Manny Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach have officially opened training camp in the Philippines yesterday for Pacquiao-Bradley III. Pacquiao says he hasn't done any boxing since fighting Floyd Mayweather last May but declared "I'm back" after his first round on the mitts.
Freddie Roach reportedly stated that he couldn't gauge how much Pacquiao has left simply from a mitts routine, but say he likes what he sees so far:
"We went six-to-seven first rounds that first day. He wasn't even breathing heavy. I was breathing heavier because I hadn't done mitts in a while," said Roach, who had been sidelined with back problems for the last few months.
But Roach says there are a few things he'd like Pacquiao to get back to, and hopes that he can drive Manny into going back to the fighter who thrilled crowds with relentless aggression and knockouts. Pacquiao hasn't scored a stoppage win since beating Miguel Cotto in 2009.
"I told Manny that people don't want to just see him winning fights; they want to see the old Manny knocking people out. That's what I'm looking forward to in this fight."
Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, says he believes Manny's time away from boxing, while recovering from shoulder surgery, has actually rejuvenated the fighter who appears enthusiastic about getting back into the mix. Pacquiao himself mentions that he's missed boxing and happy to be back.
Let's see if we'll get an inspired performance out of Pacquiao for his final fight before he focuses his attention solely on his political career.