Pacquiao starts buildup for Bradley rematch

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao has been flexing his muscles the past couple of weeks, making sure that when he begins training for his third fight with Timothy Bradley he won’t have to start from scratch.

Pacquiao said he will soon open up his training in the Philippines before moving on to Los Angeles just weeks before his April 9 rubber match with Bradley at the MGM Grand.

Training should begin on the first week of February. There’s no word yet when Freddie Roach is flying in.

Lately, the 37-year-old Pacquiao has been playing basketball. He’d gone scuba diving as well and spends the rest of his time with his family, playing chess and reading the bible.

There’s also politics to take care of. The two-term congressman in Sarangani is running for senator in the coming May elections, and there’s a lot of planning to do.

“I will start my training here in the Philippines although I have already been working on my strength and conditioning,” said Pacquiao yesterday.

The STAR asked Pacquiao’s information officer how often Pacquiao plays basketball.

“Every night,” was the answer.

The eight-division champion leaves for the US on Jan. 18 to attend two press conferences to drum up his third fight with Bradley, the welterweight champion.

The first press conference is set Jan. 19 at the posh Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in California. Then he flies to New York for another stop at the Madison Square Garden on Jan. 21.

Pacquiao has been away from the ring for some time now, not since he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May 2 and underwent operation on his right shoulder days after the fight.

His right arm was on a sling for a couple of months. He went on self-medication and therapy and said he feels better with his shoulder now.

Results of the MRI tests were positive.

It’s not the first time Pacquiao went on a long break from boxing. After he lost to Juan Manuel Marquez in Dec. 2012, he was out of action for almost a year.

Pacquiao bounced back with a one-sided win over Brandon Rios in Macau 11 months after, and had two more victories over Bradley and Chris Algieri before losing to Mayweather.