Bobby Pacquiao has more than a 50-50 chance of beating Humberto Soto in their scheduled 10-round bout at Madison Square Garden Saturday night in New York (tomorrow morning, Manila).
That’s the opinion of Pacquiao’s co-manager Michael Koncz who said the other day the odds are now 60-40 for Soto, an early betting favorite, to lose in an upset.
“In the beginning, I thought it was 50-50 for Bobby but now, it’s 60-40,” said Koncz. “Bobby’s got a very good chance of winning. He’s had an excellent training camp. He toughened up with (sparring partner) David Rodela who has also worked with Manny in the gym. When Bobby got comfortable beating up Rodela, we brought in Speedy Gonzalez. In all, Bobby has gone at least 123 rounds preparing for Soto.”
Koncz said in terms of size, Pacquiao and Soto aren’t too far apart.
“Soto is supposed to be taller but when they stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the press conference a few days ago, I saw Bobby with the longer reach,” said Koncz. “I don’t think size will be a factor.”
Koncz said the jab will be the key to victory.
“Bobby has to work behind the jab,” said Koncz. “He’s got to stay aggressive and be the first to score. He can’t wait and counterpunch. He has to attack, go to the body and put the pressure on Soto.”
Koncz said trainer Freddie Roach has spent a lot of quality time with Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.
“When Freddie came back from working with Oscar (de la Hoya), we sat down to talk about a program for Bobby,” said Koncz. “He was hands-on from the start, giving instructions even in doing the heavy bag. No complaints. Freddie has done a really good job with Bobby who’s in the shape he was when he beat (Carlos) Hernandez and (Kevin) Kelley.”
Koncz said Roach’s strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune is no longer connected with Wild Card. Roach and Fortune had a falling out on money issues.
“Justin left before Freddie got back,” said Koncz. “On the conditioning program, we just carried over what Manny does and applied it to Bobby. We know what to do. For instance, I did the cardiovascular portion with Bobby. When Buboy (Fernandez) arrived last week, he joined us in the gym.”
Koncz said he’s excited and nervous about the coming fight.
“The real reason why we accepted the fight against Soto is not because we want Bobby to be the mandatory challenger for (Juan Manuel) Marquez,” said Koncz. “We’re not interested in Marquez. We’re looking at something bigger. We’ve got a gentleman’s agreement with Fernando Beltran, who promotes Erik Morales, that when – not if – Bobby beats Soto, his next fight will be against Morales. That’s assuming Morales beats David Diaz for the WBC lightweight title on Aug. 3.”
Pacquiao said he was encouraged by his older brother Manny in Los Angeles recently. Manny flew into Los Angeles last week en route to Orlando for a holiday with wife Jinkee and their two sons. The brothers were scheduled to meet up in New York City.
“Manny wished me good luck and told me I can beat Soto,” said Bobby in Filipino. “I know what I have to do to win. I think Manny talked to Freddie and Mike on our strategy. I trained hard. Palaban ako. I’m in top condition. I never trained longer for a fight. I’ll do everything to win. My concentration is 100 percent.”
