LAS VEGAS – He played a few tricks with a deck of cards during Wednesday’s press conference, and later in the day played a few songs on his electric guitar inside his Mandalay Bay suite.
“I like it when you’re fighter is happy,” said Freddie Roach who quietly gave out instructions to fellow trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri as Manny Pacquiao belted it out with his expensive Fender guitar.
Pacquiao was in a very jolly mood the whole day, and he treated guests at his suite to a few songs, including the latest, which composer Lito Camo had arranged for the boxer, who’s also into recording.
The refrain goes like this: “May tulog yan! May tulog yan! Bagsak na yan! Bagsak na yan!” — referring of course to Juan Manuel Marquez.
“I love where’s he’s at right now,” added Roach, who in the cold morning joined Pacquiao for a 30-minute jog at the UNLV compound, and a very brief stint at the IBA Gym, which came after the press conference.
At Mandalay Bay’s Foundation Room, Pacquiao granted interviews to the foreign press shortly, and gladly obliged when a Mexican crew sought a footage of him shuffling a deck of cards, which they brought along.
Pacquiao even played a magic trick before the mediamen, a pick-a-card trick, and had them rooting and asking for more.
The Mexican TV reporter then asked Pacquiao to pick his favorite from among the deck of cards spread out on the table.
“If you were a card, which one are you?” the reporter asked Pacquiao.
Pacquiao picked not just one card, but two – the ace and king of spade.
“Black Jack!” someone shouted, and everybody, including Pacquiao, laughed.
Thursday will be Pacquiao’s last day at the gym. But it will be a very quick one, just a couple of rounds with the mitts maybe, then a few minutes with the ropes and the speedball.
He might tip the scales once more, in preparation for Friday’s official weigh-in.
Last Wednesday he did, and he weighed 132.5 lbs, very manageable considering that he hasn’t skipped a meal since he got here in Vegas last Monday.
“I just wanted to be sure so I asked him to get on the scales. He was 132 and a half,” said Roach, so confident that by Saturday, in the official weigh-in, Pacquiao would comfortably make the 130 lb limit.
“He skips a couple of meals, probably dinner of Thursday and lunch of Friday, and he’s in. I see him coming in at 130,” said Roach.