Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is being installed as heavy favorite for his next bout you can almost sense the Filipino icon will blow Mexican boxer Jorge Solis to smithereens.
But don’t tell that to Freddie Roach.
The well-liked American trainer, credited for transforming Pacquiao to what he is right now, has been steadfast in his caveat that there is no such thing as easy fight.
And why not?
Solis, at 27, will be Pacquiao’s youngest opponent since he pulverized Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003.
Solis will also be the tallest boxer to face Pacquiao at 5’10 and is the only undefeated fighter to challenge the would-be politician in a seven-fight stretch since his Barrera conquest.
“Anybody that decides to trade with Manny doesn’t do very well, so we’ll see what happens,” said Roach in a recent interview with Fightnews.com.
Roach plans to work in the corner of Pacquiao but will have to ask permission from his current combatant Oscar Dela Hoya as they are in the midst of a rigorous training regimen in Puerto Rico.
Pacquiao, who will run as House Representative of his home province this May, will meet Solis on April 14 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Previous bouts
In watching some of Solis’ previous bouts, the 28-year-old Pacquiao may find it tricky to land his trademark haymakers against the gawky Mexican.
In his most recent bout, the right-handed Solis awkwardly moved in and out of his on-rushing opponent Fernando Omar Lizarraga held last January at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
In that bout, Lizarraga caught Solis with some clean blows to the face and body.
Solis persevered and stuck to his game plan with his noticeably inelegant but effective left jabs and right straights.
As soon as Solis staggered Lizarraga with one solid blow in the 5th round, the Guadalajara-native fighter instantly metamorphosed from a listless boxer to a cunning finisher as he bombarded his foe with accurate non-stop solid blows, forcing the referee to stop the contest.
That win raised Solis unscathed record to 32-0-2 with 23 KO’s)
The same thing happened in Solis’ match versus Panamanian Orlando Antonio Soto in a WBA Fedecentro Featherweight title defense three years ago ni Florida.
Solis had a typical start but after catching Soto with a solid right uppercut, the Mexican national champ opened fire with brutish one-two combos at the same time avoided the Panamanian’s wild counter blows using his swift footwork.
Solis eventually scored a 3rd round TKO to retain his regional belt.
Pacman’s chink
A look at Pacquiao’s previous bout will show that the Filipino warrior had a hard time dealing with younger, agile boxers.
Two years ago, a then-28 year-old Morales used his agility and ring smarts to eke-out a close but deserving 12-round verdict over Pacquiao in the first of their classic trilogy.
A year before his loss to Morales, Pacquiao dropped master counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez three times in the opening round but surprisingly struggled the rest of the way as the sprightly Mexican came back and salvaged a 12-round split draw.
“This fight is very special, very important and we felt we need to get stronger and be in superb condition to win it,” said, Solis, currently training in the boondocks of Otomi with his brother world champion Ulisses Solis and his father Aurelio Solis.
Solis from Guadalajara, Mexico, has made the commitment to training in the high altitude for the first time in his career. Solis also hired respected conditioning coach Raul Robles, an indication that the Mexican plans to drag Pacquiao for 12 full rounds.
