I trained with Manny Pacquiao: How this excruciating workout including THREE THOUSAND sit-ups a day is preparing boxing icon for comeback at 46

It felt more like a homecoming than a training session when Manny Pacquiao pulled up to Griffith Park in Los Angeles at 5.30am wearing black sunglasses and a full sweatsuit. Hundreds of people had already lined the edge of the road in north Hollywood. Some held flags. Others clutched old posters. Most just had their phones out, waiting.

They knew exactly who was coming.

Pacquiao jumped out of a black SUV with that familiar bounce in his step — the same one he had when he won his first world title a quarter of a century ago. 

But this time, that bounce is carrying him into one of the toughest challenges of his career: a comeback fight against Mario Barrios, a 30-year-old two-weight world champion who's younger, sharper and currently holding the WBC welterweight crown.

For Pacquiao, this isn't just another bout, it's a genuine world title shot, and a serious gamble after four years out of the ring and a flat performance against Yordenis Ugas in 2021.

Ahead of his comeback fight on Saturday, four years after his last professional bout, I'd been given the green light to join the only eight-division world champion in boxing history during his training camp.

Having touched down in LA I expected a few light sessions, a quote or two, and a photo opportunity. I did not expect to be gasping for air halfway up a hill as Pacquiao, Teofimo Lopez - a former unified lightweight world champion who famously beat Vasyl Lomachenko - and the Vargas brothers, a trio of rising prospects from the legendary Vargas boxing family, breezed past me.

WATCH: Inside Manny Pacquiao's BRUTAL training camp on Mail Sport Boxing

'You said you wanted to experience my training camp,' Pacquiao laughed as we ran side-by-side. 'Now you see why I say age is just a number.'

Pacquiao's leap, from retired icon to title contender, invites questions. Not just about fitness or speed, but about the unknowns only a fighter understands. 

Sugar Ray Leonard, who was at Wild Card Boxing Gym earlier that day, offered his perspective. 'It will be the first punch that's the hardest for Manny,' he says. 'You're waiting to see what it feels like, remember what it feels like, the power behind it and how you react to it. It's like with Tommy Hearns. Tommy hits like a mule. I had retired and come back before, and feeling that first punch was a shock.

'But once you get through that, instinct takes over. You don't think about your age, you think about the fight. Manny knows that feeling. He just has to trust it.'

We ran up to the observation deck near the Hollywood sign, a 10k climb on steep terrain.

Pacquiao was flanked by his team: his pacemaker to the right, his physio to the left, Lopez and the Vargas brothers right behind.

I tried to keep pace. On the flat, it was manageable. But once the incline kicked in, it became brutal.

What surprised me most? Pacquiao's tempo never dropped. His bottom lip never gaped. And his attitude never changed. Not once.

'It's not just about training,' Pacquiao said. 'It's about working hard and pushing yourself to the limit. It's about sweat and willpower. You have to push yourself constantly because if you don't push yourself, you will pay in the ring. You have to be strong enough to break your opponent's will or he'll break yours.'

Between hills, his pacemaker would sometimes call for a short walk—part of a structured interval session they are completing.

But Pacquiao didn't ask for rest. He didn't look like he needs it. Me on the other hand? Grateful for the respite.

That kind of stamina doesn't come by accident.

Despite his age, Pacquiao maintains a gruelling schedule: six days of training each week, with double sessions on half of them. He hits the ring for sparring twice weekly and continues his signature 10k runs through the scenic but steep trails of the Hollywood hills. And every day, he powers through 3,000 sit-ups. Yes, you read that right. 

By the time we reached the observation deck, over a hundred fans had gathered.

They surrounded Pacquiao as he finished his core workout and stayed for nearly an hour as he signed autographs, took photos, and personally thanked each fan.

The next morning, we did it again. This time, it was a more private—and dare I say, easier—session? I met Pacquiao's team outside of his hotel at 5.30am. They explained how they have to be on standby until 7am as Pacquiao could wake up at any moment and decide to get his run done.

Later that day, Pacquiao spoke about how recovery has changed over the years.

'When I was younger, I could recover with one night's rest. I could wake up in the morning feeling fresh after a hard day of training,' he said. 'It's not as easy now. I have to give my body more time. I certainly enjoy more sleep. But the fire in my eyes to work hard? It's still there. I don't see that going out for a long time.'

While I waited for Pacquiao that morning, a couple of his team members started jogging back and forth down the block. I figured they were either warming up or just hooked on running. What I didn't realise was they were trying to get a leg up.

'You're cheating!' shouted a late arrival. 'No, I'm not. This isn't against the rules,' came the reply.

Having looked confused, Pacquiao's physio filled me in on the stakes.

The eight-division world champion had set a challenge for his camp: everyone had to weigh in at the start, and again on fight week alongside Pacquiao himself. The prize? A couple of grand for whoever shed the most weight during camp.

At 6am, Pacquiao came down from his hotel room, laced up his trainers and began running through the streets of LA.

No cameras this time—except our own, and Pacquiao had something to say about that. Our producer trailed on a Lime Bike, much to Pacquiao's amusement.

'Lazy!' he shouted grinning, followed by 'cheat!'

Reflecting on his passion for training, Pacquiao shared: 'I love running the Hollywood hills. It's good for me. The fans give me motivation and support. I love running around LA too.

'I remember as a little boy I ate one meal a day and sometimes slept in the street. I will never forget that. That inspires me to work hard, fight hard and stay strong. It's an honour to train every day. I see it as a privilege, not a chore.'

Even in a quieter setting, the city still responded to Pacquiao. Drivers slowed down, rolled down their windows and shouted his name. Some honked their horns. Others simply smiled and nodded in reverence. Pacquiao waved back at every single one.

When we reached his local park, he picked up the pace for several laps before settling on a quiet patch to unroll his yoga mat. Core work again.

This time, there was no spectating allowed. He pointed at me, then down at the floor. 'You, sit. Let's go.' I tried to laugh it off, until I realised he was serious.

A total of 1,500 sit-ups later (no exaggeration), I was drenched, shaking, barely able to get my arms above my head. Pacquiao didn't break a sweat. He laughed as I grimaced through the final set. 'You'll leave LA with a six-pack,' he said, deadpan, before giving me a fist bump and starting another set on his own.

How on earth was a regular person supposed to survive when, just the day before, Lopez tackled the same brutal core circuit and struggled?

'Being with Manny has made me realise I need to keep my numbers up,' Lopez joked. 'For Manny to do that many crunches at his age and do it while smiling is crazy. One thousand five hundred sit-ups this morning and then another 1,500 this evening. That's why he's an eighth division world champion and hall of famer and a legend of the sport.

'I do think the rest he's had has helped. He's fast. He's sharp. He was shadow boxing and he was faster than all of us. That says everything.'

The numbers, the discipline, the routine, none of it is new to Pacquiao. He might have left the ring, but he never left the life.

'I never enjoyed the idea of retiring,' Pacquiao said. 'As soon as I hung my gloves four years ago, I was so sad. I missed it straight away. I couldn't stop the tears. Boxing wasn't just my career—it was my identity.'

And that itch to return never faded. 'I always worked out,' he said. 'But one day I started training seriously again. And it lit something up inside me. I realised: the passion was still there. The ability was still there.'

Watching him work, it's easy to forget he's 46. And yet, that number hangs over everything. His last fight, a decision loss to Ugas in 2021, left many wondering if the magic had faded. Pacquiao doesn't think so.

He said he was undone not by age, but by distraction: a looming presidential campaign in the Philippines, a lawsuit, and oddly a massage that left his legs sore on fight night.

At the time, Pacquiao was a sitting senator who had stepped away from boxing to run for president, campaigning on anti-corruption, poverty relief, and economic reform. He travelled the country, gave speeches daily, and spent months locked in a political battle that drained him physically and emotionally.

'I trained wrong for that fight,' he said. 'My legs began cramping. I couldn't move. He was a very slow opponent and I couldn't believe that I couldn't get around him. But this camp I'm back with Freddie Roach. The old Manny will be back. I am more focused on boxing than I was last time.'

If Pacquiao beats Barrios for the WBC welterweight crown, he'll become the oldest fighter ever to win a welterweight world title—breaking his own record set at the age 40 when he beat Keith Thurman. He'd also be the first hall of famer to return and win a legitimate world title.

Whether this is the end or the start of another improbable run, Pacquiao didn't know. 'One fight at a time,' he said. 'Then I'll sit down with my team and see where my motivation is.'

That team includes Freddie Roach, who stood by the ring ropes at Wild Card Boxing Gym, watching intently as Pacquiao hit pads when we joined them for a boxing session the following day.

'I am so happy to see Manny back in the ring,' Roach said. 'It's where he belongs. And it's like he never left. I just hope he doesn't beat me up! Seriously though, I think he'll put on an impressive performance when he faces Barrios. I'm proud of him.'

If his body holds up, if his reflexes survive that first punch, then maybe, just maybe, Pacquiao's story isn't over yet.