Manny leaves for US tonite

Manny Pacquiao flies to the US on a Philippine Airlines flight tonight and will report to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on Monday to begin rigid training for his Sept. 10 fight against Hector Velasquez at the Staples Center.

Pacquiao will be accompanied by US lawyer Keith Davidson and his Los Angeles-based Filipino assistant Joseph Ramos on the flight.

So much is at stake in the Velasquez bout because if Pacquiao loses, he’ll blow an opportunity to earn the biggest purse ever for a Filipino fighter. Pacquiao stands to bankroll a windfall in a rematch against Erik Morales in December or January.

The word is hotel owner Steve Wynn has tendered a $5 million bid for promoter Bob Arum to bring the Pacquiao-Morales rematch to the 22,000-seat Thomas and Mack Center on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas campus.

Pacquiao will reportedly earn a slice of the site fee if Arum agrees to Wynn’s offer. That’s aside from his regular purse and a share in the pay-per-view receipts. The total would add up to a tidy sum and should easily surpass the record $1.75 million purse he received in the Morales fight last March.

At the Wild Card Gym, Pacquiao will train behind closed doors. Trainer Freddie Roach is hiring a retired policeman to make sure there is privacy in the gym when Pacquiao works out. The idea is to prevent unnecessary distractions.

Pacquiao will also be quartered in an exclusive townhouse at a gated subdivision in the LaBrea district where high-profile celebrities and Hollywood actors live. The Los Angeles townhouse will be off-limits to fans and media.

A plan for Pacquiao to train in Phoenix or the Big Bear Lake was scuttled because of logistical considerations.

Pacquiao’s Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez and confidant Clem Asencio will join him in Los Angeles on Aug. 21. His wife Jinkee will plane in on Sept. 5.

Pacquiao was originally set to leave for Los Angeles last Monday but postponed the trip to make sure of his physical condition before reporting to Roach.

Davidson and Ramos flew in from Los Angeles to check on Pacquiao last Wednesday and were impressed by his physical condition.

"We thought he’d be overweight but Manny weighed in at 133 pounds when we first saw him," said Ramos. "He looks in great shape."

Last Wednesday night, Pacquiao even played a few cameo minutes for his Pacman team in an exhibition basketball game in Digos, Davao del Sur. The next day, he flew to Cebu with his visitors and worked out at promoter Rex (Wakee) Salud’s gym.

Pacquiao was back in Manila last Friday.

Arum was reportedly worried that Pacquiao may not be in shape for his Sept. 10 fight. To drum up interest for the Pacquiao-Morales rematch, Arum is hoping the Filipino will trounce Velasquez at the Staples Center. If Pacquiao loses to Velasquez or fails to win convincingly, it will surely dampen sales for the rematch.

Arum was probably disturbed by reports from certain quarters that Pacquiao is tiring himself out by keeping late hours in billiard halls, cockpits, TV studios and movie shoots.