Working out in public motivates Pacquiao to train harder

LOS ANGELES—After a boxing career that has spanned nearly a quarter of a century and 70 professional contests, it is little surprise that Manny Pacquiao has his training regime honed to perfection.

On July 20, the 40-year-old Filipino icon will climb into the ring for the 71st time when he faces Keith Thurman at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, aiming to capture the undefeated American’s World Boxing Association super world welterweight crown.

To prepare himself for a contest that the younger, hard-hitting Thurman has vowed to ensure will be Pacquiao’s last, the veteran superstar will rely on a formula that has served him so well over the years.

Pacquiao wakes at around dawn each day in the multimillion-dollar mansion that has been his Los Angeles base for the past decade.

If sparring is scheduled for later in the day, Pacquiao will embark on a light morning workout, jogging to a park two miles from his home where he runs laps, shadow boxes and performs core work.

On nonsparring days, he heads to Griffith Park, for a longer, more gruelling run in the hills, which frame the sprawling Californian metropolis.

Accompanying him are around two dozen training partners, security, friends and fans, a feature of Pacquiao’s rise to the pinnacle of his sport.

At a recent morning workout, a crowd of around 100 people, many from Los Angeles’ large Filipino community, gather to watch as the eight-division world champion grimaces his way through a series of sit-ups and crunches, occasionally pausing to check his phone.

“I want to have people around so that I’m motivated,” he tells Agence France-Presse (AFP) after a breakfast of white rice, broth and grilled meat prepared by his Filipino chefs.

“My feeling is that I don’t want anybody to see me being lazy. I want to impress them every day. I love it, as long as it’s not distracting me or affecting my training.”

Some of his closest confidantes, however, have mixed feelings about the cast of extras who have hitched their wagons to Pacquiao’s star.

“A lot of it is support, a lot of it is they want to be on TV or something,” trainer Freddie Roach says. “But it works for him. He knows how to get in shape and he does it very, very well.”

Roach, however, admits to worrying that bankrolling the entourage may ultimately drain Pacquiao’s fortune, estimated at around $200 million.

“I bet Manny doesn’t even know the names of at least 50 percent of the people in his house right now as we speak,” Roach told AFP in an interview.

“Manny’s a nice guy. He likes to help people. I always say that’s why he might be broke when he’s through. Because he gives it all away. He’s just too generous.” —AFP