LAS VEGAS ? Manny Pacquiao?s wife Jinkee said yesterday she?ll watch the fight against Oscar de la Hoya in the lMGM/Grand Garden lockerroom where a TV is hooked up to the live action.
?No predictions,? said Jinkee who is eight months pregnant and expects to give birth to her fourth child, a girl, late this month. ?There?s no pay-per-view connection in our hotel room so I?ll go with Manny to MGM and I?ll stay in his dressing room. I won?t watch at ringside.?
Although she declined to make a forecast, Jinkee said she has ?a good feeling? about the outcome.
Jinkee said Pacquiao will fly back to the Philippines to spend his 30th birthday on Dec. 17 with his fans and townsfolk then return to the US to be with her when she delivers.
Asked if Pacquiao is comfortable at his new weight, Jinkee assured his body has adjusted according to schedule.
It took Pacquiao only three years to move up from superfeatherweight (130) to welterweight (147) compared to De la Hoya who made the jump in 10 years. Only last June, Pacquiao scaled 134 1/2 in his fight against David Diaz. De la Hoya hasn?t weighed 147 since beating Arturo Gatti seven years ago.
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Bernard (The Executioner) Hopkins, the only fighter to knock out De la Hoya, said Pacquiao has no chance to win.
?The bigger and better fighter will prevail,? said Hopkins. ?Pacquiao is 80 to 90 percent offense. He has no defense. He lunges at his opponents and once he leaves his feet, he?ll be an easy target for Oscar. I can?t see Manny hurting Oscar. Of course, I?m biased because Oscar is my business partner.?
Hopkins said Pacquiao facing De la Hoya reminds him of his fight against the Golden Boy whom he stopped with a shot to the side of the body.
?Oscar went up in weight to fight me and I admire him for that,? said Hopkins. ?But he was just too small. He couldn?t hurt me. And I knocked him out. It?ll be the same thing with Pacquiao. I also admire him for moving up to fight Oscar. What he wants to do is to join the Oscars and the Hopkins in the Hall of Fame by doing this. I respect Manny even if I think he?ll get knocked out in the seventh, eighth or ninth round.?
Oscar Larios, who fought Pacquiao at the Big Dome in 2006, agreed with Hopkins.
?Manny is very quick but he?s just too small,? said Larios. ?I?ve fought bigger guys before and I got tired trying to hit them. Believe me, a small guy will get tired easily trying to hit a big guy. I also don?t think Manny has the power to hurt Oscar. I predict Oscar to win by knockout in the eighth round.?
WBC superbantamweight champion Israel Vazquez said the fight is toss-up.
?Manny is very fast but Oscar is very strong,? said Vazquez. ?I think the big guy has a better chance of beating a small guy than a small guy beating a big guy. But this will be a war. This could go either way.?
Vazquez said his next fight will be another match against former titlist Rafael Marquez whom he has defeated in two of three bouts.
Postscript: Among the passengers on PAL flight No. 106 from Manila to Las Vegas via Vancouver last Thursday were PAL president Jimmy Bautista, Secretary of Education Jesli Lapus, former Rep. Sandy Ocampo, Rep. Eric Singson, Rep. Cesar Jalosjos, former Gov. Ito and Nini Ynares, North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Pi?ol, Maguindanao Vice Gov. Sajid Ampatuan, Mayor Anwar Ampatuan, PCSO?s Manny Garcia, Hermie Esguerra, Karylle and her father Dr. Modesto Tatlonghari and Terry Capistrano…In Pacquiao?s suite last Friday night were former pro cager Bong Alvarez and wife Almyra Muhlach, Eddie Gutierrez and wife Annabelle with their sons, Ateneo hoop star Chris Tiu and RPN-9 chairman Tonypet Albano.
