PACQUIAO TO TRAIN IN CEBU
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 01 Aug 2005
Reigning pound-for-pound icon Manny Pacquiao is set to spend some quality training sessions at the Cebu gym of boxing promoter Wakee Salud, before heading for the United States on Sunday to continue his training at the famed Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach in Los Angeles.
Pacquiao will arrive in Cebu on Thursday, and will immediately buckle down to work as he prepares for his September 10 non-title duel with Mexican Hector Velazquez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, co-headlining a card with Mexican hero Erik Morales, who will take on ex-Olympian Zahir Raheem.
If both Morales and Pacquiao come out victorious on September 10, promoter Bob Arum has already lined up a December date with HBO for the duo to do a repeat of their March 19 showdown. The rematch is expected to be even bigger than their first encounter, which did tremendously in terms of live gate and pay-per-view buys.
"He's arriving on Thursday. But he will immediately leave for the US on Sunday," informed Wakee Salud in an interview yesterday from his Cebu base. Salud, who has produced world champions in Dodie Boy Penalosa, Gerry Penalosa and Malcolm Tunacao, is on the thick of things preparing his prized ward Yukka Gejon, who will vie for the WBA world 105-lb crown on September 25 in Yokohama, Japan.
Promoter Wakee Salud shakes hands with Japanese Shichiro Kimura in Tokyo after they seal the deal for the rematch between Rev Santillan and Kimura's protege Kazuhiko Hidaka for the OPBF welter title--PHOTO BY SALVEN LAGUMBAY
Salud also bared that he will have to do the necessary preparations in terms of security as throngs of fans are expected to line up at the gym's entrance just to take a look at Pacquiao, who remains largely popular despite reports of his nocturnal forays to cockfighting arenas and billiard parlors.
"He is still a hero to many, because his is a story of triumph over poverty," explains Salud, himself a wealthy self-made man.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Salven L. Lagumbay.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Junior, Youth and Elite Divisions Awarded on Final Day of 2025 USA Boxing National Championships
Mon, 15 Dec 2025Jean Henri Lhuillier Applauds Cebuana Lhuillier Ambassadors for Bronze Finish at SEA Games 2025
Mon, 15 Dec 2025NOEL MIKAELIAN DETHRONES BADOU JACK TO BECOME THE NEW WBC CRUISERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION
Sun, 14 Dec 2025FM Alekhine Nouri tops Kamatyas chessfest
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 14 Dec 2025Dante Kirkman Dominates DePriest Johnson in Unanimous Victory at Fight Club OC
Sun, 14 Dec 2025Bantam and Intermediate Divisions Crowned on Day Five of 2025 USA Boxing National Championships
Sun, 14 Dec 2025Murat Gassiev Brutally Knocks Out Kubrat Pulev in Dubai
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 13 Dec 2025United States Air Force Paralegals: Law, Order, and Excellence
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Sat, 13 Dec 2025OFFICIAL WEIGHTS AND RUNNING ORDER FOR PACHECO VS SADJO IN STOCKTON
Sat, 13 Dec 2025OFFICIAL WEIGHTS FROM TODAY'S CHM: 2 REMATCH SEASON CEREMONIAL WEIGH-INS IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
Sat, 13 Dec 2025Donaire to fight Tsutsumi on December 17 in Japan
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Dec 2025Nesthy faces Indon legend
By Joaquin Henson, Sat, 13 Dec 2025Bob Santos Joins Broadcast Team for Boxlab Promotions’ “Night of Champions XIII” During WBA’s 104th Annual Convention
Sat, 13 Dec 2025Championship Bouts Set for the Bantam and Intermediate Division
Sat, 13 Dec 2025SEAG Triathlon, aquathlon, duathlon in Rayong
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Dec 2025