Recently Pacquiao’s friend and assistant Buboy Fernandez issued a public apology for getting a little rough with a photographer last Saturday night. Buboy contacted Philboxing writer Ed de la Vega in order to reach out to Al Bello, the photographer who works for Getty Images that was allegedly roughed up.
Right after Pacquiao was knocked out, Bello was in the ring snapping photos of him. Manny was motionless in the ring, face down. The entire ringside area went crazy. People were climbing into the ring, the doctors were trying to get to Manny, and all the while, Al Bello was doing his job taking photos.
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Buboy from what I saw was trying to get into the ring so that he could get next to his friend (Manny Pacquiao) so that he could see if he was alright. He admitted that he lost his cool under the heat of the moment. Should we believe this explanation? I say, a resounding YES!
Let me explain something to anyone out there that tries to make Buboy Fernandez a villain over this. This guy is not a villain, he’s one of the nicest guys in boxing. I want to share a true story with you about Buboy that some of you may not have heard before. I have written about this before, but under the circumstances, I think it’s important that I rehash this story once again.
Some years back, my friend Bo Moore took a trip to The Philippines. Bo is no longer with us today. He died of brain cancer. Bo was my friend and I miss him dearly. When Bo got to the Philippines, he became very sick. He was staying with a person that didn’t have his best interest. You see, Bo also suffered from Cerebral Palsy. He required walkers to walk.
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When Bo got sick, he didn’t really have anyone in the Philippines to help him. He then got sicker, and he became pretty desperate. Bo met Buboy Fernandez a year or so before all of this happened to him. He met him when he visited Wild Card Gym. Buboy and Bo became friends, and corresponded via text message ever since. Bo decided to text Buboy and ask him for help. He was very sick, and again, the people he was with did not have his better interest at heart.
Once Buboy found out that Bo was sick, he sent for him. Buboy got Bo and took him away from the people that were not taking care of him. Buboy told me about a year after this happened that when he got to where Bo was staying, he was shocked by how sick he looked. Buboy being the class act that he is paid for the medicine that Bo needed, and took him in and nursed him back to health. Buboy then paid for Bo’s flight back to America.
Does this sound like the type of guy that would assault another person? I believe that Buboy probably did lose his cool a bit under the circumstances. He just witnessed his best friend get brutally knocked out. In my opinion he just went into protection mode. He was trying to protect Manny Pacquiao.
Buboy deserves a pass on this one folks. This guy is a class act. A villain? A bad guy? No way. Not a chance.
