IT may be Manny Pacquiao’s last fight. It may be not.
Yet his mindset in training hasn’t waned all these years, according to trainer Freddie Roach, as the boxing legend from the Philippines remain as the hardest worker at the Wild Card gym even at the advanced age of 42.
“He hasn’t cut one corner in training camp. Not one. He runs up the hills in Griffith Park straight to the Hollywood sign. He crunches thousands of sit-ups daily. He spars three days each week and hits every bag on the gym with bad intentions,” said Roach as Pacquiao’s Los Angeles training camp comes to its final week.
“He wants this one more than anything.”
Pacquiao shoots for another world crown almost two weeks from now when he challenges two-belt welterweight holder Errol Spence at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
He sparred for 12 rounds over the weekend against three sparring partners in Gio Cabrera, Maurice Lee, and Alexis Rocha in a display of power and stamina that still impressed the 61-year-old Roach to this day 20 years after since his path crossed with the deadly Filipino southpaw.
“Manny isn’t training this hard to say goodbye. It’s to prove he’s still there,” stressed the Hall of Fame trainer.
Is this Manny Pacquiao's last fight?
Roach is aware of what possibly lies ahead for boxing's only eight-division world champion, who is also a Philippine senator and reportedly has plans of running for the presidency in the 2022 national elections.
“Philippine politics might influence when Manny hangs up his gloves. Maybe this is Manny’s last fight,” Roach casually said.
“But this summer, he has been training for his greatest victory, and for Manny, that is saying something. It’s the stuff that greatness is made of.”
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