NEW YORK CITY—Manny Pacquiao formalized the promotion of longtime
friend Buboy Fernandez to the role of chief trainer on Monday but
revealed that Hall of Fame cornerman Freddie Roach will be given the
title of a supervisor or consultant in the runup to his return to the
ring early next year.
Appearing at the Gotham Hall for the first leg of a two-city press
tour, Pacquiao likewise declared that he will still train at the Wild
Card Boxing Club in Hollywood but it will be Fernandez who will call
the shots during the final four weeks of training.
Pacquiao meets Adrien Broner in the first defense of his World Boxing
Association welterweight crown on January 19 at the MGM Grand in Las
Vegas and that the second half of his training camp will be done in
the US after spending the first four weeks in the Philippines.
“Freddie will supervise and watch over my training but Buboy
(Fernandez) will be the chief trainer,” said Pacquiao of the special
role that Roach will assume.
Getting consultants isn’t actually alien in the boxing world.
Oscar De La Hoya, when he prepared to face Pacquiao in 2008, brought
the legendary Angelo Dundee in camp but it was the voice of the
equally revered Mexican maestro Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Berstain which sounded
the loudest.
Roach, 58, began training Pacquiao in June 2001 and had only been
absent in three Pacquiao fights since then.
When Pacquiao got ready for Argentine banger Lucas Matthysse last July
in Kuala Lumpur, Pacquiao took a chance in Fernandez and he rose to
the occasion as the eight-division world champion scored an emphatic
seventh-round stoppage.
Instead of being asked to travel to the Philippines, Roach remained in
Los Angeles and watched Pacquiao and Fernandez produce a classic.
Told about Roach’s new job description, Fernandez didn’t look at all
amused as the new setup might affect the equilibrium since he was
looking forward to train instead at conditioning coach Justin
Fortune’s sweat shop just a few minutes away from Roach’s place.
Still, Fernandez is confident that he can follow up the Matthysse
massacre with yet another head-turning stint as the top dog in the
corner.
“Me and Manny, we have discussed my new role in the corner,” said Fernandez.
Pacquiao, who turns 40 on Dec 17, will travel to the US on Dec. 22
after spending four weeks in Manila and General Santos City.
However, Pacquiao and Roach haven’t discussed the matter and whether
Roach will accept his new designation is still up in the air.
Pacquiao and his team arrived in Los Angeles Monday night on a private
plane and is billeted at the Waldorf Astoria, venue of the second and
last press conference. (Nick Giongco)