SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — For Justin Fortune, it won’t go beyond Round Six.
Saying Manny Pacquiao will bowl over Mexican challenger Jorge Solis, Fortune made the prediction Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) after arriving from his training session with the Filipino superstar at the Jesse James Lejias Gym.
“Solis is a (natural) featherweight and he’ll be facing a guy who’s faster, bigger and stronger,” explains Fortune, an Australian who has taken over Pacquiao’s training in the absence of two-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach.
Fortune, a former heavyweight boxer, said he’s mighty glad that Solis has prepared long and hard for his fight against Pacquiao in the mainer of the “Blaze of Glory” PPV (Pay-Per-View) card on April 14 at the Alamodome here.
“He (Solis) has to train hard,” said Fortune. “If he doesn’t, Pacquiao will kill him.”
According to Fortune, Solis is also not big enough to keep Pacquiao away.
Roach’s assistant based his prediction from Pacquiao’s three-round demolition of Mexican Erik Morales in the final bout of their trilogy last Nov. 18 in Las Vegas, where Pacquiao’s sheer power ripped through the emaciated Morales’ defense.
The only way, Pacquiao could lose, asserted Fortune is for the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter to “trip over entering the ring, stepping over a banana peeling.”
This early, Fortune said they are “just maintaining and balancing what they do every day” because Pacquiao is certain to make the 130-pound limit.
“He’s 132 right now and if he misses a meal he makes the weight,” said Fortune, noting Pacquiao’s fast metabolism.
Just to make sure, however, Fortune said they’ll weigh Pacquiao again when the official weighing scale arrives Wednesday.
For the first time, Pacquiao wore a sweat suit during his training Tuesday though he followed the same routine.
After limbering up, he hit the mitts and the big bags, tested the speedball, skipped rope, shadow-boxed and did abdominal exercises at the Jesse James Lejias Gym here.
Pacquiao will have his final workout Wednesday after a press conference where the other fighters in the Blaze of Glory card will be also be presented.
The undercard will have two world title fights — Mexicans Christian Mijares and Jorge Arce disputing the World Boxing Council super flyweight championship and Fil-Am Brian Viloria and Mexican Edgar Sosa vying for the vacant WBC light flyweight championship.
Mexican welterweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and American Anthony Shuler will clash in the other bout.
Arce, Solis and Pacquiao bumped into each other at the gym during training and gamely posed for television cameramen and photographers.
Viloria arrived Wednesday night.
According to Filipino trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri, Pacquiao has also cut down on his food intake, a week after splurging on Thai and native food.
Like Fortune, Pacquiao wants to end his battle with Solis in the shortest time possible.
