Despite taking his training for his showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in high gear, Manny Pacquiao also balances it by relaxing during his free time to ease the tension and pressure of the upcoming mega-fight.
The Filipino boxing icon is apparently playing chess as part of his mental relaxation after every training session.
Apart from being an ideal form of unwinding for the tremendous pressure being built up by the upcoming historic fight with the pound-for-pound king, Pacquiao is also using chess to develop his strategic thinking skills.
The Pacman has a chessboard in his training camp as well as a darts board which he resorts to ease his mind and get away from the thought of how high the stakes are in his ultimate showdown with Money Mayweather, reports The Telegraph.
Picking up strategies from chess
Dong Secuya, the Manila-based person who operates Pinoy Greats, one of the most popular websites in boxing, and one of the world’s true authorities on Pacquiao, said that he has had the opportunity to play chess with Pacquiao.
He said that while playing chess is not specifically a part of Manny’s training for his fight with Mayweather, it actually helps the eight division world champion think more strategically.
Secuya said that Manny has been playing chess for several years now so he has picked up a lot of significant strategies in the game. He added that the game somehow helps Pacquiao to always be a few moves ahead of Mayweather when they go at it in the ring on May 2.
Pinoy Greats website used to be called Pacland. Secuya said that it came about when he created it five months before Pacquaio’s fight wih Marco Antonio Barrera back in 2003. The Pacman was yet an unknown fighter then while Barrera has already established himself. Manny defeated a Mexican during his last fight and Barrera wanted to exact revenge on the Filipino fighter.
And as it turned out, Secuya picked the Pacman to win and the victory has become the official springboard of Manny Pacquiao to boxing’s superstardom since Barrera was already a legend in boxing circles then.
Astronomical interest
Pinoy Greats also chronicled how Pacquiao’s ratings have plummeted as a result of his defeat from the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez during their fourth fight in 2012.
Although his recent victories have enabled his ratings on the website to surge back up, it was actually when the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight was announced and formalized that his fame soared to newfound heights.
Secuya explained that the interest on Pacquiao in the Philippines is getting to the point of astronomical already. He said that it has never been seen in the past before. Should Pacquiao loses on May 2, it would hardly affect his popularity among his Filipino fans, but if he wins, he will become the country’s greatest hero ever, notes Secuya.