"It was mind-blowing and it just broadened my horizon...He picked up the intensity when we got to California and it's been real intense training; from mountain runs early in the morning to strength and conditioning work and explosiveness. We have been doing everything and I will be in top shape because I have been doing everything that Pacquiao's been doing, so we will both be in top shape," stated undefeated lightweight contender Lydell Rhodes, who talked about the work he's been doing with multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao as he continues to prepare for his upcoming April 12 rematch with undefeated WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley. According to Rhodes, training with the Fighting Pride of the Philippines was a "mind-blowing" experience and after now working with both Pacquiao and undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather, he now has a better understanding of what it takes to become one of the biggest stars in the sport.
"I think we've gone like 50 or more rounds with each other. The thing that he's helped me do is just get rid of a lot of my flaws. Sometimes I fight in spurts or get lackadaisical, but he just made it to where if I relax too much, he gonna put it on you. If you have any weaknesses, he gonna expose it. If you don't stay on your jab or stay moving your head, he's gonna hit you. His offense is great and he's just made me tighten things up," Rhodes explained as he recalled what training camp has been like during a recent conversation with FigthHype's Percy Crawford. "He's so fast, he just punches between your guard, so all of the little holes in my game, he's made me tighten everything up and he's made me strengthen my boxing game as well as my mental game. You gotta have mental stamina with him because you might can do one round or two rounds well with him, but he just keeps coming. He is just so fast and explosive, the mindset every time you spar with him has to be on point. So that's the biggest thing I would have to say is that my mental stamina increased from sparring with him and staying on top of my game."
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