Pacquiao Wraps up at Wild Card
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 04 Dec 2012
LOS ANGELES (PNA)via PCSO ? The training camp of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao - one that could be described as his happiest ever - came to a close Monday (Tuesday in Manila) at Wild Card Boxing Gym.
Thrice, Pacquiao was given an ovation, first when he ended a four-round sparring, second after finishing his routine conditioning exercises and last after his ritual training session prayer.
Last Saturday, the fighter of the decade even invited all members of Team Pacquiao admitted at the Vine St. sweat shop, including chief trainer Freddie Roach and his assistants Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri, Roger ?Haplas? Fernandez and Marvin Somodio as well as members of the utility staff for a family photo op as if the show that the group is, again, one big happy family.
?Masayang-masaya ako because the camp has ended without any hitch, without any injury whatsoever suffered by myself, my sparring partners and all the members of the training staff,? Pacquiao told his men after the session that ended a five-week Los Angeles leg of preparation for his coming fourth fight with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.
?I?m very happy because all that we wanted to achieve in our preparations have been accomplished. Now we?re ready. I?m ready for the coming fight and win convincingly as we and the entire boxing world can look forward to seeing a good fight,? he said.
?I was told that Marquez had also ended up his hard training and, like me, had also promised to knock me out to give the fans the fight they deserve to see na hindi nilla nakita noong huling tatlong laban namin, ? he later told this writer on the way to stairs of the gym.
Roach, likewise, expressed elation with the way the camp went, saying ?this is the happiest camp we?ve held in our 12 years of partnership.?
?As I told you last Saturday, Manny?s back to what he was in the first eight years of our tandem. Throughout the camp, he listened to my instructions without any complain, the five-time ?Trainer of the year? honoree said. ?And what made my happier is that he obeyed whatever instructions I told him.?
?I cannot ask for more really, I cannot ask for more. Every ingredient of a successful camp was there. No more no less that I can say, we?re ready. Manny?s ready to rumble!? Roach exclaimed.
A simple ceremony followed Monday?s training session where Pacquiao and newly-elected Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard exchanged gifts. Gabbard visited her fellow lawmaker in the camp to wish her Filipino counterpart good luck in his coming fight.
Team Pacquiao motored to the gambling city of Las Vegas in the afternoon of the same day where preparations will resume for the 12-round non-title fight set Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand Arena, the biggest and flashiest hotel in all of the State of Nevada.
Marquez, incidentally, flew to LA from Mexico Saturday and, like his rival proceeded to Las Vegas the same day.
The Filipino boxing great and the Mexicasn legend will be meeting thrice before the fight, first on Tuesday during the ?Grand Arrival? ceremony followed by the main event press conference Wednesday and the weigh-in Friday.
Monday?s sparring was the last for Pacquiao, who, according to Roach has logged no less than 100 rounds of skirmishes against five mates, including regulars Rey Beltran, Ruslan Provosnikov, up-and-coming welterweight Frankie Gomez and two other walk-in partners Jose and Jessie Romano.
?Starting tomorrow after the arrival rites, we will be holding light sessions, mostly punching the mitts, conditioning exercises and roadwork,? Roach said.
(Happiness is in the face of Manny Pacquiao in photos taken on his final day at his Los Angeles training camp *Photos by Wendell Rupert Alinea (via PCSO)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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