Manny’s 105 uppercut does the trick

KUALA LUMPUR – Head trainer Buboy Fernandez said yesterday the punch that set the table for Manny Pacquiao’s seventh round disposal of defending WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse was the left uppercut codenamed 105.

The punch ripped through Matthysse’s defense in the third round and the Argentine took a mandatory eight-count. The same blow put Matthysee down once more in the seventh and as he knelt on a knee, spat out his mouthpiece to signal surrender. In between the two knockdowns, Matthysse was dropped by a right straight to the temple in the fifth.

Fernandez said he didn’t want to take chances because Matthysse is a dangerous opponent with power in both hands. “When he went down in the third round, I didn’t know if Matthysse was just playing a chess match,” said Fernandez. “He could’ve been baiting Manny to move in. It could’ve been a trap. We know Matthysse is a slow starter so Manny thought of going aggressive early but still keeping his guard up.”

Fernandez disclosed that he made adjustments as the fight wore on. At the onset, Pacquiao charged in. Then, he fought from a distance, making it more difficult for Matthysse to find his range. Pacquiao waited for Matthysse to initiate so he could counter. “No rush, Manny stayed patient,” said Fernandez. “When I noticed Matthysse wasn’t too active, I called for the 105. That’s our old code for the left uppercut. Manny heard it. Matthysse couldn’t cope with Manny’s speed which dictated the tempo of the fight. That was the key. Manny’s timing was perfect and he fought from a distance to keep Matthysse off-balance.”

Pacquiao dazzled Matthysse with a variety of punches, confusing him by leading off alternately with the left and right. Matthysse didn’t win a single round and was badly outclassed. The Argentinian later apologized to his countrymen for the resounding defeat.

Fernandez said Pacquiao fought intelligently. “We kept making adjustments,” he said. “At one point, Manny was hitting Matthysse at 12 o’clock but we changed it a little bit to 11 o’clock to improve his accuracy. I didn’t want Manny to be careless so even when it looked like Matthysse was badly hurt, he didn’t go in for the kill right away. Sooner or later, we knew Matthysse would go down. He gets easily frustrated so when Manny started to hit him almost at will, it was just a matter of time.”