Sparring ni Pacquiao level-up na!

Mas lalong patataasin ni Hall of Famer Freddie Roach ang lebel sa training camp ni eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao sa Wild Card Gym sa Hollywood, California.

Kabilang sa estratehiya nito ang paghamon sa lahat ng sparring mates na isasabak nito kay Pacquiao kung saan bibigyan ng mahusay na trainer ng pabuya ang sinumang makaka-knockout sa Pinoy pug.

Nangako si Roach ng $1,000 premyo sa sparring partner ni Pacquiao na makakagawa nito.

Walang alam si Pacquiao sa naturang plano ni Roach.

“Manny doesn’t know that! I’ve always kept it a secret but every sparring partner I hire, I say, ‘You knock him down, I give you a thousand bucks’. And I’ve kept a thousand in my pocket,” ani Roach sa panayam ng The Sun.

Ginawa ito ni Roach upang mas maging matindi ang sparring sessions ni Pacquiao dahil nais nitong maihanda ng lubos ang kanyang bata para sa laban.

Nakatakdang harapin ni Pacquiao si reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) at International Boxing Fe­deration (IBF) welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. sa Agosto 21 (Agosto 22 sa Maynila) sa T-Mobile Arena sa Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I am just so damn proud of Manny for picking Errol Spence for this fight. It’s a real fight and what a great example to set. You want respect? You want to establish a legacy? Look at what Manny and Spence will be doing on August 21. It’s the type of fight that returns boxing to the front page,” ani Roach.

Alam ni Pacquiao na hindi biro ang labang haharapin nito.

Itinuturing nitong bakbakan ng pinakamahuhusay sa mundo ang Pacquiao-Spence fight.

“My fight with Errol Spence is not just a battle between the two best welterweights but between two of the best fighters. There is no ‘B-side’ in this fight. I have just as much to prove in this fight as Errol does,” ani Pacquiao.

Kaya naman nangako si Pacquiao na asahan na ang matinding bakbakan sa oras na magkrus ang kanilang landas.

“We are going to bring out the best in each other. It is the type of fight that makes boxing so great,” ani Pacquiao.