For the third straight day, Pacquiao worked out a sweat at the Planet Jupiter Gym in Makati, a sign that the pound-for-pound king is not taking Marquez lightly.
Marquez just turned 38 last week but Pacquiao expects a vibrant fighter when they collide at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The late-afternoon workout was terrific, according to the fighter’s aide Joe Ramos, who was present when his boss trained beginning Tuesday until Thursday.
“The atmosphere inside the gym was conducive for training,” said Ramos. “There were no curious onlookers unlike in the past when just about everyone watched from the sidelines.”
The formal training camp will not happen until mid-September when Pacquiao and his crew travel to Baguio City with Freddie Roach.
But the mere fact that Pacquiao has decided to flex his muscles is an indication he wants to put on a great show and convince everyone that he has Marquez’s number, and not the other way around.
In May 2004, Pacquiao floored Marquez thrice in the first round but Marquez rebounded and forged a split draw, an outcome Marquez said was not just.
In the rematch in March 2008, Pacquiao escaped with a 12-round split decision, leaving Marquez in a state of shock.
Meanwhile, Marquez is arriving Thursday morning from Los Angeles.
Joining Marquez are his trainer Nacho Beristain and two key members of his entourage, Dr. Plutarco Gatica and Raul De Anda.
Before leaving the US, Marquez expressed his excitement over the trip to the Philippines, telling a Manila-based fight scribe that he is looking forward to the visit.
Team Marquez actually came all the way from Mexico City and it was only in Los Angeles where Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank met with them to catch the Philippine Airlines flight bound for Manila.
Arum will be joined by Spanish-speaking publicist Ricardo Jimenez and PR man non-pareil, Fred Sternburg.
Aside from Team Marquez, also joining the festivities in the country are Zanfer Promotions head Fernando Beltran and his right-hand man Juan Carlos Torres.
Marquez’s itinerary is going to be tight and he will only get to fly out of Manila for New York on Monday morning, 12 hours after the departure of Team Pacquiao and the Top Rank cast.
