Pacquiao bucks advice, braves Pepeng's wrath

MANILA -- Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao left his Baguio training camp on Saturday amid rains brought by typhoon Pepeng to personally help in relief efforts in Metro Manila.

According to a report by the Philippine Star, Pacquiao went down to Manila on board a black Hummer.

He was reportedly accompanied by a convoy of special utility vehicles and police motorcycle escorts on his way to Metro Manila.

“Ang galing ng driver ko. Siguradong hindi kami madi-disgrasya,” Pacquiao said in a text message sent to The Philippine Star.

Even before Pepeng came, Pacquiao already planned to go to Manila during his rest day from training to help the people who were devastated by Ondoy.

It is quite a risky trip for the boxing star as typhoon Pepeng battered northern Luzon.

Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz tried to make him stay in Baguio.

“You know it’s dangerous, boss,” Koncz reportedly told Pacquiao inside the dressing room of the Shape Up Gym.

“Don’t worry, Mike. I’m with God,” Pacquiao answered back, and Koncz replied, “But I’m riding with you in the car.”

Even his prized coach, Freddie Roach, was quite apprehensive against the trip.

“The weather is starting to get bad right now so I tried to talk him out of it, but he’s a grown man, he can think for himself,” said Roach.

“I didn’t want him to go because of the safety issue. The big part of the storm didn’t hit us but who knows it might come back. You can’t really predict the typhoon. I advised him to stay here and get some rest. He might get stranded in some place and that could be a problem,” he added.

Sunday is day-off from training

However, Roach said Sunday is Pacquiao’s day off from training.

“It’s his day-off and he wants to go to Manila to help out and see his daughter for her birthday which was yesterday (Friday).”

Roach earlier said he wanted Pacquiao to get rid of all the distractions surrounding his training.

“It’s good and all, but we’re training for a fight here,” said the boxing coach who is helping the Filipino champ to prepare for Puerto Rican champ Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao even jogged Friday morning at the Philippine Military Academy grounds in the outskirts of the Baguio City, and spent longer than necessary because more than a hundred cadets joined him in the 30-minute run.

“That’s one more thing I’m upset about. It’s a nice thing to do but we’re getting ready for a fight… Let us do our job, you know. If they want to do something like that on a Sunday, okay. But not during training days,” said Roach.

He said Pacquiao won’t be having an easy fight against Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight champion.

“I keep saying it but I will say it again, anyone who thinks Cotto is easy and is not dangerous is a complete fool,” Roach said.

Source: abs-cbnnews.com