Manny Pacquiao is reportedly nearing tip-top shape way ahead of schedule, already shedding excess pounds roughly 2 months before he goes toe-to-toe with Brandon Rios in their welterweight clash on Nov. 24 at Venetian Macao in Macau, China.
Pacquiao, who officially kicked off his training camp on Monday, is said to be motivated than ever after learning that his former conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, decided to join his opponent's camp.
According to assistant trainer Nonoy Neri, the Filipino congressman has been training hard at Pacman Wild Card Gym in General Santo City for the last several days in an attempt to recapture his fighting form before he starts sparring.
"He will get into condition in no time," Neri told the Philippine Inquirer on Monday. "The excess weight is quickly gone."
"You know Manny, once he gets the hang of it (training), he doesn't want to stop," added Neri, who's also serving as Pacman's conditioning trainer.
Pacquiao, who looks to erase the painful memory of his sixth round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez last December, has reportedly begun his road work Friday morning.
Pacquiao's chief trainer Freddie Roach is expected to arrive probably in the last week of September, bringing in his sparring mates coming from China, Japan and the United States.
China's two-time gold medalist and undefeated flyweight fighter, Zou Shiming, already confirmed that he's going to be one of the sparring guys for Pacquiao.
Meanwhile, Ariza finally ended his silence about his decision to join Rios camp in preparation for the California boy's upcoming showdown with the former pound-for-pound king.
Ariza said Pacquiao's has become uneasy to work with for the past couple of years, putting the blame on the fighter's celebrity status as the hindrance in their trainings.
"He's not the same person he was and you can talk to people in boxing who will tell you that," Ariza told Yahoo Sports. "He's become a celebrity. He said I became difficult to work with, but I never changed my approach."
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