Basketball lures Pacquiao again

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao gave his training mentors the slip Sunday, spending his first day in the United States on a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego to coach his basketball team in an exhibition game.

San Diego resident Pat Michael told the Inquirer that Pacquiao did not play in the game that pitted his basketball team against a high school selection at the Mira Mesa High School gymnasium.

He also said that assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez and the other members of Team Pacquiao “played for laughs,” even though they won both games they played.

Michael said that Pacquiao, who was supposed to rest before the start of his two-week final grind Monday, was merely keeping a commitment and his presence in San Diego “made a lot of people happy.”

Also present during the game was Pacquiao’s congressional chief of staff Franklin “Jeng” Gacal.

Pacquiao attended Mass at the Christ The King Church, where he was mobbed by fans, before taking the two-and-a-half hour drive to San Diego.

Pacquiao’s nightly basketball games while training in Baguio and two weekend trips to Manila to fulfill commitments had raised concern from his trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning coach Alex Arriza.

The Filipino ring icon, who will clash with Antonio Margarito for the WBC super welterweight title on Nov. 13 in Arlington, Texas, resumes his buildup at the Wild Card Gym on Monday.

Roach said Pacquiao will begin sparring on Tuesday against “some good punchers” who will push him to the limit. Among his sparmates is undefeated light middleweight Vanes Martirosyan, who vowed to score a knockdown against Pacquiao and win the $1,000 bonus put up by Roach.

With growing concern among some Team Pacquiao members and longtime supporters about the superstar’s focus, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum reluctantly spoke about a possible loss to Margarito.

“If Manny loses, then I would assume there is going to be a clamor for a rematch with Margarito,” Arum told the Inquirer last week. Photo from examiner.com