The fighting Senator, Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, has no intentions of slowing down at the age of 40 and is eager to step into the boxing ring on July 20th against the dangerous undefeated WBA welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman.
Pacquiao who holds the boxing record for most weight division championships with eight, has begun sparring with Tim Tszyu and undefeated junior middleweight Australian prospect who is the son of legendary champion Kostya Tszyu.
Pacquiao suffered a minor sprain on his right foot on Tuesday, he injured his foot by going on a jog without properly stretching beforehand.
Strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune told CNN Philippines that the sprain is only minor but it does affect his lateral and in and out movements so they have to work around the injury.
It is no secret that Pacquiao has a history of leg and foot issues. In the past several fights he has suffered muscle cramps in his huge calves from long runs up the Hollywood hills.
At his age, Pacquiao must train smarter and rest more for recovery. Injuries as boxers continue to fight past their prime occur more often as the body has wear and tear and takes longer to recover.
Team Pacquiao will leave the Philippines for the United States on June 15 to reunite with longtime trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card boxing club in Hollywood, California.
Thurman, 30, is ten years younger than Pacquiao, promised media and fans during the press tour that he will retire Manny Pacquiao for good.
Pacquiao told media that Thurman’s trash talk and overconfidence gave him extra motivation to beat him and prove the doubters wrong suggesting he is too old to win.
The Pacquiao vs. Thurman fight will be for the WBA (super) world welterweight title to determine who is the real WBA champion.
