STILL kicking off the effects of jetlag following his long flight from Manila last Sunday, eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao sparred eight rounds Wednesday at the Wild Card Gym of celebrated trainer Freddie Roach and looked good.
Top Rank publicist Fred Sternberg told The Standard that Pacquiao did okay, “but the best thing about it was he was throwing his right hand an awful lot. He landed often and it was powerful.”
Pacquiao sparred against unbeaten American lightweight Lydell Rhodes and 31-year-old super lightweight Ghislain Maduma from the Democratic Republic of the Congo by way of Canada and who has a record 17-2 with 11 knockouts.
Sternberg said Pacquiao would spar with undefeated welterweight Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez on Thursday.
Gomez has a record of 20-0 with 13 knockouts.
“Manny gave it a good go in sparring and then hit the punch-mitts, the bags and was looking like his old self again,” Sternberg said.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who visited the Wild Card Gym on Monday, said that while Pacquiao didn’t spar, “he looked very, very good.”
“The power is much better,”said Arum, adding that the Filipino is no longer struggling with his right hand due to a tear in his right shoulder rotator cuff, aggravated in the May 2 showdown against unbeaten pound-for-pound No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has since retired.
“Now, it’s fully operational and much, much better,” said Arum, adding that when Pacquiao hits the mitts of Roach with the right hand, “the sound is probably even bigger than the sound when he hits with his left,” which has always been his more devastating punch.