Manny Pacquiao's Sparring Profile: A Sparring Partner Reference List

This page is designed to be as complete as possible a reference list and guide to the sparring of multiple division champion Manny Pacquiao as can be found. It is part of our main page list for finding sparring partner history, to be found here:

Who Were Their Sparring Partners? A Boxing Reference List For Research Purposes

Pacquiao, Manny:

1. Mike Dallas Junior, for at least Manny's match with Joshua Clottey.
Source: Discussed in interview with EsNEWS.

2. Jose Benavidez, for at least Manny's match with Joshua Clottey.
Source: Discussed in interview with EsNEWS.

3. Jorge "Kid Flash" Diaz: For Manny's first fight with Juan Manuel Marquez: Diaz says "Man, he was paying everyone a hundred bucks a day. A hundred bucks, come on, for three rounds." Diaz also says he probably sparred with Manny in this camp for 6-8 weeks somewhere.
Source: Discussed in interview with EsNews.

4. Ruslan Provodnikov:  Pacquiao's chief sparring partner for 2012, before his first match with Timothy Bradley.

Trainer to both, Freddie Roach says: “The first day they sparred, Ruslan wore his regular headgear and he just got marked up so badly that I had to buy him one with the bar on it to protect him. . .He has that really light skin that bruises pretty easily.”

Source: Ring

5. Shawn Porter: Porter was meant to be in camp in 2009 for Pacquiao's match with Miguel Cotto.
Source: Boxing Scene

Shawn mentioned in January of 2014 that he was in two training camps with Manny and that Manny was humble and approachable. He said Manny is a very hard worker.

Secondary Source for their sparring: http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/01/boxer_shawn_porter_on_being_a.html


6. Julian Rodriguez
Source: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/543687/20140318/boxing-news-2014-pacquiao-s-sparring-partner.htm

7. Haskell Lydell Rhodes: For Pacquiao's rematch with Tim Bradley, chosen as chief sparring partner.
Source: International Business Times Australia

Hustle Boss

8. David Rodela: Has been in Pacquiao's camps to double digits. He was mentioned as Pac's sparring partner for Antonio Margarito, in the HBO 24/7 Episode 3 lead-up documentaries to that fight.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Sports Illustrated

9. Ray Beltran: A regular for Pacquiao's camps. He was mentioned specifically as Pac's sparring partner for Antonio Margarito, in the HBO 24/7 Episode 3 lead-up documentaries to that fight.
Source: Sports Illustrated

"It's very intense training."
"It's hard to explain because even without throwing punches, you're working."
"He make you work harder than you can even imagine."
". . .I think it's the hardest fight I ever had, you know?"

Source: EsNews

10. Jamie Kavanagh: For both Juan Manuel Marquez (III) and Joshua Clottey.
Source: Sports Illustrated

11. Hastings Bwalya:
Source: Sports Illustrated

12. Amir Khan: For Manny's bout with Antonio Margarito and Khan's bout with Marcos Rene Maidana.
Source: Boxing Scene

While, it should be noted, in response to a proposed bout between the two, and after Amir Khan had left Roach for another trainer, Roach was quoted about the sparring as saying: "Pacquiao knocked him out in the gym. It's no big fight. . .He had Amir down at least four times."

Secondary source: Boxing Scene

Amir Khan was very frustrated by Roach's comments about their sparring sessions and in a December 2014 interview said that he'd not only never been knocked out by Pacquiao in sparring, ever, but that he'd never been knocked down in any sparring and Pacquiao didn't come close to putting him down. He did admit that he and Pacquiao did hurt each other at times.

Source: Boxing Scene

13. Glen Tapia, chief sparring partner for Pacquiao's bout with Antonio Margarito.
Source: Boxing Insider

14. Karim Mayfield:

15. Kendall Holt:

16. Jorge Linares:

17. Victor Ortiz:

18. Steve Forbes: For Pacquiao's fight with Joshua Clottey. "We would only go like three or four rounds."
Source: EsNEWS

19. Robert "Scrappy" Ortiz

20. Mikey Garcia: For Erik Morales rematch, three weeks at Wild Card Gym. Mikey says he's was probably nineteen or twenty and they had him spar Manny for sometimes up to eight rounds straight and were pleased enough to hire him as the main sparring partner. He says he felt his biggest thing was his speed, more so than his power. As of his interview with Hustle Boss, in September of 2012, he considers Edwin Valero to have been the hardest puncher he'd sparred, though implies it may have been because he was about fifteen years old that made it seem more than it was.

Source: Hustle Boss

21. Vanes Martirosyan:
Source: EsNews

22. Stan Martyniouk: For his match with Chris Algieri
Source: Boxing Scene

Before the sparring took place, Martyniouk said that he grew up watching Pacquiao and wanted to learn as much as he could from him and knew what to expect having watched him spar before, saying: 

"What surprised me a lot is he doesn't go easy on his sparring partners. . .He brings the heat and is very explosive. With his style, you never expect what he's going to throw. He ends up hitting you with the punches you don't see, and that's what hurts you."

23. Rashad Holloway: Rashad was mentioned as Pac's sparring partner for Antonio Margarito, in the HBO 24/7 Episode 3 lead-up documentaries to that fight.

Rashad says:

"When you get the better of him, at times, like, I mean, you're getting the better of the pound-for-pound best. And back then he was the pound-for-pound best, you know, with no question. . . and it's always a challenge.

"He's a good dude. To be able to share the ring with a guy like that, man, it's just, it's a special experience."

Source: EsNews

24. Mike Jones: For Pacquiao's match with Chris Algieri.
Source: South China Morning Post
Secondary Source: Dontae's Boxing Nation (Jones discussing Pacquiao sparring)

25. Viktor Postol: For Pacquiao's match with Chris Algieri. Pacquiao reportedly broke Postol's nose but Freddie Roach, who trained both Pacquiao and Postol, kept him in camp and said he was both a "tough kid" and better than Algieri himself.
Source: South China Morning Post

26. Urbano Antillon: For Pacquiao's match with Ricky Hatton.
Source: Ring

Antillon was also meant to be in camp for Pacquiao's match against Miguel Cotto.
Source: Boxing Scene

27. Bernard Dunne:
Source: The Sweet Science

Dunne has said of Pacquiao: "Manny is astonishingly gifted - so quick with both hands. Trading blows with him is a mistake simply because he can take your best shots and land more. He has an abundance of energy, relentlessly coming at you for twelve rounds."

Dunne says they sparred hundreds of rounds together and that Fredie Roach said he was the only one to "handle" him in the gym. Dunne says he enjoyed sparring with Pacquiao.

Source: My Story, Dunne's book.

28. Justin Juuko: Juuko has mentioned that Pacquiao is "very strong" and "very awkward" when discussing him. He also mentions that he thinks a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather would be a 50/50 fight in his opinion. Juuko faced Mayweather in 1999.

Source: Dontae's Boxing Nation
Second clip from Dontae's Boxing Nation

29. Jose Luis Castillo:  For Pacquiao's match with Miguel Cotto. Beforehand, Castillo said "I was invited for my body punching, which Cotto does, and for my ability to apply constant pressure on my opponents."
Source: Boxing Scene

Pacquiao's camp implied the sparring was very worthwhile.
Secondary source: Fight News

30. Willie Price/Pryce: It is unclear which boxer was mentioned but he was mentioned as Pac's sparring partner for Antonio Margarito, in the HBO 24/7 Episode 3 lead-up documentaries to that fight, as one of the "more sizable" partners.


Other sparring notes:

*For his match with Antonio Margarito, Margarito used Austin Trout as a sparring partner to prepare for Manny's southpaw stance. Margarito also used K. C. Martinez, Cleotis Pendarvis and Ricardo Williams for this purpose.

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