Pacquiao works out with Buboy in Manila

AFP file photo

Manny Pacquiao showed up for a light training session Monday afternoon in a place where he started making a name for himself.

The Filipino puncher was supposed to start at 2 p.m., but it was a bit past 3 when he emerged from his large SUV to begin his workout under the supervision of Buboy Fernandez.

Less than two months before he meets Timothy Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao hit the mitts for eight rounds, toyed with the speedball and did crunches, a repertoire that won’t be repeated as he starts the next phase of his buildup when he gets to Baguio City to reunite with Freddie Roach.

If some of his fans are worried sick that their idol is starting to slip, Monday’s workout should calm their fears because Pacquiao looked dead-serious in hitting the mitts as though he was hitting Bradley.

Pacquiao’s workout was watched by a small but highly-appreciative crowd, some of them residents of Paquita Street, where the former L&M Gym used to stand.

Now, the same spot where Pacquiao once trained when he was still being managed by the late Rod Nazario is the location of a six-level building called MP Tower, which is the headquarters of Pacquiao’s various businesses.

But in the next few weeks, Pacquiao will train under the watchful eyes of Roach, who has come up with a battleplan that he hopes they would perfect by the time they uproot the training camp for the Wild Card in Los Angeles one month before the fight.

Roach has been keenly awaiting for Pacquiao’s arrival and can’t wait to kick off training the world’s premier fighter.

Russian Ruslan Provodnikov is expected to arrive anytime next week to serve as a sparring partner.

Two more sparmates will join Pacquiao in the US.

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