Handlers say Pacquiao has all bases covered
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 Jan 2019
A little over two weeks to Manny Pacquiao?s January 19 (January 20 Manila time) title fight with American challenger Adrien Broner, his handlers have declared the World Boxing Association welterweight crown-owner ready to defend the plum.
Not only is the just turned 40-year-old ready to stay on his throne, he himself announced he wishes to stay at the top of the WBA 147-pound division by way of no less than knockout.
Understandably, non-believers would say both pronouncements came too early. Prematurely made, they say. But to bosom pal Buboy Fernandez, who for the second straight time has been at the forefront of his boyhood friend?s fine-tuning scheme as chief trainer, the timing was perfect.
That?s what he and his training team, including strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune an assistant trainers Nonoy Neri and Roger ?Haplas? Fernandez, prepared Manny for.
?Designed na yan na ang training program ay mako-kompleto two weeks before the fight or even before the team left Manila days before Christmas. For one, Buboy added, ?Kinuha na namin ang tapes ng mga laban ni Broner at ni-review halos araw-araw pag-announce pa lang ng laban.?
?Pinag-aralan na namin lahat ng galaw niya sa ring. All his mistakes, corrigible and non-corrigible. Based on that, we, along with Manny, drew the whole program,? Buboy bared. ?Which, to Manny?s credit, sinunod naman niyang lahat to the letter.?
?Pati nga mga bisyo bisyo ni Broner in and off the ring, napag-aralan namin and we will for sure, capitalize on them,? he said with a wide grin.
Manny Pacquiao shakes hands with UFC star Cris Cyborg who visited the Filipino boxing star in Los Angeles Friday. Photo by Wendell Alinea.
That, Pacquiao?s lead trainer, continued, gave them the luxury of giving the reigning titleholder a day?s rest a week. ?sometimes two days pa nga kung talagang kailangan especially when sessions were in progress.?
The same pattern was applied, too, according to Buboy, in his boss? preparations for the July encounter against Lucas Matthysse from whom Pacquiao wrested the WBA gem via an easy seventh round TKO. ?There are only some minor changes on how we will fight Broner kasi magkaiba ng style si Adrien at si Lucas.?
?What we can promise boxing fans is, whatever Broner brings to the table, we would have ready answers to them," Buboy assured. ?Kung gusto nya ng bakbakan, laban kami. Kung gusto nya ang takbuhan, hahabulin at hahanapin namin sya. Napaka-liit lang naman ng ring para di namin sya makita.?
?As I have been saying naibalik na namin si Manny sa dati niyang lakas, bilis and we intend to continue utilizing them, even impove on them,? he averred.
Pacquiao at Staples Center Tuesday.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, has been invited to the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday as special guest in the celebration of the NBA Filipino Heritage Night.
The eight-division world champion, the ABS-CBN reported, will grace the occasion when the Los Angeles Clippers celebrates Filipino Heritage Night for their home game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 8 (Janauary 9 in Manila).
Pacquiao will be joined by Filipino-American international recording artist Allan Pineda Lindo, better known as apl.de.ap from the hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas.
Pacquiao is in L. A. in the penultimate leg of his deep training for his upcoming WBA welterweight World Championship defense against Adrien Broner on January 19th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Filipino senator has been in the United States since late December, as he's back training at the Wild Card Gym alongside long-time trainer and now consultant Freddie Roach.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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