Pacquiao hits LA, is ready to rumble

LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao emerged from a 12-hour flight from Manila looking ready to take on WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas the following day.

“I’m ready. I’m always ready,” said Pacquiao as he took the escalator down to the arrival area of the Los Angeles International Airport Saturday evening here.

Fans were all over Pacquiaio inside the airport, enjoying selfies with the famous boxer even if taking pictures in the area is strictly prohibited.

Pacquiao was joined in the Philippine Airlines flight by his wife Jinkee, head trainer Freddie Roach, adviser Mike Koncz and more than a dozen others.

At the Mabuhay Lounge of the NAIA Terminal 2, Pacquiao had a chance meeting with fellow Sen. Richard Gordon who was bound for a foreign trip of his own, now that Senate is in recess.

Pacquiao had a brief chat with Gordon, who said he couldn’t watch the Nov. 5 fight in Las Vegas because it falls on his wedding anniversary.

“Take care of this man. He’s a good man. He’s a good senator,” Gordon told those who surrounded Pacquiao.

The 37-year-old boxer spent most of his time during the flight dozing off and reading the bible. It was a relatively smooth flight even when the pilot, on public address, said, “We are on our final approach to San Francisco.”

“Nakatulog naman ako,” said Pacquiao, wearing a maroon Louis Vuitton jacket.

Pacquiao and his wife were driven straight to his residence at Larchmont Park where a bigger group of friends, old faces and new ones, waited.

Sunday will give Pacquiao ample time to rest. By tradition, he will go to church in the morning and then will head to his favorite Japanese restaurant near Sunset Boulevard for lunch.

On Monday, he goes out for a morning run at Griffith Park and up Mount Lee and very close to the iconic Hollywood sign.

Pacquiao’s handlers, including strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune, had advised Pacquiao against taking the tough route he normally takes.

While training six weeks in Manila, he never had the chance to do anything close to what he does at Griffith Park.

“His legs might get sore that’s why Freddie and Justin had wanted him to skip Griffith Park. But it was Manny who insisted,” said one of his assistants, David Sisson.

On non-sparrring days, Pacquiao takes on Griffith Park, and on sparring days, which fall on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, he goes out running at Pan Pacific Park.

“We’re tapering down. We’ll probably do six and six (rounds of sparring) a couple of times here.  Then we head to Vegas,” said Roach.

“Everything is pretty much what we used to do.  He told me today he looks forward to it,” he added of the Griffith route.

“I miss Griffith,” said Pacquiao.