LOS ANGELES – There is a reason Adrien Broner threw only a few punches in his bid to dethrone Manny Pacquiao.
He knew it would only take one to end the show.
Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao’s childhood buddy who’s gone 2-0 since taking over as head trainer, said Broner’s game plan revolved around landing that home run of a punch in the hopes of sending the Filipino to dreamland.
“Kahit anong gawin kong review, ang lumalabas pa din sa mata ko na flashback ay yung nangyari kay Marquez (No matter how many reviews I make, all I see is the flashback of the Marquez fight),” Pacquiao’s cornerman told Filipino scribes the other day here.
Every Pacquiao opponent has referred to the fourth Juan Manuel Marquez bout in 2012 – where Pacquiao got knocked out cold – as their blueprint to beating the boxing star.
“Si Broner aantayin ka niya. Isa lang ang pinagaralan niya sa iyo (Broner would wait for you. He only trained to do one thing),” Fernandez recalled telling Pacquiao in the corner.
In 12 rounds, Broner threw only 295 punches. Only 50 found their mark.
The challenger often leaned back in the classic counterpuncher stance, waiting to pounce on Pacquiao who would often leave his head exposed when attacking.