LOS ANGELES ? Here?s another proof why Oscar De La Hoya can no longer pull the trigger, according to Freddie Roach.
During his eight-week trainer stint with the Golden Boy last year in Puerto Rico, Roach made a startling discovery that led to him uttering the oft-quoted remark about De La Hoya?s stagnation.
“With Oscar, we only had two good days with the mitts (which HBO taped) the whole time and with Manny Pacquiao, we have good mitts sessions everyday,” said Roach on Tuesday night, less than two weeks before the two heavenly bodies collide at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 6.
“He doesn?t have the explosion of Manny Pacquiao. He doesn?t have that pop,” said Roach, who went further by saying that Pacquiao is on top of the world, while De La Hoya?s best days are long over.
“Timing is everything in life. You start with De La Hoya beating (Julio Cesar)
Chavez. Can De Le Hoya beat Chavez during his prime? No freaking way. And can he beat him when he?s an older man? He killed him,” Roach said, referring to De La Hoya?s two vicious stoppage wins over Chavez in 1996 and 1997.
“Pacquiao will do a lot of damage on him. If Steve Forbes can hit him that easily, Manny Pacquiao can do a lot more damage,” said Roach, obviously one of the many disappointed fight figures who saw how De La Hoya struggle against Forbes in his last bout last May.
In an interview with USA Today, Pacquiao said he wants to come up with a performance that will go down in history as one of the best.
“The point of this fight is to do something that people will never forget,” said Pacquiao.
