MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao's co-trainer Buboy Fernandez believes Chris Algieri won't be able to go the distance against the eight-division world champion from the Philippines.
Fernandez said that if things go as planned, the fight won’t go past four rounds.
“For me mahaba na siguro ang apat o tatlo,” Pacquiao’s best friend told ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo.
Fernandez, however, said that they expect the New York-based fighter to come in prepared as the fight serves as his biggest break in his relatively young professional career.
“Kasi alam nagtraining ng todo-todo dahil alam nyang hindi biro ang makakalaban niya mas ekperiensyado sa kanya,” he said.
Fernandez was also irked by the predictions made by Algieri’s coaches, who claimed that they will pull off an upset against the Filipino boxer.
“Hindi ko lang nagustuhan yung sinabi ng trainer n’ya na sila ang magiging champion sa Linggo,” he said.
“Patunayan nila, basta kami, itutumba namin kayo.”
Meanwhile, fight analysts said that the bout will be an intriguing match-up because of the fighting styles of Pacquiao and Algieri.
Former pound-for-pound boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. said the title clash makes for a very intriguing pairing
“In this fight, we got a boxer-puncher versus a boxer-mover. They're tough intriguing match-up,” he said.
For his part, ESPN.com’s Kieran Mulvaney, said the pressure is on Pacquiao to deliver because he is expected to dominate a relative rookie in Algieri.
“Manny Pacquiao has to show that he's in a completely different class than Chris Algieri and I don't think he can afford to just scrape past him with a decision. He needs to win in a spectacular fashion and try to get him out of there,” he said.
Pacquiao’s mother, Mommy Dionisia, who will watch the fight live with her boyfriend, said she prays for a clean fight.
“Basta ang laro malinis lang. Ipagdasal mo lang na sana walang mangyari[ng masama] sa fight nila sa loob ng ring,” said Mommy D. -- From a report by Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
