BAGUIO CITY, Philippines —With Manny Pacquiao getting into shape sooner than expected, his sparring sessions may also be moved forward.
Unbeaten welterweight Shawn Porter and lightweight David Rodela arrived late Sunday night from the United States to serve as Pacquiao’s spar mates during his training for Shane Mosley at the Cooyeesan Hotel here.
Porter, who holds a 17-0 record with 14 knockouts, is noted for his speed and power, while Rodela, 15-3-3 with six knockouts, is a regular fixture in Pacquiao’s training camps because of his tenacity and resilience.
The two boxers flew in ahead of Top Rank chief honcho Bob Arum, who is scheduled to arrive early Monday morning in time for the media briefing scheduled in the afternoon.
Barely a week into his stepped-up training, Pacquiao has built up his stamina and found his rhythm, much to the delight of chief trainer Freddie Roach.
According to the five-time Trainer of the Year, they have the “best first week (of preparations) ever,” in stark contrast to Pacquiao’s training for Antonio Margarito here late in 2010, when distractions and bad weather hounded their training camp.
Apparently, Pacquiao wants to put up an impressive performance against Mosley in their World Boxing Organization welterweight showdown on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to buttress his reputation as pound-for-pound king.
Pacquiao, who took advantage of the training break to shoot scenes for his television program “Show Me Da Manny” on Sunday, is slated to have his first sparring session next week.
Team Pacquiao members said that based on the fighter’s progress, they were expecting Roach to adjust the original schedule, which would call for four weeks of training here before moving over to his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood for another four weeks of preparations.
Unbeaten welterweight Shawn Porter and lightweight David Rodela arrived late Sunday night from the United States to serve as Pacquiao’s spar mates during his training for Shane Mosley at the Cooyeesan Hotel here.
Porter, who holds a 17-0 record with 14 knockouts, is noted for his speed and power, while Rodela, 15-3-3 with six knockouts, is a regular fixture in Pacquiao’s training camps because of his tenacity and resilience.
The two boxers flew in ahead of Top Rank chief honcho Bob Arum, who is scheduled to arrive early Monday morning in time for the media briefing scheduled in the afternoon.
Barely a week into his stepped-up training, Pacquiao has built up his stamina and found his rhythm, much to the delight of chief trainer Freddie Roach.
According to the five-time Trainer of the Year, they have the “best first week (of preparations) ever,” in stark contrast to Pacquiao’s training for Antonio Margarito here late in 2010, when distractions and bad weather hounded their training camp.
Apparently, Pacquiao wants to put up an impressive performance against Mosley in their World Boxing Organization welterweight showdown on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to buttress his reputation as pound-for-pound king.
Pacquiao, who took advantage of the training break to shoot scenes for his television program “Show Me Da Manny” on Sunday, is slated to have his first sparring session next week.
Team Pacquiao members said that based on the fighter’s progress, they were expecting Roach to adjust the original schedule, which would call for four weeks of training here before moving over to his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood for another four weeks of preparations.
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