Manny Pacquiao is widely held as one of the best boxers ever to grace the ring. The fact that he is an eight-division champion is a good enough testament to his greatness. Some boxing analysts have attributed his legacy to his unique and sometimes completely unconventional training camp.
Today's breed of boxers prefers isolation and optimum secrecy throughout their training. There are some that impose no cellphone policy inside their training camp. On the other hand, Pacquiao is the complete opposite of this practice. He tends to have more fun when there are a lot of people around. He also posts some of his training sessions on several social media platforms. The gym where he does his sparring sessions is also, oftentimes, filled with spectators documenting almost every second.
Among Pacquiao's unorthodox training methods include playing basketball. This is viewed by many as quite a risky exercise as it could risk ankle injuries. Nevertheless, the 40-year-old boxing icon continues to shoot hoops. In fact, he has played in a local professional basketball league in the Philippines.
Pacman's long-time coach Freddie Roach is known for a number of unorthodox training styles. While these practices have raised some eyebrows in the past, it would certainly appear that he had finally gotten the respect he deserved with Pacquiao as his main project. Roach has been part of Pacquiao's team since early in the boxer's career.
Pacquiao, as well as his entire camp, are a stickler to the convention. As the old saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Pacquiao, throughout his career, has pretty much maintained the same fighting style, fast and aggressive. While some fighters tend to be more defensive and relaxed when they got older, the same cannot be said with the Pacman who appears to have maintained his speed and agility all throughout his 24-year career.
It is true that Pacquiao is now in the twilight of his career, but he seems to have been blessed with new vitality and continues to push forward with his career. Some commentators and analysts have opined that the Pacman should have hung his gloves years ago. Time and time again, Pacquiao has always proven his detractors wrong. He may not be considered as the best fighter of all time, but he is definitely one of the best fighters of his generation.
Pacquiao will be facing one of his toughest opponents in Keith Thurman, a boxer with a perfect career and much younger than him. As history would see it, Pacman has had his fair share of underdog fights, and he has always come on top.
