Manny Pacquiao (left) is backwith trainer Freddie Roach. —TRISTAN TAMAYO/INQUIRER.NET
Manny Pacquiao did not skip training on Christmas Day, and neither did his American challenger Adrien Broner.
But while the two protagonists for the Jan. 19 WBA welterweight title fight posted their non-stop training on social media, Pacquiao and Broner offered contrasting pictures of how things are panning out.
For Pacquiao, it was a quiet reunion with an old mentor.
Pacquiao was reunited with Freddie Roach, his chief trainer for 17 years, right at Wild Card gym, which has served as a war room for their countless victories on boxing’s biggest theaters.
The 40-year-old Filipino, working to put golden finishing touches to his glorious career, then jogged around his Los Angeles home last Tuesday with a flock of fans at his heel, according to philboxing.com.
It was homecoming of sorts for the only eight-division champion in history, who will be staging his first fight in the United States in two years.
Meanwhile, for Broner, it was a brash picture of vindication.
The 29-year-old talent taking a shot at stardom despite a topsy-turvy career was seen on Instagram flashing his ripped body after crossfit training and plyometrics in his Miami camp.
Roundly criticized for being too out of shape to provide Pacquiao any challenge, Broner has reportedly shed 30 pounds since appearing side by side with Pacquiao during their promotional tour in LA and New York City last month.
And true to his character on and off the ring, Broner used hashtags that said he has “tunnel vision set for victory,” and that on Jan. 19, he would be “the biggest star in boxing.”
Pacquiao vaulted to the top of the boxing world once again after stopping Argentinian Lucas Matthyse in July in Kuala Lumpur for his first knockout win since stopping Miguel Cotto in 2009.
And after Floyd Mayweather hinted of a rematch of their 2015 mega fight, his outfit, Premier Boxing Champions, made an offer for a Broner fight as some sort of a prelude.
Broner is a four-division champ who has a knack for aping Mayweather’s counter-punching moves and irreverent behavior, minus the American great’s sharpness and discipline.