LOS ANGELES ? After another hard day?s work at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, trainer Freddie Roach took time out to have dinner with a female French journalist from L?Equipe before giving a Manila journalists a lowdown not only on the progress of Manny Pacquiao, but his innermost thoughts about the Dec. 6 super-fight with Oscar De La Hoya.
“A lot of people think that if Manny gets past four rounds, he?ll be okay,” Roach said on Tuesday night after training with mixed-martial arts star Anderson Silva. “I don?t think so.”
Pleased with Pacquiao?s eight-round sparring session earlier in the day, Roach said allowing De La Hoya to gain momentum is close to being suicidal.
“I have talked with Manny while we?re doing the mitts and I told Manny to go out in there in the first round and let him (De La Hoya) know that this is a (expletive) fight right away.”
“I mean if you give Oscar De La Hoya momentum, he?ll grow. He?s a very skittish person. If you take it away from him right away, he?ll fold. He?s mentally not strong,” Roach said.
Roach had sensed something was amiss when the Golden Boy faced Floyd Mayweather in May last year.
“He can?t focus on a gameplan. All of sudden he stops missing the jab. Why in the world would he do that? Hmmm, I know why. And we?re going to take advantage of that.”
Pacquiao has been sensational since showing up for training at the Wild Card, a non-descript sweat shop on Vine Street near Santa Monica that has become a shrine to die-hard boxing fans.
“We?re there,” Roach answered when asked about Pacquiao?s physical and mental conditioning.
“The sparring partners have done so well and Manny has dominated them when he wanted to. Overall, I am happy where he is at right now.”
Over the weekend, Arron Robinson, a black super-welter who carries the nickname of “The Energizer” had to fill in for Marvin Cordova, who fell sick, and Pacquiao expectedly tore him apart.
“We got Robinson, who is the Energizer, but was not the energizer against Manny Pacquiao.”
Even though he admits that De La Hoya “has got a good left hook and can knock you out with one punch, that left hook,” Roach remains more than optimistic that the 29-year-old Filipino will get the job done in stunning fashion.
“I don?t know if I?m crazy or not but I?m so confident there?s no way we?re going to lose this fight. Nooo way. I don?t see it,” Roach said.
