?PACQUIAO HELL BENT ON VENGEANCE? - BUBOY FERNANDEZ
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 11 Apr 2014
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- What boxing fans around the world failed to hear from Manny Pacquiao, boyhood pal and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez tried to venture -- the 35-year-old eight-division champion will come out winner by knockout over Timothy Bradley to reclaim the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt.
Buboy, who grew up with Pacquiao in the poor neighborhood of Barangay Labangal in native town General Santos City and spent years looking for jobs in Metropolitan Manila where they sought fortune in their teen years, assured Wednesday during the final press conference of the Pacquiao-Bradley 2 held at the Hollywood Theater of MGM Grand, there's no way the Filipino ring hero will lose in the long-awaited grudge rematch on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
"Mananalo tayo sa laban, Kuya, sinisiguro ko sa 'yo yan (We'll win the fight, Brod, I assure you that)," Buboy told this writer in a one-on-one interview after the media conference. "I have known Manny from our boyhood days in Gensan until we migrated to Manila to seek fortune, alam ko na ang mga gusto niyang mangyari from his body language.
"From the time he decided to start an early training some eight or nine weeks ago, we (along with brother Roger and Nonoy Neri) already felt his burning desire to win back the crown," Buboy narrated. "Of course, he never admitted that to anybody, even to the media when asked. Kilala naman natin si Manny, he never predicted the outcome of his fights."
L-R: Roach, Pacquiao, Bradley and Diaz during Wednesday's final press conference at MGM Grand.
Photos by Wendell Rupert Alinea.
"And when he asked us to already insert the sparring portion of the program as early as two weeks before Freddie (chief trainer Freddie Roach) could join the camp, we realized that he really was hell bent in avenging his split decision loss to Bradley two years ago. It was also on that occasion when he intimated to us that he intends to win via abbreviated route."
Everything in the build-up program, Buboy attested, was already in place when Roach finally came with a sparring partner in tow. So that when the camp transferred to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and Roach increased the load in all aspects of training, everything went smoothly.
Also with Roach when he came to the country was transition conditioning coach Cirilo Flores, who set the stage for come backing strength mentor Justin Fortune's takeover.
To Pacquiao's credit, all the training team instructed him to do, he followed with gusto no matter how hard and punishing they were, including the unfamiliar conditioning regimen Fortune prepared. "Sobra talaga sakit ng katawan inabot ni Manny in our three weeks in L.A. But in the end, his sacrifices, aggravated by Vice Gov. Jinkee's absence, looked to have been paying off.
"Kaya yung KO victory which fans have been expecting of him, will not be that remote a possibility," Buboy noted. "Manny will be more than ready to meet whatever Bradley will be putting on the table, I tell you."
Roach, Fortune, Flores and even fellow assistant trainer Marvin Somodio shared Buboy's observation, all concurring that a short-route win is, indeed, possible.
Roach summed up his training team's projection by saying his pupil of 13 years is ready to fight from five rounds to 12 or even 15.
"How we wish we go 15 rounds. Justin did wonders to Manny's physical attributes," Roach noted."He can run as fast as Bradley could if he decides to run. If he decides to mix it up, well, that, of course, could be the biggest mistake Bradley would do."
"But what I like most with Manny in this fight is, he's very happy. He enjoyed the camp and he would be enjoying more facing Bradley atop that ring," he said, adding that signs that Pacman is happy is in between his training routines, he would pose as if making a three-point shot in basketball or dunking the ball or crossover dribbling.
"Amazing is what I would like to describe Manny's status three days before the big night," Fortune said. "What I am seeing now is the Manny Pacquiao when we started our partnership 13 years ago. "Bradley will be in for the biggest surprise of his life."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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