Pacquiao back in Baguio for training

from: By Frank Cimatu / Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Photo by Izah Morales.

Right after participating in the 10-10-10 run in Pasig River and snobbing his appointment with President Benigno Aquino III in Malacanang Palace (he overslept), Pacquiao is back in the resort town in Baguio for his training against Mexican Antonio Margarito.

He was made to spar with the Mexican welterweight champion Michael Medina and Panamanian Glen Tapia for seven rounds.

Was he tired? Pacquiao in his post game interview said, he’s not but his body told otherwise. After going through his rounds, Pacquiao was usually cheerful and trading jokes with the crowd that waited five hours for him to appear (it was a closed-door session) but this time he was almost sleepy.

He knew about the grueling weeks ahead.

“This is it,’ he said.

“This next two weeks here, I need to focus and be serious,” he said.

“I am 70 to 80 percent from my peak performance,” Pacquiao said.

Conditioning coach Alex Ariza thinks otherwise.

“I think he is 60 percent there,” Ariza said.

“In the next two weeks, it gets harder,” he said. “It would be more intense. From seven rounds, we are going nine rounds this week and higher the next week.”

After two more weeks, Pacquiao will proceed to the US and on November 13, he and Margarito would be fighting for the vacant WBC Junior Middleweight Championship in Dallas, Texas.

Only Amir Khan, the current WBA World light welterweight champion, is still enthusiastic in the camp.

“I talked to Freddie Roach and he said he might spar me with Pacquiao next week,” he said.