Pacquiao dedicates Horn fight to victims of Marawi crisis, natural disasters

Senator Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday said he would dedicate his upcoming title bout against Australian foe Jeff Horn to Filipinos affected by the Marawi City crisis and natural disasters.

"Sa sambayanang Pilipino, para sa karangalan ng ating bansa, inaalay ko ang laban na ito sa mga pamilya na naapektuhan ng terrorism sa Marawi City, yung mga pamilya na naapektuhan sa bagyo, sa baha," Pacquiao said in a report by GMA News' Mav Gonzales on Balitanghali.

Marawi City has been the center of conflict between the military and the ISIS-inspired Maute Group since May 23 and has displaced thousands of residents.

Pacquiao, who started his training in April, recently moved his training sessions to his hometown of General Santos City while Congress is in break.

Coach Freddie Roach welcomed the break of Congress' plenary sessions, saying this is an opportune time for the eight-division champion to focus on his training.

"He's used to being home... He's comfortable here and there's a lot less people here. I mean the gym in Manila was quite crowded," Roach said.

Roach said Pacquiao's training was focused on speed since the reigning WBO welterweight champion would be facing an aggressive and undefeated opponent.

Pacquiao initiated his morning training at the Acharon Sports Complex where he was joined by aspiring professional boxers and his Mexican and Australian sparring partners.

After finishing 11 laps in the track oval, the group then performed shadow boxing and core exercises. 

The report said Pacquiao, whose fighting form is now around 80 percent, was scheduled to have sparring sessions and gym training on Tuesday afternoon.

The Pacquiao-Horn showdown will be held at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on July 2. — Joseph Tristan Roxas/MDM, GMA News