Pushing 40, Pacquiao still pours it all in training
When Manny Pacquiao was asked what would be the key to victory over American Adrien Broner, he said “experience, power, speed.”
But after he completed a monstrous work out Wednesday night, he might as well add “discipline.”
A punishing three-hour workout was what a visibly buffed Pacquiao dished out a couple of days before flying to General Santos City to resume his training camp there.
“We can’t underestimate Broner; we have to make sure the strategy is there and we can execute it accurately,” said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, already looking sharp and strong five weeks before the Jan. 19 fight in Las Vegas, went full speed at the gym, even doing jump kicks at one point.
“That’s always been me. I really push myself to the limit,” said Pacquiao, who is now embracing a new training method that he said is more suited for “an aging boxer.”
The only boxer to own titles in eight weight divisions is turning 40 on Monday.
“Before, I train every day; but now as I grow old I need balance. As you grow old, you don’t recover overnight and you have to give yourself time to recover before pushing hard again,” he added.
It’s the same method his trainer Buboy Fernandez employed during his July knockout triumph over Lucas Matthysse.
“Before we had 120 rounds, sometimes 140 rounds [of sparring] but it’s not necessary [for me],” said Pacquiao who just had 14 rounds with Australian youngster George Kambosos Jr. last week.
But when he does hit the gym, he’s all out.
Fernandez, his best friend since childhood, could hardly keep up with Pacquiao during mitts session.
“It all about discipline, time management,” said Pacquiao. “It’s going to be me having problems on top of the ring if I don’t push myself to the limit.”
