MANNY Pacquiao (left) works out with assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez at the Wild Card Gym in preparation for his bout against undefeated Timothy Bradley. ROY LUARCA
HOLLYWOOD—Manny Pacquiao was shadow boxing when he caught a glimpse of fellow world champion Brian Viloria taking pictures of him.
The Fighter of the Decade continued swinging and bobbing even as he moved closer to Viloria, who retained his World Boxing Organization flyweight title by stopping Mexican Omar Romero in the ninth round in Manila last month.
Pacquiao then told Viloria that he watched the fight and was impressed, citing and demonstrating the instances when Romero staggered to the wrong corner.
“It really happens when you get hit by solid punches,” Pacquiao told sportswriters at the Wild Card Gym here.
Viloria, who showed up with wife Erica, was elated that Pacquiao took time out to watch one of his ring masterpieces.
“I’ll be there (Las Vegas) to support Manny,” said Viloria, who in his victory dinner picked Pacquiao to win against Timothy Bradley.
After seeing Pacquiao in action Friday (Saturday in Manila), Viloria said it would be “Pacquiao by TKO (technical knockout) in the ninth or tenth round.”
“He (Pacquiao) is OK now,” Viloria said. “Really strong.”
Already in the homestretch of his preparations for the Bradley bout, Pacquiao continued to impress fans and observers by training relentlessly and vigorously for the pay-per-view offering without any prodding.
Even before the conclusion of the training session, however, another celebrity visitor, apart from former two-time world champion Gerry Peñalosa and Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco, paid him a visit.
Actor Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in The Avengers, 2012’s top grossing movie and lead star of The Bourne Legacy, which was partly shot in Manila early this year, watched for nearly half an hour then followed Pacquiao to the dressing room. They later posed for a photo.
“I love him,” Renner said, admitting that Pacquiao stands a good chance of winning by knockout over Bradley.