Sparring partner feels Pacman’s wicked punch
No one knows better how strong Manny Pacquiao’s punches are these days than his sparring partner.
"He hits like he’s got metal weights in his hands," said Mexican David Rodela Saturday after sparring with Pacquiao for five hard rounds at the Wild Card Gym.
Pacquiao engaged Rodela in a thrilling workout that was held behind closed doors. At times the left-handed superstar tried to play around, unleashing moves made famous by the late Filipino king of movies Fernando Poe Jr.
In the last two rounds when Pacquiao turned on the heat, and in the final 30 seconds it looked like he was going for a knockout, catching Rodela with a long flurry that got almost everybody inside the gym up on their feet.
"When Manny does that I know he’s ready," said Justin Fortune, calling the shots in Pacquiao’s training in the absence of Freddie Roach who’s with Oscar dela Hoya in Puerto Rico.
"Puwede nga siya hindi tumama eh (I could’ve made him miss all day). Kaya sa last round, binugbog ko na (That’s why in the last round, I clobbered him)," said Pacquiao.
It was the last sparring session for Pacquiao,. who flies to San Antonio, Texas Sunday, just six days before he locks horns with unbeaten Jorge Solis at the Alamodome.
At 8 a.m. Pacquiao will hear mass at Christ the King, just five minutes away from his $5,000-a-month La Palazzo apartment unit, and will probably go for an early lunch in a nearby restaurant.
Pacquiao and his entourage, the size of a baseball team, will board a three-hour American Airlines flight to San Antonio at 2 p.m.
Pacquiao trained more than three weeks in Gen. Santos City and another three at the Hollywood gym. He’s logged close to 150 rounds of sparring, just about his normal routine heading for a fight.
In San Antonio, Pacquiao will no longer spar, according to one of his trainers, Nonoy Neri. Lined up until Thursday are light workouts in a gym to be provided by Top Rank. On the side, Pacquiao will watch the San Antonio Spurs vs the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T Center on Monday evening.
"I’m okay. I knew it since the day I sparred 12 rounds last week. The 12th round felt like the first round to me," said Pacquiao, as he finished a bowl of chicken soup Saturday.
There’s no problem with his weight, too. The last time he was asked, a few days ago, he stood at 134, just four more than the limit of 130 for super-featherweights.
"No problem with the weight," said Pacquiao as he put his right hand around his left wrist. "This is how I measure my weight. I can tell by just doing this."
And one luxury Pacquiao’s been enjoying is the fact that he need not undergo diet to make the weight. He still enjoys a plateful of rice with his favorite "tinola" or "bulalo" along with fried salmon and fruits.
"This is my third full meal for the day. I had one in the Thai restaurant, another with Jinkee outside Universal Studios, and this one," he told Pinoy scribes who visited him in his apartment.
"He hits like he’s got metal weights in his hands," said Mexican David Rodela Saturday after sparring with Pacquiao for five hard rounds at the Wild Card Gym.
Pacquiao engaged Rodela in a thrilling workout that was held behind closed doors. At times the left-handed superstar tried to play around, unleashing moves made famous by the late Filipino king of movies Fernando Poe Jr.
In the last two rounds when Pacquiao turned on the heat, and in the final 30 seconds it looked like he was going for a knockout, catching Rodela with a long flurry that got almost everybody inside the gym up on their feet.
"When Manny does that I know he’s ready," said Justin Fortune, calling the shots in Pacquiao’s training in the absence of Freddie Roach who’s with Oscar dela Hoya in Puerto Rico.
"Puwede nga siya hindi tumama eh (I could’ve made him miss all day). Kaya sa last round, binugbog ko na (That’s why in the last round, I clobbered him)," said Pacquiao.
It was the last sparring session for Pacquiao,. who flies to San Antonio, Texas Sunday, just six days before he locks horns with unbeaten Jorge Solis at the Alamodome.
At 8 a.m. Pacquiao will hear mass at Christ the King, just five minutes away from his $5,000-a-month La Palazzo apartment unit, and will probably go for an early lunch in a nearby restaurant.
Pacquiao and his entourage, the size of a baseball team, will board a three-hour American Airlines flight to San Antonio at 2 p.m.
Pacquiao trained more than three weeks in Gen. Santos City and another three at the Hollywood gym. He’s logged close to 150 rounds of sparring, just about his normal routine heading for a fight.
In San Antonio, Pacquiao will no longer spar, according to one of his trainers, Nonoy Neri. Lined up until Thursday are light workouts in a gym to be provided by Top Rank. On the side, Pacquiao will watch the San Antonio Spurs vs the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T Center on Monday evening.
"I’m okay. I knew it since the day I sparred 12 rounds last week. The 12th round felt like the first round to me," said Pacquiao, as he finished a bowl of chicken soup Saturday.
There’s no problem with his weight, too. The last time he was asked, a few days ago, he stood at 134, just four more than the limit of 130 for super-featherweights.
"No problem with the weight," said Pacquiao as he put his right hand around his left wrist. "This is how I measure my weight. I can tell by just doing this."
And one luxury Pacquiao’s been enjoying is the fact that he need not undergo diet to make the weight. He still enjoys a plateful of rice with his favorite "tinola" or "bulalo" along with fried salmon and fruits.
"This is my third full meal for the day. I had one in the Thai restaurant, another with Jinkee outside Universal Studios, and this one," he told Pinoy scribes who visited him in his apartment.
posted by Achilez at
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