, but intense workout for Pacquiao as he wound up his seven-week training camp at Wild Card Gym here.