Pacquiao looks fitter than PMA cadets

BAGUIO CITY — Manny Pacquiao showed up a bit late for his afternoon training on Friday but it wasn’t a real concern for trainer Freddie Roach, who was all smiles when asked about the sudden change in schedule.
“Manny outran all the cadets this morning,” said Roach, grinning, when he arrived at the Shape Up Gym at 12 noon, site of Pacquiao's preparation for the November 14 duel with Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao did his morning roadwork at the Philippime Military Academy (PMA) after making the rounds of the Burnham Park the past ten days.
Buboy Fernandez, a childhood friend of the 30-year-old Pacquiao and long-time assistant of Roach, said the cadets stayed with Pacquiao early in the run but they all lost steam after the pound-for-pound king went into high gear.
“Sumabay talaga yung mga kadete pero unti-unting nabawasan at sa bandang huli ay si Manny na lang ang tumatakbo,” said Fernandez.
Roach didn’t mind the slight alteration in the training schedule but conditioning coach Alex Ariza was not since the extended run is not a part of their normal routine.
Still, Roach was happy that Pacquiao showed a lot of energy in besting the PMAers, a clear sign that his fighter is enjoying the hard work.
The workout on Friday was held behind closed doors, a far cry from the madness that took place inside the gym the previous day when, not only the media, but fans were also allowed to gain access so they could not only pose for pictures with Pacquiao but with members of his team such as sparmates Shawn Porter and his dad Ken and Urbano Antillon and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.
Pacquiao will spar with Porter and Antillon again on Saturday.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, will spend another three weeks here until he leaves for the US on October 24, which is a Saturday.
Roach said Pacquiao will resume training at the Wild Card in Hollywood on October 26, a Monday.
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| Manny Pacquiao leads a pack of Philippine Military Academy cadets during their early morning run on Friday in Baguio City. (Photo by RIZALDY COMANDA) | 21.15 KB |




