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GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Several years back, when Manny Pacquiao was picking off Top Rank’s welterweight stable one-by-one, Mike Jones was one of the names being tossed around as a future opponent.
Matters didn’t go according to plan. On the same night in June of 2012, Jones suffered an upset knockout loss to Randall Bailey while Pacquiao lost a highly controversial decision to Timothy Bradley further up the card. The two have gone their separate ways since then.
On Tuesday afternoon, October 14, Pacquiao and Jones finally shared a ring together, but under very different circumstances than many had previously expected. Jones worked five rounds with Pacquiao at the Pacman Wild Card Gym in General Santos City, Philippines as Pacquiao prepares for his November 23 bout against Chris Algieri at The Venetian in Macau.
“That’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes,” says Jones (26-2, 19 knockouts). “Boxing is a long road. It’s not an overnight trip.”
Pacquiao’s sparring session was closed off to media and the glass door to the boxing portion of the gym was blocked off with a blue sheet but witnesses say that the 31-year-old from Philadelphia kept a busy work rate against Pacquiao.
“It’s good work, good experience. He’s a very fast fighter,” Jones tells Rappler. “He’s his own fighter, he gives good angles, he uses his footwork very wisely. He’s constantly moving and never standing still so it’s harder to get to him.”
(RELATED: A happy Manny Pacquiao is a dangerous fighter)
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach gave the session thumbs up as well. “Manny did very well, Mike’s a very strong, big 147 pounder, very heavy handed but Manny did really well. I was really happy with his performance today.”
Jones finds himself in the southern Philippines after losing by seventh round technical knockout to an unheralded fighter named Jaime Herrera in August. With few viable options, Jones said he accepted an offer from his trainer Miguel Diaz to work with Pacquiao.
“I’m just trying to get my swag back,” said the 6-foot Jones, adding that he couldn’t afford protein shakes before his most recent fight, which was his first in two years. “[Sparring Pacquiao is] a great start actually, very good for me. Just giving me that more experience that I need.
“Since [Pacquiao] is fighting a guy that’s about my height and long and rangy, he’s going to want to keep that jab in his face and keep his distance. So I’m tall, I’m rangy, that’s what I’m going to do. Make him work hard getting in there.”
The work was the second sparring session of camp for Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs), having sparred four with 5-foot-10 junior welterweight Stan Martyniouk on Saturday.
Pacquiao, whom Roach says is ahead of schedule, will break camp on Saturday to appear as player-coach for the Philippine Basketball Association’s Kia Sorentos against the Blackwater Elite.
Pacquiao says he wants to involve iconic boxing announcer Michael Buffer in the game but he has to confirm it with the league first.
“Sparring is good, my timing is good. Freddie Roach is very happy. Conditioning is very good because before the training camp I was already in shape because I’m playing basketball. Nothing to worry about.”
Jones, when asked to describe sparring with Pacquiao, says he is “sneaky, he’s very clever and got good speed, good power.
“He’s in good condition, probably not at the best where he want it to be. I don’t see him getting tired.”
Pacquiao will work again with Martyniouk on Thursday for six rounds, building up towards the twelve round distance which the Algieri fight is scheduled for. The distance shouldn’t be difficult for Martyniouk, who sparred ten rounds with WBA featherweight titleholder Nonito Donaire Jr. before coming to the Philippines.
Martyniouk says that sparring with Pacquiao is unlike any other fighter he has worked with, however.
“What he does is he uses feints very well, which freezes you, tricks you and then he lets the shots go,” said Martyniouk. “His punches are very deceiving; you think he’s going to throw something and then he throws something else. His power is very solid, it’s fast, he doesn’t load up but you feel it. I feel it through the headgear, it’s just solid.”
Jones says he’s convinced that Pacquiao will shine against the WBO junior welterweight champion Algieri, which will be fought at a catchweight of 144 pounds.
“I think he’s going to outclass Algieri, I don’t think Algieri has the punching power to make Manny Pacquiao think twice,” said Jones. “He don’t have the punching power I believe to stop Manny Pacquaio from coming in there and keep him honest.” – Rappler.com
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