Buboy to Pacquiao doubters: Not about age

MANILA, Philippines — If there’s one person in the world who personally and professionally knows Manny Pacquiao from head to toe, it should be Buboy Fernandez.

After all, Pacquiao and Fernandez, his childhood buddy turned trainer, had been through it all.

From leaving their home province together as stowaways to seek better lives in Manila to shining under the bright lights of Las Vegas during one big fight after another, the two best friends couldn’t have done it without the other.

As Pacquiao is set to chase boxing glory once more — at 46 years old — against World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mario Barrios, Fernandez is already a person of authority when it comes to calming the Filipino icon’s critics and doubters.

“People who care about Manny can’t help it to have doubts,” Pacquiao’s stocky trainer said in Filipino from the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, where the boxer is tapering off preparations for his date with Barrios in Las Vegas next week.

“But (with Pacquiao) at age 46, I should know better if he has indeed slowed down. I should know if we already need to stop. But at 46, he still isn’t feeling laziness,” Fernandez added.

True enough, Pacquiao had been proving he hasn’t skipped a bit since he started training in Los Angeles in the middle of May, wowing his trainers and onlookers with his energy and determination.

For Fernandez, the enthusiasm Pacquiao has been showing belies his age, justifying his chances against the much younger and taller Barrios. He said laziness would already kick in once an athlete begins to feel his age one month into training — which was never the case with Pacquiao.

“It’s not based on age. It’s based on willingness and capability to train,” Fernandez said.

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Barrios towers over Pacquiao at six feet tall. And since Pacquiao is coming off a four-year hiatus and a loss to Yordenis Ugas in his last pro fight, the more active Barrios has been installed as the odds-on favorite to win their duel.

Asked about Team Barrios’ level of confidence, with the Mexican-American’s trainer Bob Santos even declaring it’s “game over” for the “PacMan” during their media workout the other weekend, Fernandez fired back his own warning shot.

“Brace for the storm from the Pacific.”