Photos by Wendell Alinea/MP Promotions
KUALA LUMPUR — Manny Pacquiao has had multiple fights with several fighters including a four-part series with Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao faces Lucas Matthysse for the first time but the Argentine champion isn’t an entirely different opponent that head trainer Buboy Fernandez hasn’t seen before.
In fact, Matthysse reminds Fernandez of a combination of Pacquiao’s former foes.
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“Velasquez. [His style is like] Hector Velasquez then, the way he moves in the ring is (Brandon) Rios,” said Fernandez in Filipino on Tuesday.
Fernandez even went on to compare Matthysse to Marquez, who was Pacquiao’s kryptonite during his seemingly unstoppable run from one weight class to another that began in his US debut in 2001 when he scored a sixth-round stoppage of Lehlo Ledwaba for the IBF super bantamweight title.
“Maybe his counterpunching is like Marquez because based from what I’m seeing, what they really want to work on is the timing.”
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Matthysse hopes to emulate Marquez’s blueprint that worked wonders against Pacquiao.
Marquez, the wily Mexican, timed Pacquiao perfectly with a one-punch knockout only a second left in the sixth round of their fourth meeting in 2012.
Pacquiao and Matthysse headlines “The Fight of Champions” on Sunday at Axiata Arena here.