PACQUIAO IN FINAL 12 ROUND SPARRING SESSION TODAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 18 Jun 2008
Ring Magazine?s pound-for-pound No. 1 and reigning WBC super featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao will engage in his final twelve round sparring session at Freddie Roach?s Wild Card Gym on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila Time).
Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz, in an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today said Manny is doing fine and ?never even went to the Lakers-Celtics basketball game and stayed home, played darts and stayed focused on the fight.?
He said Pacquiao was in high spirits after a regular workout and following his final twelve round sparring session would taper down.
Koncz said they had sent 22 year old Noel Rodriguez home on Sunday ?because we want to make certain Manny doesn?t incur any unnecessary injury.? He said Rodriguez who was very strong and had the same style as David Diaz gave Pacquiao ?some good sparring and suited Manny?s purpose.?
Koncz earlier reported that Rodriguez who has a record of 13-2-1 with 5 knockouts was strong and ?forces Manny to keep his hands up.? He said there were still three sparring partners including veteran southpaw Steve ?The Mongoose? Quinonez who was not as strong as Rodriguez ?but still provides good sparring.
Quinonez fights Pan Asian Boxing Association lightweight champion Dennis Laurente on the ?Lethal Combination? fight card headlined by Pacquiao vs lightweight champion David Diaz at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino on June 28.
Diaz in the meantime said his training has been excellent adding ?I truly feel I?m peaking at the right time and will be prepared for the best of Manny on June 28th. I?ve never had a problem making weight and this will be no different.?
Pacquiao weighed 144 pounds some twenty days before the fight when checked by the WBC representative Rudy Taylor in Los Angeles.
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