‘Muy Rapido’: Pacquiao still marvels at his own speed
Credit to Author: Tempo Online| Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2019 09:30:42 +0000
REVVING UP: Manny Pacquiao (left) and chief trainer Buboy Fernandez work on their strategy on Thursday in Los Angeles. (Nick Giongco)
By Nick Giongco
LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao could not help but marvel at himself on Thursday while training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
“Muy rapido (Very fast),” Pacquiao said in Spanish less than 10 days before clashing with Adrien Broner on Jan. 19 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao had just unleashed a combination during his shadowboxing routine when he decided to stop and heed the call of his corner for a break.
His trainers, led by chief cornerman Buboy Fernandez, Hall of Famer Freddie Roach and strength coach Justin Fortune, all agreed that it was time for Pacquiao to stop and relax.
But Pacquiao simply thought it wasn’t yet the time; he wanted to push even more.
In the end, Pacquiao was persuaded into applying the brakes and he was escorted back to his dressing room.
With three more days left of training here in Southern California before the 300-mile road trip to Las Vegas on Monday afternoon, there appears to be nothing more in camp that has been left untouched.
It seems all bases have been covered and everyone’s keenly awaiting how the scheduled 12-rounder would play out.
Pacquiao is craving to score another knockout after the sheer joy of seeing Lucas Matthysse crumble in their encounter last year in Kuala Lumpur.
Roach feels Pacquao has more than what it takes to take Broner out the way the Filipino icon disposed of Matthysse.
“He’ll break him down,” said Roach.