Pacquiao at 17 years old in L&M Gym, Manila (Pictures)

[Nekeneg]

Awesome pictures and cool stories!!!

Went to L&M before it became MP towers, a lotta vandals there, mostly Pacs, LOL he's got funny stuff written there.

It was just near my place, one time went there to work out, dang, bike rollers and tyres, busted equip, knock off makeshift locker rooms, but really a down to earth place. Everyone knew each other, that place is just awesome.

The place is just loaded since Manny bought it in 2006 and renovated it and now is a complete gym with cheezy kolehiyalas to drool after a good workout.

@ Jonarie;

Way back before he won the flyweight belt (during hi BLOW-BY-BLOW days) he trained at that place all day, used to watch him and man was he really a freak of nature.

After his workouts, he'd hang out outside to enjoy sago't gulaman, turon and balut, and cracks jokes a lot.

When he returned to buy the place and renovate it and whenever he passes by there he would just have people line up to give out money to fellow boxers and the street food vendors there.

More personal experiences at the old L&M...

Whenever it rains hard, and the conditions of the gym was really busted up, raindrops always dripped onto the old pipes from the roof onto the floor, and some boxers take a slide or slips when they step on a puddle of raindrops, and sometimes when they wipe the floor dry it still was slippery.

So what the rest of the rats there did was pool some loose change to buy COKE or PEPSI from the store and sprinkle it all over the floor to have the floor slip free and their shoes (or sandals sometimes) to have better grip. After that its all business.

The tyres used for sit-up grips are usually donations from the nearby quiapo bikeshops, others from friends. Bodybags that burst out are complemented with lotsa masking tapes and stuffed with sand sometimes obtained from construction sites of rebuilding schools.

Nowadays the place is crowded with onlookers mostly awaiting if Manny's gonna pass by, and when he does the peeps are stomach full and given cash on hand.

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

Incredible, Manny is a legend.

[Hallaqsillaq]

how far he's come. i think the guy's story is incredible. nothin like it.

im a mayweather fan, but pac has my respect down to the core. he had to work his ass off in way most of us would never be able to appreciate and he's never forgotten where he came from.

I'd love to see a movie highlighting both Marquez and Pac. They deserve to be immortalized properly.

[713832281]

Those are some great pics. Old photos are cool to look at. Humble beginnings.

[3Sun2]

excellent thread ! it really brought a tear and a smile to my face ! hard work and dedication will take you anywhere in life !

[De la hoya 801]

That's bad azz, only if they knew that one of the ATG's was just emerging.

[Tom Cruise]

Awesome pics!

Also funny to dip back into the HGH PEDS overload of Mayweather vs Pac circa 2010.

Thankfully it is mostly contained now!

[Ray*]

Seriously this is like a Hollywood script.

[Hallaqsillaq]

Seriously this is like a Hollywood script.

It would be awesomer if Pac and Marquez took part in the movie somehow...

[croz]

Now that Pac's in black and white those old school ass holes will love him.

Boxing fans in a nut shell: you're not good until you're gone.