PHOTO BY RICHARD BALONGLONG / INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON
BACOLOD CITY—The start-up phase of his training done, Manny Pacquiao will leave tonight for Los Angeles to continue his preparations for his third showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12.
Maximizing his time, Pacquiao sparred with Jorge Linares for six rounds Saturday afternoon at his MP Tower gym in Sampaloc, Manila.
Though eager to sweat it out, Pacquiao took it easy on Linares as the former World Boxing Council featherweight and World Boxing Association super featherweight champion sustained a cut on his left eyebrow during their sparring session on October 4 at the Shape Up gym in Baguio.
Linares will dispute the vacant WBC lightweight crown against Antonio DeMarco on October 15 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
According to fight promoter and Pacquiao confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud, who watched the sparring, Pacquiao is already in good shape.
“He’s moving well and the reflexes are back,” said Salud.
Pacquiao, who’ll be staking his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will be accompanied by Linares, chief trainer Freddie Roach, assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri and conditioning expert Alex Ariza.
Team Pacquiao will resume training at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood on Monday.