FightFan.com was LIVE on location at the Wilfredo Gomez gym in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico for Oscar De La Hoya’s training camp where we caught up with legendary trainer Freddie Roach. Freddie fills the FightFans in on how Oscar’s training is going, the sparring he’s doing with Shane Mosley and much more! Only on FightFan.com!
FF: Freddie thanks for taking the time to talk with FightFan.com. Now that you’ve been at it a few weeks, how are things going?
FR: Things are going very well. We’re training very hard and Oscar’s already in great shape for the fight. We’re ahead of schedule in some ways and Oscar’s down in the high 150’s in weight now. The conditioning work has been great and Puerto Rico has been very good to us.
FF: How much of your time is spent on getting him in tip-top shape vs. working on tactics and strategy?
FR: The conditioning has always been there with Oscar. He knows what he needs to do in that regard so I’m spending more time on the strategy of the fight and getting ready for Oscar to know how to fight this guy. Oscar’s been here for some time, running every day for months and his conditioning is really good so I’m not worried about that. I’m spending more time focusing on the boxing right now, working strategy and getting Oscar ready to know how to fight this fight.
FF: Is the fight itself going to be more about what Floyd does and how Oscar responds or more about what Oscar tries to dictate?
FR: We’re going to have to dictate the pace of the fight. We’re going to take the fight to him because if we don’t, there will be no fight. Because once he feels Oscar’s power, he’s going to be moving away from it a lot.
FF: One of the biggest questions for Oscar in this fight is how is he going to nullify Floyd’s speed?
FR: Just watch the fight. You’ll see.
FF: Not giving much away, I like that! Freddie what do you think of Oscar’s speed now that you’ve worked with him for a while?
FR: He has great speed. We know Floyd is fast, but Oscar has some speed also. I think Floyd will have some trouble with Oscar’s speed too.
FF: Oscar is clearly going in as the bigger man in this fight. Is he going to effectively make use of his size and strength advantage?
FR: Yes he is. That’s definitely something we’re working on and it’s no secret. We’re going to get physical in there and use the strength and size to our advantage.
FF; Everyone knows Floyd needs to watch out for the left hook but how is the right hand?
FR: It’s getting better all the time. We’re working on that, yes we are.
FF: What has Oscar’s sparring been like so far?
FR: Good. Shane Mosley is here and the sparring has been great. He’s getting some very good work. I’ve got two guys from Philly who are very fast for Oscar to work on dealing with the speed. We’ve got a lot of fast and skillful fighters and the sparring has been going great.
FF: Is Shane really a valuable tool in the camp with some of the similarities he shares with Floyd?
FR: Yeah because he can imitate Floyd to a degree and has great speed which is comparable I think. It’s very, very nice to have him here because he’s a knowledgeable guy. We always talk after the sparring and break things down and he told me today that Oscar is really getting better. We’re all really working on it down here and it’s coming together.
FF: Now that you’ve been at it a while do you get the feeling that Oscar can really pull this off?
FR: I do. I think we’re going to win this fight by knockout. I really do.
FF: Freddie as always thanks for taking the time to do this. Best of luck.
FR: Thanks Ace.
