PACQUIAO'S FUTURE WILL BE DEFINED BY THE RESULT OF BRADLEY FIGHT
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 03 Apr 2016
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Whatever future awaits Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao will be defined by his coming third fight with American Timothy Bradley this Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the posh MGM Grand Arena in Ls Vegas.
This, assistant trainer and Pacquiao's childhood friend Buboy Fernandez assured as the eight-division champion brought down the curtain of his Los Angeles camp last Saturday.
"We, in the training team, prepared him for this fight to be his last and Manny will be atop that squared ring mixing it up as if there's no tomorrow," Buboy told this writer following a four-round skirmish with sparring partners Ghislain Maduma and Lydell Rhodes at the Freddie Roach-owned Wild Card Gym here.
"Coach Freddie, myself and other members of the training staff (Nonoy Neri, Roger "Haplas" Fernandez and Marvin Somodio) saw to it during the entire length of the five-week camp that Manny will be performing his swan song intended to entertain the global audience," Buboy said.
Meaning after the fight, Buboy explained, the Sarangani Congressman can make true his announcement to retire in a blaze of glory. Or he may opt to continue fighting yet still savor the love and support of those who believe in him or even the non-believers."
"Napakaganda ng naging kabuuan ng training camp dahil alam naming lahat, pati si Manny ang aming goal. Magbigay siya ng performance na matagal nang hindi nakikita ng fans," Buboy added.
"And to Manny's credit, he did not disappoint us by following all our instructions to the letter," he relayed. "Nandyan ka naman halos sa simula ng camp sa GenSan (General Santos City) kung paano siya nag-ensayo. Halos 24/7.
"Not even once did he complain. Perfect talaga ang naging takbo ng camp," he quipped.
"That is the reason why one week pa lang before we leave for Las Vegas, Manny had already reached his peak, ready to fight," he narrated. "Kanina nga binawasan na namin ang ensayo pagkatapos ng sparring. Dalawang round na lang each sa bag, double end at speed ball."
"Mas mahirap pa ngang awatin si Manny sa ensayo. Alam naman natin ang work ethic niya," he said. "But we also have to avoid over-training him. Or suffer some kind of illness that might jeopardize lahat pinaghirapan namin."
Coach Freddie was right, Buboy attested. "Bumata si Manny ng 25 years sa training camp. At makikita nila 'yan, pati na ang kampo ni Bradley kung paano kikilos si Manny pagdating ng laban.
Makikita natin kung paaano niya tinalo sina Oscar DeLa Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, Miguel Cotto and the likes," he projected.
"What do I feel? Well, I honestly think the fight won't last the distance," Buboy assured.
Photo: Pacquiao (C), with his team, runs at the Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles Saturday morning one week before his third fight with Timothy Bradley to be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Photo by Wendell Rupert Alinea.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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