FREDDIE ROACH NOT AS SMART AS ACRI?
San Francisco, CA- With the great size disparity between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao, the ?timing? of the weigh in is indeed important. Why? I will let an Athletic Commission head, Greg Sirb of Pennsylvania explain it to you. ?If I were Pacquiao, and a weigh in was scheduled for the day of the fight, or a day before, I would put in the contract a mandatory second weigh-in just prior to the fight with only a weight gain of only 5 to 6 lbs allowed. This fight bothers me because of the day before weigh-in. At fight time it could be Pacquiao around or under 147, while De La Hoya is way over 160 lbs.?
FIGHTER SAFETY MY PRIMARY CONCERN
First of all, I realize this fight is about making money. Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, like the Pacman, will more than likely make more money than he ever has in his life. But to put a fighter, any fighter, but in this case Manny Pacquiao, in a fight where he is at such a size disadvantage, could come back to haunt those stuffing their coffers with greenbacks. And while I agree that De La Hoya is past his peak, his left hook can still rock someone?s world! Ask Fernando Vargas, or better yet Ricardo Mayorga. With this being his last opportunity to shine, I?m expecting Oscar to try and take the Pacman?s head off in an attempt to go out in a blaze of glory! And with a 15 to 20 lb. weight advantage over an already outsized and outgunned Pacquiao, the chance of serious injury is there!
FREDDIE NOT AS SMART AS ACRI II?
When Hector Camacho took on the aging ?Sugar Ray? Leonard in March 1997 in Atlantic City, NJ, Camacho?s promoter, the astute one Mike Acri, he put a clause in the contract calling for a ?same day weigh in.? Seeing Leonard had not fought in six turns of the Roman calendar, Acri knew that his making 160 lbs. would be to put it mildly, not an easy task. When they scaled that AM at 8, Leonard was drawn, while Camacho was spry and ready to rock!
ACRI ?PROTECTING? HIS ?MACHO MAN?
Although Ray suffered a leg injury that hampered him, the bottom line is that he was so shot from making the weight that he had nothing in the tank to fight with! This played a major part in the outcome of the fight. If Freddie Roach didn?t secure a ?same day? weigh in and a limit as to how much weight De La Hoya could put on, he was outsmarted. Since this appears to be the case, this is just another reason why trainers make such lousy managers!
