No Training in Congress

Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao said that he doesn't want to train inside the premises of the Congress. Pacquiao, who is set to face Mexico’s Antonio Margarito on November 13, said he will open his training camp somewhere near the House of Representatives so he can still work during his free hours from training. Pacquiao said during an interview that the gym that he will be going to is near the Batasan Complex… so it will be easy for him to go to Batasan after training. He also added he can’t train inside the complex because there's no boxing equipment there. The 7-division champion said they will keep their camp secret to allow him to focus on training. Pacquiao also said he will not reveal where he will train because his coach, Freddie Roach, doesn’t want too many people inside the training camp.

Pacquiao said he understands Belmonte’s reasons for dissuading him from using the Batasan Pambansa compound as training ground. "No problem. Like what I said, it's only time management. I will sleep here in the office so I can jog before a House session. The compound is spacious, anyway" Pacquiao said. Pacquiao, the only fighter to have 7 championship belts in as many weight classes, said part of his conditioning would encompass a 3-hour training session that includes jogging.

Pacquiao will fight Margarito for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) junior middleweight belt. Talks for Pacquiao to fight undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. earlier fell through. Mayweather had accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs, and publicly dared him to undergo blood tests if a showdown between them were to come about.

The Filipino champ agreed in May, but Mayweather failed to meet a July deadline to agree to terms of what could be the most lucrative fight in boxing history. So, hopefully the Pacquiao vs Margarito fight will pursue because this will be also a great boxing match this year.