FOUR WEEKS PLUS AND COUNTING
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 06 Nov 2008
Los Angeles, CA: It was a cold windy day today, a typical nice Southern California fall weather. It?s also Wednesday so that means it?s my day to visit the Wildcard Gym.
My usual gym visit however was made more special because I was not alone going to the gym. I have for company, Dong Secuya, the affable website administrator and owner of PhilBoxing.com. It could not get any better than that.
Secuya is in LA early, way early for the ODLH-Pacquiao fight on December 6th. But he is here on a combined business/pleasure trip. And, he had plenty of places to visit and things to do. He is also scheduled to see the Roy Jones-Calzaghe fight at the MSG at New York City this week end and Boom Boom Bautista?s fight on November 22 on the undercard of the Hatton-Malignaggi card in Las Vegas.
Over the weekend, Secuya was at Las Vegas to witness the Donaire-Mthalane tiff at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with this writer. Also present was Philboxing editor, Salven Lagumbay and the latest addition to Philboxing?s photography crew, Jun Laquindanum of San Francisco. Laquindanum?s addition is most welcomed because now Philboxing has a new addition on the photo crew who owns a 400 mm lens. Indeed, that is a sterling addition to this writer?s 300mm lens.
Pacquiao?s training session today was nothing new to Team members who are always there to witness it. However, to those of us who only come once or twice a week, the changes in Pacquiao are very evident. Apparently it seems Pacquiao is now hitting about 75% of his peak condition. To say it briefly, the man is in pretty darn good shape!
Pacquiao did 12 rounds of mitt work with Freddie Roach refining the technique they have been practicing for the last several weeks. Yes, the body shots are a great part of the session. But that is not to say that they do not do the other stuff.
It?s still four weeks plus and counting. Slowly but surely Pacquiao is reaching top form.
Incidentally, the HBO 24/7 crew was there at the gym too. They followed every move and every action of Pacquiao and they did impromptu interview with Freddie Roach and some Team members.
Also spotted doing his thing was Lance Pugmire, the top-notched sports writer from the famed Los Angeles Times.
Next Wednesday, we will not have the usual report from the Wildcard Gym. We will be at the Big Bear training camp of Oscar de la Hoya to be a part of the media day the Golden Boy Camp has set up. The Golden Boy Promotions is providing the media a free bus to and from Big Bear and lunch to boot!
Stay tuned. Our next Wednesday report will be straight from high atop the Big Bear mountains, an area well known for snow skiing during winter in Southern California.
Top photo: Secuya (far left) is wacthes closely the mitt work of Roach and Pacquiao.
L-R: Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Roach and Secuya.
Secuya (L) and Buboy Fernandez.
Photos by Dr. Ed de la Vega.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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