Before flying to New York yesterday for a two-city promotional tour, Manny Pacquiao finalized the details of his training camp for his first defense of the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown against Adrien Broner on January 19, 2019 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
According to newly-installed lead trainer Buboy Fernandez, the entire team will uproot its training camp from the Philippines on Dec. 22.
“Manny will spend the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in the US,” said Fernandez, who will supervise the first half of the entire eight-week buildup in Manila and General Santos City.
Pacquiao left at 12 noon via Cathay Pacific on Saturday with the Big Apple as his destination accompanied by wife Jinkee and her twin sister Janet and partner Steve Jumalon.
Joe Ramos, who has taken over the reins of Pacquiao’s boxing affairs, left earlier to set up his boss’s arrival.
Fernandez and a solid support crew were scheduled to take a non-stop Philippine Airlines flight from Manila late Saturday to rejoin Pacquiao in New York.
A kickoff press conference that will formally announce his showdown with Broner takes place at the Gotham Hall on Monday.
The second and final stop of the whirlwind tour happens at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills on Tuesday before everyone heads back to Manila on Wednesday.
“We will immediately start training when we return to the Philippines from the (press) tour,” said Fernandez, who has started regular night-time viewing of Broner’s fights.
Broner, a four-division champion, has been showing up in the gym, knowing that he will be facing an extraordinary fighter in Pacquiao, the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many weight classes.
Pacquiao turns 40 on Dec. 17 and Fernandez was given assurance by no less than his childhood friend that it will be the last time he will not hit the sack early since it is a day of giving for those in need.
After his birthday, the party’s over, Fernandez swears.
Pacquiao had won the WBA 147-lb diadem last July by knocking out Lucas Matthysse of Argentina in Kuala Lumpur. (Nick Giongco)
