"Pacman is in the house! It’s Pacman time!" shouted Macka Folly, the burly American who helps run the famous Hollywood gym that is owned by Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao arrived at the jampacked gym a little past noon. A horde of mediamen, those based in the US and a handful that came over from the Philippines, had been waiting for an hour.
"Hello everybody," Pacquiao, in his No Fear get-up, greeted them.
Boxers who came in ahead of the Filipino, including WBC lightfly king Brian Villoria, had to drop it as Pacquiao made his way inside, being greeted and cheered on.
It was his first public workout for his Jan. 21 fight with Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
And those who came got what they came for.
Pacquiao put on quite a show while training, displaying the sharpness and the quickness as he shadow-boxed for three rounds and hit the punch mitts with Roach for four rounds.
Pacquiao skipped ropes for 12 straight minutes and banged away at the speed ball and double-end bag for 10 minutes each. He wrapped up his training with an amazing 500 sit-ups.
To further toughen up his muscles in the mid-section, Pacquiao does 1,000 sit-ups a day – 500 in the morning and 500 in the afternoon.
After the workout, Pacquiao had to stay a little longer, granting interviews to mediamen and signing his autograph on boxing gloves, pictures and fight posters brought in by fans.
An American who had an inch-thick of Pacquiao pictures said the autographed ones were to be distributed to young fans of the Filipino boxer in a hospital.
"Everyday I come and have a dozen signed. And each day they’re all gone. Those children, including one with leukemia, love him," he said as he tailed the others asking for an autopgraph.
It was just a typical public workout for Pacquiao. But for the fans, and the media who are no longer allowed in the gym on ordinary days, it was quite a show.
On his way out of the gym, Pacquiao was asked by a Filipino journalist if he had any predictions for the coming fight.
"Wala. Wala akong prediction. Masama ‘yun. Magagalit si Lord," said the people’s champion.