By CARLO ANOLIN
Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will be banking on his stamina big time when he faces a much younger opponent in Errol Spence Jr., the unified WBC and IBF welterweight champion, on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Kailangan lang dito talaga stamina, malakas ‘yong katawan mo kasi itong fight na ito, you have to expect more action in the ring compared to the last three fights in the past sa career ko,” said Pacquiao over former PBA commissioner Noli Eala’s Power and Play program.
“Ito ay maraming action na magaganap sa taas ng ring so make sure na the stamina, our stamina ay enough [para] hindi tayo kapusin sa taas ng ring. ‘Yong 12 ring na yon,” added Pacquiao, who holds a 62-7-2 record on top of 39 knockouts.
The fighting senator last saw action in July 2019 with a split decision win over Keith Thurman while Spence, 31, scored a unanimous decision victory against Danny Garcia last December to remain unbeaten in 27 matches with 21 KOs.
Due to his inactivity, the WBA stripped Pacquiao of his super welterweight belt and declared him as “champion in recess.”
Pacquiao is also facing a tough hurdle ahead of his Spence fight as Paradigm Sports Management filed a lawsuit against him for breach of contract.
This may put the Pacquiao-Spence in limbo but should things go according to plan, the eight-division world boxing champion is set to travel to the United States on July 3 to continue training with coach Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing in Los Angeles, California.
Pacquiao, 42, said he’s already adjusting his training schedule here in the Philippines to avoid jetlag once he arrives on US soil.
As of now, Pacquiao jogs in the morning and trains in the gym come night time.
“Nag-adjust na ako dito para pagdating ko sa America hindi na ako mahihirapan. ‘Pag araw natutulog ako tapos sa gabi ako nagte-training,” added Pacquiao.
