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HOLLYWOOD—Filipino assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez believes Timothy Bradley will abandon the fight strategy he used against Manny Pacquiao in favor of the style Juan Manuel Marquez adapted in knocking out the Fighter of the Decade on Dec. 8, 2012.
Fernandez, a boyhood friend of Pacquiao, noted that Bradley was barely effective when he scored a disputed split decision win over Pacquiao in 2012.
He said he doesn’t expect the American to make the mistake of using his old strategy in his second fight with the Filipino.
Fernandez said he’s sure Bradley and his chief trainer Joel Diaz will study the tape of Marquez’s shocking sixth-round knockout of Pacquiao at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“He will not study their previous fight but the Marquez fight,” Fernandez told Filipino sportswriters.
“That’s because it is against Marquez that they saw how Pacquiao opened up and got hit by a solid right coming in. “For sure, they will wait for Pacquiao to throw his left punch.”
But the Filipino is expected to be extra careful this time as the initial plan calls for Pacquiao to go “in and out and not through and through” despite his advantage in power over Bradley.
“We don’t need power, we need aggressiveness,” said Fernandez, who had also thoroughly studied the tape of Pacquiao-Bradley 1.
According to Fernandez, Pacquiao was too compassionate and overconfident when he first fought Bradley.
He also noted that Pacquiao threw fewer punches than expected to impress the fight judges, who eventually “robbed” him of victory.
“I told him to throw more punches if the opportunity presents itself this time,” said Fernandez.
He added that the Pacquiao of 10 years ago will be facing Bradley this time.
“I see the old fire in his eyes and the thirst to beat up an opponent,” said Fernandez.
“If the old Pacquiao shows up, Bradley is in for a beating.”