LAS VEGAS ? He didn?t exactly say who?s going to win the fight. But it seemed that Sugar Ray Leonard, the great, great champion, is leaning on Manny Pacquiao.
Leonard was at the ?Will to Win? press conference at the House of Blues of Mandalay Bay Wednesday, and gave his thoughts on the coming fight between Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera.
?I think it?s a very interesting match up. We have a guy who?s been around for sometime in Barrera going up against a much younger and fresher fighter in Pacquiao,? Leonard told Filipino sportswriters.
?Pacquiao just throws too many punches in a round,? said the former champion in five different weight divisions. ?So, it depends whether or not Barrera can make Pacquiao slow down.?
Leonard, in jeans, fatigue shirt and cap, black sneakers and with a back pack on, said slowing down the fight should be the only way for Barrera to beat the faster and younger Pacquiao.
?That is the key. That is the only way. He has to nullify Pacquiao?s hand speed,? he said.
Leonard said the age factor, Barrera turning 34 and Pacquiao turning 29, does not hold the key – but the power.
?Barrera may have gotten slower. But the power is still there,? he said.
Leonard continued by saying he doesn?t expect the super-featherweight fight going the distance of 12 rounds.
Well, no one else does. ? Abac Cordero
?I don?t see the fight going the distance. The middle rounds I think is where it could happen. But it can go either way because in boxing, at this level, one punch can change the whole complexion of a fight,? he said.
Then, once again, he threw praises at Pacquiao.
?Pacquiao is in tremendous shape. He?s one of the most conditioned athletes that I?ve seen,? he said.
Leonard, it?s quite safe to say, is rooting for Pacquiao.
