Manny Pacquiao Set To Square Off with Top-Notch Sparring Partners in Baguio City

Popular Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao is set to reconnect with his old and new sparring partners next week in Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines.

Pacquiao is about to embark on a two-month no-nonsense training in preparation for his fight with Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC junior middleweight championship of the world on November 13 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's long-time trainer, is expected to fly in over the weekend along with Pacquiao sparring partners Vanes Martirosyan, Rashad Holloway, and Glen Tapia.

Julio Cesar Chavez is reportedly joining the group a week or two later.

Rashad Holloway used to spar with Manny Pacquiao sometime in 2008 when the pound-for-pound king was preparing for his fight with Oscar de la Hoya. Holloway is a 29-year-old welterweight with only one loss in his professional career.

Another popular boxer who will spar with Pacquiao in Baguio City is Vanes Martirosyan, Pacquiao's colleague at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach. Martirosyan, who is an American of Armenian descent, is undefeated in his professional career.The 24-year-old boxer fought 28 times without a single loss.

The youngest among Pacquiao's sparring partners is 20-year-old Glen Tapia of New Jersey, who has sparred with some of the popular boxers in the welterweight division including Paulie Malignaggi, Yuri Foreman, and Joshua Clottey. Tapia has won seven times in his professional career without a single loss.

Julio Cesar Chavez, who was scheduled to face Miguel Cotto on December 4, may join Pacquiao and his sparring mates later in the training camp. His scheduled fight with Cotto has reportedly been canceled as Cotto decided to face Kermit Cintron instead in Atlantic City on the same date.

Mb.com.ph Report

Early this week, Pacquiao showed up for two straight days at the Elorde Gym on Del Monte Ave. in Quezon City.

Pacquiao looked trim and fast and furious during his short workout under Buboy Fernandez and said he might use the Elorde Gym until next week before going to Baguio, site of his camp during the run-up to the Miguel Cotto bout at around the same time last year.

The Filipino boxer was originally scheduled to go up to the mountain city of Baguio to formally start his training for his upcoming fight with Margarito on Monday. However, the schedule was postponed for later this week obviously to honor previous commitments by the congressman-boxer.

Pacquiao's conditioning coach Alex Ariza said Pacquiao will still have enough time to reach fighting form even if he decides to finally postpone his trip to Baguio.

“Manny already knows his body well enough unlike before when we were still starting out,” said Ariza, who has been supervising Pacquiao’s conditioning and nutrition since mid-2008.