Manny Pacquiao is bringing back his former strength and conditioning trainer Justine Fortune to help him prepare for his upcoming welterweight showdown with Brandon Rios on Nov. 24 at Venetian Macao in Macau, China.
Pacquiao, who has already entered the third week of training camp, reunited with his first-ever conditioning coach after deciding to part ways with Alex Ariza.
Fortune served as Pacquiao's first conditioning coach, but a disagreement with Roach formed a crack in the relationship between two highly respected names in boxing. However, Pacquiao's necessity to have an experienced strength and conditioning trainer at his camp following the firing of Ariza paved way to the reunion of Pacman and Fortune.
According to Boxing Scene, Fortune is scheduled to arrive next Tuesday while Roach will follow right after Miguel Cotto's fight against Delvin Rodriguez to kick-start the crucial phase of Pacquiao's training.
Fortune, who was a former contender in the heavyweight division, believed Ariza's presence didn't bring anything into Pacman's training but tension. The veteran trainer added that Pacquiao needs to have a good training camp this time around as he prepares for what could be a make-or-break fight in his boxing career.
Despite the disappearance of his Korean sparring partner, Pacquiao had a solid sparring session this weekend against a much heavier Marlon Alta, who is a middleweight fighter. This week, Pacquiao is going to face a more polished fighter in Ghana's IBF International welterweight king Fredrick Lawson.
Lawson, who boasts an undefeated professional boxing record of 21 wins with 19 KOs along with a solid background as an Olympian, is expected to give Pacquiao tough rounds of sparring and someone who could simulate the fighting style of Rios. Another sparring partner is expected to arrive in the coming weeks as his training camp progresses.
Coming off a sixth round TKO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez last December, Pacman will step inside the ring to face Rios in his first fight outside the United States in seven years.
For more Pacman vs. Rios updates, read more at Latinos Post Sports.