PACQUIAO DRAWS FIRST BLOOD
By Aquiles Z. Zonio
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 27 Mar 2015
LOS ANGELES ? World eight-division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao drew the first blood during sparring session Wednesday at the Wild Card Gym against a burly and wily Kenneth Sims, Jr.
The 5?10 young Welterweight prizefighter from Chicago, Illinois, was an eight-time US national amateur boxing champion.
Pacquiao sparred for eight rounds ? four rounds against Keandre Gibson and another four rounds vis-?-vis Sims, Jr. ? on Wednesday.
Restituto ?Buboy? Fernandez, assistant trainer of Pacquiao, revealed that Sims? nose was bleeding after four rounds of trading vicious punches with Pacman.
?I just forgot the exact round and time when our fighting congressman smashed the nose of his sparring partner with his whopping left straight. Blood started flowing from his nose,? Fernandez said.
Fernandez said they were happy that the sparring partners are pushing the Pinoy ring idol to the limit.
?They were young, fast and strong and they have the ability to mimic Mayweather?s fighting style,? Fernandez said.
Meanwhile, the fighting congressman from Sarangani Province, Philippines, had finally abandoned his grueling high altitude roadwork at the scenic Griffith Park to focus more on enhancing his speed, strength and footwork.
Justin Fortune, Pacman?s conditioning coach, told Philboxing.com there?s no need to improve Pacquiao?s stamina.
?Manny Pacquiao has no problem when it comes to stamina. He can last up to 15 to 20 rounds. So, the Griffith thing is no longer useful. We would like to focus more on further improving his speed and strength,? Fortune bared.
On Wednesday morning, the eight-division boxing champion spent eight rounds running around the rubberized track of the University of California-Los Angeles(UCLA) Sports Stadium before moving to the bleachers for his legs workout.
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight king performed, among other exercises, two sets of sprint from the lowermost all the way to the top of the bleachers.
?You see how strong especially his (Pacquiao) legs are? I want you to report on this so Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will know how fast and strong our fighter is,? Fortune said.
Fortune described Pacquiao is in good mental and physical condition.
?His conditioning level will further improve as the May 2 megafight comes closer. Mayweather will be shocked once he tasted the power of Manny Pacquiao,? Fortune added.
The conditioning coach further revealed that this kind of physical conditioning and leg training will last for about two weeks.
Mandirigma Angeles, one of Pacquiao?s constant companions during roadwork, said that the Pinoy boxing legend?s stamina and tolerance to pain is amazing.
?He?s like a machine. He?s not getting tired and his tolerance to pain while doing a thousand abdominals is mind-boggling,? Angeles said.
Photo: Legs workout with conditioning coach Justin Fortune at UCLA Sports Stadium. Photo by Aquiles Z. Zonio.
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