With less than eight weeks left to go before they meet each other inside the squared circle, both Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao have begun training for their highly anticipated May 7th showdown. Mosley can be found in the mountains of Big Bear, California while Pacquiao is in the Sta. Lucia Mountains of Baguio, Philippines, two locations that are not only worlds apart in their distance, but worlds apart in their origins as well.
In Big Bear, California, the air is thin and the mountains are steep, providing Shane Mosley the ideal atmosphere to train for the hardest fight of his life. Big Bear Lake was once a gold mining mecca before becoming the popular four seasons resort community it is today. According to its history, in 1860, a bear hunter by the name of William Holcomb was tracking the blood of a bear when he discovered a creek filled with flakes of gold. He tried to keep it a secret, but soon enough, word spread and Southern California's largest gold rush was on. From 1860 to about 1875 the area was swarming with prospectors. All that remains today are some old relics and structures from Lake history days of yore.
For those that are visiting, Big Bear Off Road Adventures offers gold mining tours all year round. Furthermore, Big Bear Discovery Center offers tours in the summer and provides a self-guided brochure for folks who want to venture out on their own to relive the gold rush. For the next several weeks, however, visitors have a choice of seeing remnants of the gold mining days or doing something just a tad bit more exciting...catching glimpses of a Hall of Fame fighter by the name of "Sugar" Shane Mosley, climbing the steep hills and sucking in the thin air with the desire and determination that this training camp will not be his last.
On the other side of the world is Manny "PACMAN" Pacquiao, who made Baguio his home for this training camp. And where else would Manny start his training but in Baguio, the city of pines? It has become the perfect place for him to practice his footwork, the side-to-side, back-and-forth movement we have come to know and love. While he is training with his team, Manny is able to enjoy all of the surroundings of his home country, breathing in the familiar fresh pine scent in the air.
Baguio, the summer capital for families in the Philippines, is the mystic gem of the mountain province. As the kids come out to meet the Champ, the Champ himself cannot forget his roots; the way it was just 15 years ago and 155 miles away where he slept on the dirt floor of the first real gym he ever trained in. He does not forget the trainer, Ben Delgado, who taught him all the basics and guided him to two world titles before ever meeting Freddie Roach. No, the Champ does not forget, not when he's surrounded by the memories.
Today, Manny "PACMAN" Pacquiao woke up early in his quiet 5-star hotel, left his private and lavish hotel bedroom, and was greeted by his brother, Bobby Pacquiao, and the rest of the team, Aplas, Nonoy, Buboy, and Alex Ariza. He went running through the hills of Sta. Lucia before loosening up his muscles and joints by shadowboxing the cool thin air, throwing over 1,000 punches. Thousands of sit-ups and other core activities followed before the real work began with one goal in mind: as always, persevere.
The training has commenced for both fighters and the countdown has begun. After all the hard work is done in camp, who will come out on top?
Check out Manny Pacquiao's morning routine below, and for many more behind-the-scenes exclusive videos with the pound-for-pound champion, continue to visit www.mpboxing.com and www.fighthype.com.