MANILA, Philippines?Oscar De La Hoya feels he has found the answer to the speed and power Manny Pacquiao brings to a fight: Timing and angle.
And just like that, the Dec. 6 ?Dream Match? between the two stars has stopped being about size.
?Nacho (Beristain) was telling me about the angles the punch comes from. Not the power but the angles,? De La Hoya, a 10-time world champion over different weight divisions, told doghouseboxing.com Friday.
The Mexican-American superstar added that his left hook is still in top shape, and he?s looking forward to using it against Pacquiao, a southpaw.
?Actually, it?s easier (throwing a left against a left-hander),? De La Hoya claims. ?Because first, they don?t expect it and second, they are closer to you, to the left hand. Obviously, the right hands are going to be key for a southpaw.?
Originally a southpaw but long converted into the orthodox style, De La Hoya has fought two smaller southpaws before, Pernell Whitaker and Hector Camacho (he defeated both), whom the Golden Boy likened to Pacquiao.
Still, De La Hoya conceded that Pacquiao?s speed and additional muscle are a major factor.
?Well, that?s the challenge,? De La Hoya said. ?He might slow down because he is gaining like 12 to 14 pounds. Or he might not. A slower Pacquiao is still a fast Manny Pacquiao.?
But Roach has a different view. He told maxboxing.com that Pacquiao has a big edge in terms of not having to starve himself all the way until weigh-in.
?Originally, I wanted him to come in as a junior welterweight (140 lb), but judging from the power he?s hitting with right now and his speed at this weight (152 lb), I changed my mind,? Roach said. ?I talked to his nutritionist about it and he agreed with me that it would be better if we bring him down to 147 and maintain that weight the whole time, so he can eat well right up to the fight.?
In contrast, Roach said De La Hoya?s weight reduction, which he has to maintain until their Dec. 6 fight, would make a heavy toll on his 35-year-old body.
?For Oscar to get down close to welterweight early in his camp and then try to maintain it all the way to the fight is a mistake because at his age and with his size, he?s going to struggle every day for two months,? said Roach.
Meanwhile, Roach announced a new spar mate for Pacquiao, even though sparring won?t begin until after Oct. 14.
He said he will bring in Roberto Garcia, a 28-year-old welterweight from Texas whose claim to fame was sending Nicaraguan Ricardo Mayorga reeling by the ropes.
The other sparring partners are middleweights Yuri Foreman and Arron Robinson and welter Rashad Holloway.
