Pacquiao gets back to work, in shades

Pacquiao trains with shades after dealing with eye problem during Thursday’s training Photo by Roy Luarca/INQUIRER

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Manny Pacquiao made up for lost time yesterday, putting up a spirited display of speed and power in his mitts work with chief trainer Freddie Roach at his Pacman Wild Card Gym here.

Wearing dark shades to protect his irritated eye from the glare, a red bandana and black Mizuno training shoes, Pacquiao reported for work after skipping two days of training.

Pacquiao’s appearance put the smile back on Roach’s face as they trained for 13 rounds.

“Very good,” Roach said of yesterday’s workout. “He punched hard and he moved well.”

So hard in fact that the mitts flew off Roach’s hands thrice—in the fourth, seventh and 11th rounds.

“I tell you, those sounds mean hard punches,” assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez told the Inquirer in Filipino. “Those punches hurt. I’ve felt them before. Everything will be back to normal.”

While admitting that his hands ached after the mitts session, Roach said he’s happy now that Pacquiao’s irritated eye is OK.

“If he’s OK, we’ll spar tomorrow (today),” added Roach.

Canada-based Congolese Ghislain Muduna, he said, is well-rested and well-acclimatized to square off with Pacquiao.

Reinvigorated by two days of rest, Pacquiao also ran in the morning, circling the track oval 15 times or an equivalent of 6 km, according to assistant trainer Nonoy Neri.