Pacquiao to train behind closed doors in the US

MANILA, Philippines – It’s no secret that Manny Pacquiao loves the limelight. When he begins training in Hollywood next week, Pacquiao will have no choice but to let that fondness go. As proof that he is not treating lightly his December 6 fight with Oscar de la Hoya, Pacquiao wrote on his online column “Kumbinasyon" that the Wild Card Gym would not be open to the public while he trains there. “I am appealing to my fans to give me enough space to proceed with my training. We will make sure that the gym will be closed while I prepare for my next fight and only those who are part of my team will be allowed inside." It is the first time that Pacquiao, who has always had a soft side for his legions of supporters, has declared his US training to be fan-free even before he begins training camp. Freddie Roach used to impose the closed-door preparations but even then, Pacquiao’s trainer would relax his rules because of the sheer number of Pacquiao’s fans who would wait outside the gym. Pacquiao, who has said he is “excited" to return to the gym, also admitted to be currently weighing around 154lbs but has assured fans that making the 147lb limit won’t be a problem. “I haven’t really gone on a diet because I know that I will be able to shed the extra weight once I begin training." Sugar’s on the Golden Boy Meanwhile, Shane Mosley, the only man to beat Oscar de la Hoya twice, is putting his money on the Golden Boy. In an interview with Thesweetscience.com, Mosley cited a similar concern critics of the Pacquiao-de la Hoya fight have raised: the size disparity. “Oscar is bigger. I’ve been in with bigger guys, and it weighs on you. I mean, Manny’s going from 106lbs to welterweight," Mosley said. “Manny has little chance." Mosley defeated de la Hoya via split decision in 2000 in a welterweight world-championship fight, then again in 2003 via unanimous decision to take de la Hoya’s WBC and WBA world middleweight titles. Mosley added that de la Hoya reducing weight won’t be a problem for the Golden Boy. “If I know him he’s trying now to get down. He’s probably at about 156 pounds now. He doesn’t have a real muscular build, so he doesn’t have to lose muscle," Mosley said. – GMANews.TV