How Pacquiao is training for his fight against Vargas

After his victory against Timothy Bradley Jr. in April, Manny Pacquiao was elected to the Senate in the Philippines in May. Erik De Castro/Reuters

Dan Rafael
ESPN Senior Writer

Since Sen. Manny Pacquiao began his current training camp on Aug. 29, it has been an unusual one with more structure than ever before.

Pacquiao was elected to the Senate in the Philippines in May, one month after he easily romped his way to a decision win (including two knockdowns) over Timothy Bradley Jr. in their third fight and announced his retirement.

Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas
Lineup of TV fights for the Top Rank card on Nov. 5 (Top Rank PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas:

• Welterweights: Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) vs. Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs), 12 rounds, for Vargas’ welterweight world title

• Featherweights: Oscar Valdez (20-0, 18 KOs) vs. Hiroshige Osawa (30-3-4, 19 KOs), 12 rounds, for Valdez’s world title

• Junior featherweights: Nonito Donaire (37-3, 24 KOs) vs. Jessie Magdaleno (23-0, 17 KOs), 12 rounds, for Donaire’s world title

• Flyweights: Zou Shiming (8-1, 2 KOs) vs. Prasitsak Papoem (39-1-2, 24 KOs), 12 rounds, for a vacant world title
Pacquiao said at the time he was hanging up his boxing gloves in order to give his full attention to his legislative duties. As a congressman before winning the Senate seat, Pacquiao was heavily criticized in his home country for largely being an absentee official. He promised during his most recent campaign that he would take the job more seriously and not miss any sessions.

But when he decided he still wanted to fight, he made an adjustment to his schedule: boxer by morning and night and elected official working on behalf of his people by day.

That has been his routine from his base in Manila since Top Rank promoter Bob Arum set up his return bout, a challenge of Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) for his welterweight world title (the one Pacquiao lost to Floyd Mayweather) on Nov. 5 (Top Rank PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

“I have been training Manny for 15 years, and even after all this time he still amazes me,” said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer who has been with Pacquiao in Manila for the past month. “He’s pushing 38 and he still outworks every fighter I’ve ever worked with. He’s had a killer schedule during this training camp, but it’s been really productive. You’d have to see it to believe it.”

According to a schedule of Pacquiao’s typical day, provided by his longtime publicist Fred Sternburg, Pacquiao begins his day with a 5 a.m. wake-up call followed by a run at 6 a.m. The roadwork is followed by strength and conditioning work with coach Justin Fortune. Then comes a shower followed by time reading the Bible. After breakfast Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) changes into his suit and heads to the Senate for a day of legislative duties.
Manny Pacquiao has a complicated schedule that includes training at night for his fight with Jessie Vargas on Nov. 5. Romeo Ranoco/Reuters
When the day’s government business concludes, Pacquiao heads for the boxing gym, usually between 5 and 6 p.m., for three hours of training and sparring with Roach overseeing him. He returns home for dinner, likes to unwind playing chess and then calls it a night. According to Sternburg, Pacquiao has kept his word and not missed a single Senate session.
“It is all about discipline and time management,” Pacquiao said. “Boxing is my passion and public service is my calling. I will continue to travel both roads as long as I can do both effectively. I dedicate the fights I take on to my fans and my countrymen. They have kept me in their prayers. I fight to bring glory to the Philippines whether I’m wearing boxing gloves or standing on the floor of the Senate.”

Arum selected Nov. 5 for Pacquiao’s fight because it was during a Senate recess, so he will not miss any sessions. He and his team are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday (Philippine Airlines flight 102). He will be at Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, to begin the last portion of his training camp on Monday.

“Manny is the only person I know who you can read about in the sports section and the national news section of the same newspaper on a daily basis,” Arum said. “When Manny is inducted into the Hall of Fame, his plaque will say he was boxing’s only eight-division world champion, but that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what makes him so special. He is literally a national treasure who has brought great honor to the sport and to his country. He’s the amazing Manny.”