In his first reaction to the coronavirus earlier this year, Manny Pacquiao said he felt the pandemic was bound to level off by July.
When the world situation however turned for the worst, with major sports events, like the Olympics, being stalled and postponed, world class boxers were themselves caught in a corner.
In fact, there were suggestions out in the United States that Pacquiao, with his age and expected inactivity, could end up quitting the boxing stage for good.
Pacquiao himself was forced to go into quarantine after having had contact with a person who later tested positive for the virus.
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The eight-division world champion has since tested negative in two times he subjected himself to a severe checkup.
Meanwhile, challenges continued to be posed, led by the four-division title winner Mikey Garcia, who scored a promising win over former world champion Jessie Vargas in February.
Garcia, 32, kept crying he should be able to give Pacquiao, 41, a good and exciting fight, considering the Filipino legend is not as big as the other welterweight stars on the horizon, like Errol Spence and Terence Crawford.
Garcia may however have to think twice if he got to watch a post by FightHype.com of Pacquiao doing his regular morning training in his backyard gym.
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In that video, Pacquiao, in red jersey and blue shoes, was his usual fantastic self, often a blur of speed and sharpness.
In a report accompanying the video, Nick Rosenthal noted that Pacquiao still looks sharp as ever as he trained in isolation.
“He has been keeping sharp, in spite of the coronavirus pandemic,” Rosenthal wrote. “His intensity is far from that of a man who might be preparing to call time on his professional career, despite his age.”
“Demonstrating all of his signature speed, Pacquiao worked the punching bag, displaying some magnificent footwork, whilst unleashing impressive combinations,” the report added.
Pacquiao did not say it, but it must be his way of telling how he fights and stalls the mysterious and deathly enemy.
Meanwhile, one separate report showed Pacquiao doing the laundry with his daughters and lovely wife the original Filipino way, down on the floor and before a faucet.
Pacquiao, it was reported, also cooks and finds time to attend to the garden, watering the plants
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Paquiao has also taken time to bare the secret behind his magnificent form:
“It’s about how you prepare for the fight. I don’t consider myself as the best boxer—or to have the best style in boxing. But I work hard. I punish myself during training. If my fight is 12 rounds, I do every day 20 to 30 rounds. Before, when I was young, 36 rounds every day, and the fight is only 12 rounds, so it’s easy. It’s hard to compare myself to anybody. For me, if I feel something in my body, I will not continue fighting.”