Angelo Dundee says Oscar De La Hoya’s skills and not his size will beat Manny Pacquiao.
The ‘Golden Boy’ takes on the pound-for-pound king in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in what they’re calling ‘The Dream Match’.
And Dundee, legendary trainer of the likes of Muhammad Ali and ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, has been added to his camp ahead of the big December 6 showdown.
The 87-year-old cornerman has been impressed by De La Hoya’s conditioning and talent at his retreat in Big Bear, California.
And he believes those skills – and not Oscar’s much-documented size advantage – will see him come out the winner.
He told HBO’s De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7: “Oscar called me and asked me to be an adviser. I see things, I’ll discuss them. Certain moves he can make, certain things he cannot do. I think he has talent he doesn’t know he has. I’ve seen a heck of a fighter having a good time preparing for a big fight. And he’s ready for it.
“Oscar De La Hoya has fought tough guys his whole life. The weight will have nothing to do with it, the height will have nothing to do with it. What will determine the fight is that Oscar’s a better fighter.”
One of Dundee’s few concerns is that De La Hoya overtrains as he gets down to 147lbs for the first time in eight long years.
He explained: “I know the condition he’s in right now, my concern is that he leaves the condition here and doesn’t take it to the fight.”
While Dundee is acting as an adviser to the De La Hoya camp, the main voice at Big Bear is Oscar’s new trainer Nacho Beristain.
And the ‘Golden Boy’ himself says employing Beristain will make him even better come December 6.
“With Nacho Beristain we’re going to create this style that is unbeatable. Nacho Beristain came into my life at a perfect time, at a perfect moment.”
