Strength and conditioning trainer Justin Fortune said that reigning World Boxing Association welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has trained patiently in his first week of sparring session with Australian George Kambosos Jr.
And Fortune likes what he sees.
“He (Pacquiao) is always fast, he is always explosive. But I see more patience. He is picking his shots more,” said Fortune after Pacquiao’s sparring session Thursday at the Elorde Gym near the Mall of Asia Arena. “He is picking his punches, which is exactly what we want him today. So when he unloads, it is pretty good. And when Manny fires, it’s crazy.”
Pacquiao, who will be turning 40 on Dec. 17, finished a four-round sparring session with Kambosos last Tuesday and Thursday.
Pacquiao (60-7-2 win-loss-draw, with 39 knockouts) is in his early stages of his preparations for his Jan. 19 bout against American Adrien Broner (33-3-1 record with 24 knockouts) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fortune said that the 29-year-old Broner should watch out for what the 39-year-old Pacquiao brings to the table.
“I think (Adrien) Broner is in a lot of trouble. Broner is a good fighter, a four-time world champion. So he is not bum, but Manny is on another whole level. When (Marcos) Maidana beats you and then you draw with (Jessie Vargas), then you go pick up Pacquiao, it’s a big mistake.”
Pacquiao and his entourage fly to the United States on Dec. 22.
Fortune plans to bring in two more sparring partners for Pacquiao—American Lydell Rhodes and Russian Sergey Lipinets—when they hold their US training camp.