Magsayo trains alongside Pacquiao at Wild Card

Training alongside Manny Pacquiao thrills Mark Magsayo no end.

It gives the unbeaten featherweight prospect hope that one day he, too, would become a renowned world champion like Pacquiao.

Knowing Pacquiao would be at Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood Tuesday afternoon, Magsayo made sure he was present. Not as a spectator but as a boxer in training as Pacquiao also continues his preparations for a blockbuster title tussle with American champion Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday, August 21 (Sunday, August 22, Philippine time).

The mere sight of Pacquiao doing the mitts with head trainer Freddie Roach, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, and conditioning coach Justin Fortune was enough to jolt Magsayo to the core.

  

Magsayo, who is under MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions and is also being trained by Roach, managed to record parts of his workout through Sean Gibbons, the very accommodating MP Promotions president.

Though he’s familiar with Pacquiao’s training and fighting styles, Magsayo still expects to pick up a few techniques he could use in his coming featherweight eliminator with former world champion Julio Cena of Mexico in the undercard of Pacquiao-Spence at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

More than the art of fighting, however, Magsayo wants to draw inspiration and motivation from Pacquiao, already a certified legend, who at 42, chose to tangle with one of the world’s current best pound-for-pound fighters.

“Para ganado (So that I’d be pumped up in training),” Magsayo, who is 22-0 with 15 knockouts, said while doing sit-ups.

Having skipped his early morning run due to jetlag, Pacquiao was on high gear in Day 2 of his United States training, pounding the heavy bag, double-end bag, and speedball after the mitts session.

And Magsayo was a vivid watcher throughout. Soaking in everything Pacquiao does.

Magsayo knows these little lessons would come in handy as he climbs the boxing ladder. – Rappler.com