Buboy Fernandez, the trainer and best friend of eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, says they are currently working on the boxer's right hand for the upcoming showdown with Lucas Matthysse.
The fight is scheduled for July 14th at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Pacquiao, 39-years-old, has been out of the ring since suffering an upset decision loss to Australian Olympian Jeff Horn in July 2017 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
As far as Pacquiao's primary weapon for the fight, Buboy believes it's the boxer's right hand.
“I think it’s his right hand. We’re carefully studying how it can be used efficiently against Matthysse,” Fernandez said to The Manila Times.
For the first time, Buboy is the head trainer for Pacquiao, who a few weeks ago parted ways with his trainer of 16 years, Freddie Roach.
Buboy expects a very tough contest with Matthysse.
“Nothing is final [with our strategy]. Matthysse will be very aggressive because he is the defending champion and we cannot underestimate him. We can expect a lot of power punching from him. I believe Matthysse’s camp is studying how Pacquiao is using his left hand, while we, on the other hand, is analyzing how Matthysse is using his right hand,” Fernandez added.
He echoed the statements of Pacquiao's strength and conditioning coach, Justin Fortune, that the Filipino star was not being overworked during training camp - due to calculated training methods.
“Eight weeks of training is sufficient and we are being careful not to burn him out. But stamina is also very important because his opponent loves to rush on forward," Fernandez said.
Should Pacquiao win, he may potentially move forward to a showdown with current WBO lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, and that contest would take place at the junior welterweight limit of 140-pounds. And if Pacquiao loses, his long Hall of Fame career is likely over.
2023-10-21 02:42:08
