Pacquiao to train in exclusive gym in LA

Freddie Roach no longer has to close the doors of his Wild Card Gym whenever Manny Pacquiao is in training.

The celebrated American trainer has expanded his famous gym along Vine St. in Hollywood, and has reserved a special place for the Filipino boxer who’s scheduled to come in by Monday.

Pacquiao is scheduled to leave Manila for Los Angeles on Sunday evening along with business associate Wakee Salud, lawyer Franklin Gacal and trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri.

Pacquiao reports for training the following morning or two months before he takes on Mexico’s Erik Morales in Las Vegas on Nov. 18 for the third and final bout of their classic rivalry. The count is even at one apiece.

Pacquiao will train everyday once he gets to LA.

Unlike in his most recent fights in the US, Pacquiao will no longer train behind closed door since the gym’s expansion will allow him to train on the new wing, and let the other boxers do their thing in the old one.

Although the gym stays open while Pacquiao is in training, the section where the 27-year-old knockout artist is working out will have to be cordoned off.

"Yes, we have some privacy over there and I won’t have to shut the entire gym down. We have some good seclusion in the new addition for Manny on that side," Roach told Boxingtalk’s Brad Cooney the other day.

But despite the new setup in the gym, the training regimen, according to Roach, will remain practically the same.

"Well we will train similar, Manny will be in great shape for this fight as he always is. We will work more on his right hook, so it will be a little bit shorter. We will condition, and definitely work on Manny’s head movement.

"Manny needs to move his head a little bit more after he throws his combinations. With the head movement and Manny getting his hands up higher it should provide a much better defense for him," Roach added.