COMMENTARY

December to dismember

Nick Giongco

It doesn't look as if Manny Pacquiao is going to dance all night in the ring with Korean YouTube personality DK Yoo next month in Seoul.

Lately, the eight-division champion has been showing up with alarming frequency at the gym in General Santos City.

Though he's not doing sparring sessions and some of the hard stuff he's been subjected to while getting ready for a big fight, he is still working out a sweat in his afternoon workouts.

Seeing his video clips doing the mitts suggests that Pacquiao won't hesitate to put an end to Yoo's illusions on 11 December.

This will be the first time Pacquiao is engaging in an exhibition and Yoo is expected to be torn to shreds.

Despite all the hard work Pacquiao has been displaying of late, one of those attending his training sessions brush off the tenacity the soon-to-be-44-year-old ex-fighter has been exhibiting.

"Nah, it's just a regular workout, Nothing special. He's just exercising," Nonoy Neri, a member of team Pacquiao, said from deep down south.

Also lending a helping hand in the gym sessions are lead trainer Buboy Fernandez and assistant Jonathan Penalosa.

Like Neri, they have been watching Pacquiao's every move and possibly imagining what's going to happen to Yoo next month.

Even if this is just a special fight (read: exhibition), it doesn't prevent Pacquiao from going for a knockout.

And that's exactly what he's doing when he returns to the ring after a 16-month layoff.

I would be utterly shocked if Pacquiao allows the poor fellow to escape unscathed.

Knowing Pacquiao, he won't allow Yoo to suffer before he administers the coup d grace.

It's going to be short and sweet and it would lead Pacquiao to the next project.

It could be another of these so-called special events given that Floyd Mayweather, who has excelled in doing exhibitions, is also retired like him.

But who knows?

In boxing, anything is possible.