This Mayweather is certainly no Pacquiao admirer.
In fact, Roger Mayweather, a former champion and member of the flamboyant boxing clan, is belittling Manny Pacquiao?s skills, saying the Filipino champion doesn?t stand a chance against Oscar dela Hoya.
He said the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya ?Dream Match? on Dec. 6 at the shining MGM Grand in Las Vegas is nothing but a mismatch.
?Do I think it?s a mismatch? No. I don?t think it?s a mismatch. I know it?s a mismatch,? the 47-year-old champion of the ?80s, also known as the ?Black Mamba,? told fightfan.com in a video interview.
The brother of top-notch trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. and uncle of former pound for pound king Floyd Jr. said Dela Hoya, older at 35 but taller at 5?10, is too much for the Filipino southpaw.
?Dela Hoya has fought everybody. And Pacquiao? What?s he gonna do with Dela Hoya?? said Mayweather.
?He doesn?t have the skills like Dela Hoya. And he?s a guy coming from 115 pounds? What?s he gonna do with Dela Hoya?? he said.
Pacquiao, younger and faster at 29, will give away four inches in height and six inches in reach when he climbs the ring against Dela Hoya.
?Size don?t mean a difference when you have tremendous skills. But when you have average skills and average speed? He (Pacquiao) can fight guys his size but Dela Hoya is too big for him,? he added.
Meanwhile, Ricky Hatton continued to make noise the day after he retained his IBO light-welterweight crown with a stoppage of Paul Malignaggi at the MGM.
The British cyclone is seeking a fight with either Pacquiao or Dela Hoya next year.
?Let?s hope it?s the winner of Pacquiao-De La Hoya. Who am I to say who will win that? In fact, the winner or the loser will be a good fight to be honest. I?ll be in Vegas for that and watching it with interest,? he said.
The 30-year-old brawler wants to stage his next fight at home.
Notes: Businessman Cris Aquino, the bubbly flag-bearer in every Pacquiao fight, is making sure that he doesn?t have another run-in with US Customs as he prepares his give-aways for the coming fight. This time, he?s having ?Yes He Can!? ala-Obama sweatshirts, 12 dozens of them, made in the US so there?ll be no need to bring them in, learning from experience when he was charged $800 in taxes for bringing boxes of Pacquiao t-shirts and bandanas. He also ordered 5,000 pieces of cardboard fans bearing Pacquiao?s picture. ?We?ll have it made there this time,? said Aquino, who can?t wait for the fight to happen?A high-roller from the South, a very reliable source said, has placed a $200,000 bet on Pacquiao beating Dela Hoya, and with the odds at plus 180 (at the time he placed the bet), his money grows to $360,000 if Pacquiao wins. As of yesterday, the odds for Pacquiao are down to plus 155, and Dela Hoya at minus 180 (you need $180 to win a hundred bucks).
