WARMER EASTERN CAPE CLIMATE FAVORS FILIPINO BOXING CHAMP

By Manny Pinol

East London, South Africa – After spending two very cold days in Johannesburg, IBO World Super Flyweight Champion Edrin “The Sting” Dapudong was immensely pleased to discover that East London, where he will defend his title on Friday, offers a warmer climate.

Shortly after landing and even before the staff of the old Hotel Osner fronting the East London bayside could ready his room for occupancy, Dapudong changed into his running gear in the hotel’s lobby restrooms and made a one-hour jog in the beachfront.

There were serious concerns about the very cold South African mid-year winter when the Filipino champion and his group landed in Johannesburg Sunday morning, a situation made worse when the heaters in the rooms of the Airport Inn Bed and Breakfast went dead in the middle of the night.

The second hotel that the group stayed in the following night, the Sunrock Guesthouse also in Kempton Park, proved to be a great relief with the owners of the place attending to the every need of the Filipino champion, including driving the group to the Tambo Airport at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday for the 1 1/2 hour flight to East London.

Chief trainer Raides “Nonoy” Neri, who is also one of Manny Pacquiao’s assistant trainers, was happy with Dapudong’s physical condition.

Using the same training regimen used by Manny Pacquiao, Dapudong went down to just one pound over the weight limit without starving and depriving himself of the much needed water.

“We cannot starve him or dry him up otherwise he will have nothing to burn during training,” Neri said.

Even with three days left before the fight, Dapudong had four hard-boiled eggs and vegetable salad in the morning and in the afternoon before resting for the night.

Today, he will have a short run and light exercises in preparation for tomorrow’s weigh in expected at 12 noon, East London time.

(Photo caption: IBO Champ Edrin Dapudong shadow boxes by the bayside of East London with the huge waves of the Indian Ocean in the background. Supervising his exercises are chief trainer Nonoy Neri and assistant trainer Rex Penalosa.)