According to reports, 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao will forego training in Baguio City, Philippines during the initial phase of his next camp, instead choosing to devote a full 8 weeks at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California when he prepares for his November 10 return to the ring. "After the press tour, Manny will go straight to the Wild Card," promoter Bob Arum recently revealed, stating Pacquiao's desire to begin training immediately following a multi-city promotional tour scheduled to kick-off in Los Angeles on September 4.
Although an opponent has yet to be named, the decision to spend his entire training camp at Wild Card is no doubt an indication that Pacquiao is taking his next fight much more seriously than he has in the past. It's a move that will please trainer Freddie Roach, who was initially reluctant to train in Baguio, expressing his concern about distractions when Pacquiao first decided to train there prior to facing Miguel Cotto back in 2009. Since then, Pacquiao has had a string of what some consider to be lackluster performances, his latest being a controversial split decision loss to Timothy Bradley.
The question is, what prompted Pacquiao to make such a drastic change in what had become a routine training regimen for the past 6 fights? Was it the loss to Bradley? Possibly, however, despite the decision of the judges, most observers, particularly Pacquiao and his team, believe it was his best and most dominant performance in years. The more probable reason is because Pacquiao plans on once again facing his most difficult opponent thus far...Juan Manuel Marquez. The two have faced each other 3 times already, but there has yet to be a definitive, clear-cut winner. Their third encounter, which took place last November, may have been the most controversial, with many believing that Marquez won, despite the fact that Pacquiao was awarded the majority decision. It was a fight that Pacquiao himself admitted he took lightly, a mistake he vowed he would never make again.
A full 8 weeks at Wild Card likely means a 4th and final encounter with ring rival Juan Manuel Marquez is on the horizon.