Team Pacquiao. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
LAS VEGAS — Forget you’re a Christian for 45 minutes.
That was what Buboy Fernandez urged his best friend and boss Manny Pacquiao to do Monday afternoon before the boxing idol departed for this glitzy, gambling capital of the world.
“When you find a chance, go for it, don’t show mercy and forget that you’re a Christian for several minutes,” said Fernandez in Filipino. “It’s about time you erase people’s doubts.”
They rode on separate cars in a convoy as Team Pacquiao formally hightailed to this city for the 70th fight week of his sterling career.
He will stake his brand new WBA welterweight crown against American Adrien Broner on Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila) at the MGM Grand.
Fernandez, promoted to chief trainer for the second straight fight, said he was telling Pacquiao not to hold back anymore like what he was apparently doing in the past.
Since becoming a devout Christian leader, the general consensus is that Pacquiao tend to take it easy on his opponents, resulting to a nine-year knockout drought.
It only ended last year in Kuala Lumpur when Pacquiao stopped Lucas Matthysse, causing the Filipino global superstar to become the most significant boxer in the world once again.
Broner, for his part, has not been stopped ever. The only fighter to have dropped him was heavy-puncher Marcos Maidana in 2013.
“I’m telling you, if and when his punches land that would be it,” added Fernandez as he flexed his arms and signal No. 4 on his fingers. “(It will be over in the) fourth round).
Even at 40, Fernandez felt that Pacquiao can overwhelm the usually hard-starting Broner, who throws an economy of punches and relies on counter-punches.
“I told him (Pacquiao), he should engage early on and not give Broner the chance,” Fernandez said. “If he can do in the first round, he should.”