By Nick Giongco
Manny Pacquiao’s travelling circus has settled down at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood amid fears that team members would feel uneasy with the new training setup.
With the elevation of Buboy Fernandez’s role to chief trainer and Hall of Famer Freddie Roach as consultant, the atmosphere at the Wild Card has remained the same.
“Everyone’s doing fine here and coach Freddie is fine,” said Roger Fernandez, younger brother of lead strategist Buboy.
Pacquiao arrived in the US exactly four weeks before his Jan. 19 clash with Adrien Broner for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Even US boxing man Sean Gibbons, a regular during Pacquiao’s training sessions the last few days, believes team members have acted like matured individuals.
“Everyone very professional,” said Gibbons, who also represents a bevy of top Filipino fighters, including world champion Jerwin Ancajas.
Fernandez and Australian strength coach Justin Fortune had earlier expressed fears that the ambience in the gym would be not as friendly as before but their concerns were immediately quashed with Roach apparently accepting his new role.
Fernandez assumed the job of chief trainer during Pacquiao’s knockout of Lucas Matthysse for the WBA 147-lb crown last July in Malaysia.
Pacquiao, 40, will be spending the next three weeks being watched by Fernandez and Roach at the Wild Card before proceeding to Las Vegas during fight week.
