Fortune back in Manny’s camp?

MANILA, Philippines — Australian strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune may be tapped by Manny Pacquiao to rejoin his team in preparing to battle WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse of Argentina even as there is still no final decision on whether trainer Freddie Roach will be asked to reunite with the challenger.

Pacquiao’s boyhood pal Buboy Fernandez, who has worked as Roach’s assistant for years in training the Filipino icon, said he’s prepared to move up to a lead role if that’s the call. “It’s a big responsibility,” said Fernandez in Pilipino the other day. “But I’m ready. The secret to a successful training camp is everybody works together.  If Manny wants me to be the lead trainer, I’ll do it. If Manny recalls Freddie, that’s OK with me, too. It’s Manny’s call.”

Fernandez said Fortune will be coming from his Los Angeles base to work with Pacquiao for the Matthysse fight which is set in Kuala Lumpur on July 15. “It’s not a problem for Justin if he comes without Freddie,” said Fernandez.

As for Pacquiao’s cutman, Fernandez said it could be veteran Miguel Diaz but in case he’s not picked, there’s a backup in mind. Fernandez declined to name who’s the other candidate. Diaz, 80, is Argentinian like Matthysse but enjoys a reputation as a consummate professional. Roach, however, complained that Diaz worked too slowly in attending to Pacquiao’s cuts during the Jeff Horn fight in Brisbane last July and it reduced his talking time in between rounds.

Fernandez said there’s no way Matthysse will beat Pacquiao but conceded that the heavy-handed Argentinian is a dangerous fighter. Fernandez’ eyes widened when reminded that Matthysse suffered a fractured left orbital bone in losing to Viktor Postol by knockout in 2015. Matthysse took a 19-month layoff to recover from the injury which is similar to what Antonio Margarito sustained in his loss to Pacquiao. 

Fortune, 52, was a former heavyweight contender who lost to Lennox Lewis by a knockout in Dublin in 1995. He turned pro in 1990 and retired in 2001 but came back for one more bout which turned out to be a loss to Billy Zumbrum in Ogden, Utah, in 2009. As a fighter, Fortune was trained by Roach. And when Fortune retired, Roach brought him on board the Wild Card team. Fortune worked with Pacquiao from 2003 to 2007 then had a money dispute with Roach, causing their split. Fortune was brought back to work with Roach and Pacquiao in 2014, the year he was diagnosed with Stage 4 neck and throat cancer. Fortune underwent surgery and chemotherapy to survive the cancer. Last year, his wife Tamara Frapasella, a Russian actress, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, through an In Vitro Fertilization process. Fortune preserved his sperm before taking chemotherapy, anticipating someday he could still become a father.