SENATOR and eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao’s final sparring session at the “Flash” Elorde Gym in the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City will be behind closed doors on Thursday.
His adviser Michael Koncz told the Manila Standard that Pacquiao himself had issued instructions for the gym to be off-limits with only the training staff allowed to enter for his final workout, apparently upset that a previous sparring session with unbeaten Jose Ramirez (18-0, 13 KOs) last week had been uploaded by a TV journalist.
Team Pacquiao, led by the “Fighter of the Decade” and Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach, is scheduled to leave for Los Angeles, California, where he will wind down his sparring at the Wild Card Gym of Roach.
Strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune, who left for LA last Monday, told Manila Standard he expects Pacquiao to have at least three more sparring sessions before his showdown with Jessie Vargas for Vargas’ WBO welterweight title at the Thomas and Mack Center on Nov. 6 (Manila time).
The fight card, which will also include five-division super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in a title defense against unbeaten Jessie Magdaleno, will be telecast by Solar Sports and GMA 7 as well as on pay-per-view over Sky Cable and Cignal TV.