MANILA, Philippines - Not even the flu virus can slow him down in training.

Manny Pacquiao has been battling symptoms of the flu since he arrived in Los Angeles 10 days ago for the most crucial part of his preparations for the coming fight.

But Pacquiao, in his column that appears at www.philboxing.com <http://www.philboxing.com> , yesterday said he’s almost gotten used to it that training goes on as hard as before.

“The last few days, I was affected by the change in weather so I still carry the flu that I’ve been experiencing since before we came in here,” Pacquiao wrote.

“But I’m feeling a little better now, and I’m ready for the toughest part of my training,” he said.

It’s less than a month before Pacquiao puts his WBO welterweight crown against the 39-year-old Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Everything points to another big win by Pacquiao, the heavy favorite in the eyes of the oddsmakers and the public, but the Pinoy icon insisted that he can’t take things lightly.

Carrying the flu virus, he said, is just part of the hardships in training.

“I just sparred eight rounds the last time against three sparring partners. Even if my body aches because of the flu, I made sure I trained. And the results were still good,” he said.

He said members of Team Pacquiao, including chief trainer Freddie Roach, are impressed with the way training camp had gone, all the way from Baguio City to LA.

“We’ve all shaken off our jet-lag,” he said.

Mosley, who’s never been knocked out before, will not only try to preserve that distinction, but said he will also shock the world by knocking out Pacquiao.

The fighting congressman from Sarangani in Mindanao has gone undefeated in 13 fights since March of 2005, and he knows that Mosley is doing his best in training.

“I’m dedicated to this fight,” he said.

Abac Cordero, Philippine Star