Pacquiao Raises His Level in Sparring, Team is Pleased

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

EIGHT-DIVISION world champion Manny Pacquiao put on his finest performance in sparring so far as he went 10 rounds at the Wild Card Gym of seven-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Roach’s assistant trainer Marvin Somodio told BoxingScene.com/The Standard: “It was Manny’s best performance so far. He sparred five rounds with Kenneth Simms Jr. and five rounds with Dashon ‘Fly Boy’ Johnson.”

Fly Boy, a former UFC lightweight contender, who claimed he started boxing because of undefeated pound-for-pound No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr., but said he is totally committed to helping Pacquiao prepare for the multi-million dollar showdown against Floyd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 2.

“Honestly, it’s a dream come true. Watching Manny over the years, and seeing him progress, and him actually having me in camp for arguably the biggest fight in history, it’s honestly a blessing. I couldn’t be more happy just to be here,” ES News quoted Johnson.

Johnson conceded: “It’s a little difficult, but I’m doing the best that I can. I’m just here to do what I can do for Manny and here to make history. He’s coming from different angles. It’s hard to predict. You can’t find sparring partners like that to match Manny. It’s gonna be a tough fight for Floyd.”

In a relentless week of training, Pacquiao sparred nine rounds on Tuesday and 10 rounds on Thursday before he capped a fine week in the ring with a terrific windup over 10 rounds on Saturday.

Pacquiao sparred nine rounds on Tuesday which was one more than planned despite a sore leg, with Roach convincing him to ignore the discomfort and work through it. He went four rounds with Haiti-born Dierry Jean, who fights out of Montreal, Canada and followed it up with five rounds against 21-year-old, undefeated Simms Jr.

“I like what we are seeing. We are getting there,” said Roach.