Freddie Roach has set the limit as to how much Manny Pacquiao could or should weigh when he climbs the ring against Oscar dela Hoya on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Roach said Pacquiao will go for 147 pounds during the official weigh-in to be held the day before the fight, and by the time he marches into the ring he should be weighing 150 pounds.
Roach believes that Pacquiao will be as fast and as strong at 150 pounds as he was when he fought and knocked out then WBC lightweight champion David Diaz last June 28.
Pacquiao weighed in just a shade under the 135-pound limit for the Diaz fight, and climbed the ring at 147 1/2 pounds after more than 24 hours of replenishing his body needs.
?Manny weighed 147-1/2 when he fought Diaz and his speed and power was still there,? said Roach during Tuesday?s teleconference.
The weight limit for Pacquiao?s ?Dream Match? with Dela Hoya is pegged at 147 pounds. It will be the heaviest fight for Pacquiao who started his pro career at 106 pounds almost 13 years ago.
?So I don?t think it?s really a problem. And our body fat?s at 6 percent right now and it?s going to be probably at 4-1/2 or 5 percent, which is normal for Manny going into a fight. I don?t see any problems,? he added.
?Well, we?ll weigh 147 at the weigh in and we?ll enter the ring around 150 pounds. His speed and power are there at 150 and I think anything heavier than that and he could be sluggish and lose some speed.
?So, 150 is our limit,? said the two-time Trainer of the Year.
Dela Hoya, who has fought his last three fights at 150 pounds, is going down to 147 but is expected to climb the ring at 160 pounds ? bigger but slower as Roach is hoping for.
When Pacquiao fought Juan Manuel Marquez last March, the Filipino champion weighed in just under the limit of 130 pounds but put in so much weight heading into the fight.
Pacquiao climbed the ring at around 145 pounds, and this is the reason, according to Roach, that he was a little slow, a little sluggish at some points during the fight.
Pacquiao brought Marquez down with a short, solid left cross to the head, but failed to finish the Mexican off the rest of the way, leading to a close deicison which many thought was controversial.
Pacquiao sparred nine rounds against three boxers Tuesday, and declared himself 85 percent ready for the fight. He did four rounds with Rashad Holloway, three with Marvin Cordova and two with Amis Khan.
?So far, so good. I feel I?m peaking at the right time. We are getting close to peak condition and I hope to reach the best shape of my life when Dela Hoya and I do battle next month,? he said.
Pacquiao reported that after a month of sparring on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, he has logged in a total of 78 rounds.
