MP sends tremors up Buboy’s hands
Buboy Fernandez’s left hand trembled seconds after an intense workout with the mitts with Manny Pacquiao. “‘Yan ba ang sinasabi nila na 40 years old? (Is that what they say is 40 years old?),” said Fernandez, showing the tremors and brushing off claims his childhood friend is getting old.
Beads of sweat rolling down his face, Fernandez insists Pacquiao is not about to go the way of the T-Rex. “Nandyan pa rin (He still has it),” said Fernandez, who has been presiding over Pacquiao’s training in Manila as they get ready to fly to the US Saturday, five weeks removed from the July 20 fight with Keith Thurman in Las Vegas. The twitching movement tempered in time for another round of heavy pounding as Pacquiao attacked the miniature leather pads.
Pacquiao is fighting for the first time in six months following his emphatic victory over Adrien Broner at the MGM Grand, where he and Thurman are going to unify the World Boxing Association welterweight titles.
Thurman, undefeated and brash, has predicted Pacquiao’s demise by way of crucifixion, an obvious dig at Pacquiao’s Gospel-preaching ways.
Pacquiao hasn’t responded in kind. But the Filipino eight-division champion had expressed his desire to silence the 30-year-old Florida puncher.
Oddsmakers have installed Thurman as the slight favorite in the scheduled 12rounder but not for long as the tide is expected to turn in Pacquiao’s favor in the final runup to the fight.
Meanwhile, all is quiet on Thurman’s backyard and camp notes are expected to spill out soon as Premier Boxing Champions PR chief Tim Smith, formerly the New York Times’ man on the boxing beat, is going to reach out to Thurman’s handlers to get training updates.