He may be heavier and bigger, but Oscar de la Hoya doesn?t have the confidence.
At least, according to Manny Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach.
?I know Oscar pretty well. He is not really a confident guy. He has a lot to be nervous about. I think he is going to be nervous to this one,? Roach said in a report posted on SportsNews.ph.
The American coach, who once trained de la Hoya to fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., said the Mexican-American is overly reliant on his left hand.
De la Hoya is known to pack a mean left hook aside from his vaunted left jab.
However, Roach said de la Hoya has not much confidence on his right hand.
?I tried to improve the right hand,? he said in a separate report posted on www.examiner.com. ?It was ineffective in the Mayweather fight.?
Against a charging Pacquiao, Roach said this lack of confidence could be de la Hoya?s one big crucial flaw.
De la Hoya wants KO De la Hoya, however, is intent on knocking out the Filipino champ.
?I?ll be extremely disappointed if this does not end in a knockout,?? de la Hoya said earlier. ?It would be a total disaster.??
The former six-division champion wanted to prove his detractors wrong and confidently said that he will knock out Pacquiao in five rounds.
This was his reply when asked about Roach?s prediction of a ninth-round knock out for Pacquiao.
“My response to that is that we’ll catch him in five so we don’t get to nine,” he said.
This, however, will just be a bonus according to his trainer Nacho Beristain. He said he prepared de la Hoya to last the distance.
?I maintain my position that Oscar will win by decision. The knockout will come but we are prepared to reach 12 rounds,? said Beristain.
?No predictions, just surprises? Pacquiao, who has repeatedly refused to make any predictions about the ?Dream Match?, also commented on de la Hoya?s fifth-round prediction.
?There’s only one thing I’m going to say about that. I also have a big surprise for him on fight day,? Pacquiao said in his column Kumbinasyon posted on PhilBoxing.com.
He said he will let his fists do the talking when he meets de la Hoya inside the ring. ?I don’t try to make predictions if the fight isn’t over,? said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao said he expects the Dream Match against de la Hoya to be a monumental fight.
?Inaasahan kong magiging makasaysayan at makabuluhan ang labang ito dahil nagyayabang na si dela Hoya na nagsasabi na patutulugin daw niya ako sa loob ng limang round,? said the Filipino fighter.
