It?s not an impossible dream for WBC superfeatherweight champion Manny Pacquiao to take on Oscar de la Hoya and trainer Freddie Roach said recently there?s a big chance the fight could happen sooner or later with a $20-million purse for the Filipino icon.
?I think it would be a great fight,? said Roach. ?Oscar wants it. And if Manny is guaranteed something like $20 million, he might just take it. But Oscar will have to go down to 147 pounds, which was what Manny weighed the night he fought (Juan Manuel) Marquez. Oscar will go up to about 160 at fight time so there will be a disparity in weight.?
Roach, however, said de la Hoya will be at a disadvantage outweighing Pacquiao by over 10 pounds.
?Oscar will be much slower because he?ll carry more weight,? said Roach. ?That?s how we?ll want it. Manny can use his speed to move in and out. It?ll be a very competitive and entertaining fight. It will certainly sell at the box office.?
Whether Pacquiao can bring up his power to the welterweight level is a question mark and Roach admitted he doesn?t have the answer. But if Pacquiao moves up in weight to fight de la Hoya or superlightweight Ricky Hatton, Roach said he will suggest seeking advice from United States Olympic Committee consultant for sports nutrition Mackie Shilstone of New Orleans.
Shilstone has worked with over 3,000 professional athletes, including fighters Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones, Jr., Riddick Bowe and Michael Spinks. His success in bringing up Hopkins, Jones and Spinks to win world titles at higher weight divisions has brought other athletes, like Serena Williams of tennis, to link up.
Jones is living proof that Shilstone?s method works. He won world titles in the middleweight, supermiddleweight, lightheavyweight and heavyweight divisions. Hopkins captured world crowns in the middleweight and lightheavyweight classes.
?Mackie will look at bone and muscle development,? said Roach. ?He just won?t make you gain weight. He?ll make you gain weight at the right places without losing your mobility and flexibility. He?ll advice you on your real fighting weight.?
Another future target for Pacquiao is Hatton who was stopped by Floyd Mayweather in a world welterweight title bout last December.
?Hatton is definitely beatable,? said Roach. ?Manny could fight him at 140. Hatton?s not much bigger than Manny. He?s got a crowding style. He?ll come forward to pressure which is what Manny likes. That?s a more realistic fight than de la Hoya but both could happen.?
Roach said the problem is Golden Boy, which de la Hoya owns, controls both fighters. And at the moment, the only fighter Golden Boy wants Pacquiao to face is Marquez.
Roach said he will advise Pacquiao to consult a sports nutritionist on how much weight to put on after a weigh-in and before a fight.
?Manny is accustomed to eating certain foods so I?m not sure if a nutritionist can impose a diet without considering what his body is used to,? said Roach. ?For instance, he has to eat white rice before working out. When I fought, the weigh-in was six hours before a fight and after making the weight, I used to eat steak. That?s not done anymore today. But I fought some of my best fights with all that steak still undigested in my stomach.?
Roach said Pacquiao appeared sluggish in his last fight against Marquez despite training eight weeks and getting ready to go 12 rounds if necessary.
?He put on a lot of weight after the weigh-in, maybe close to 20 pounds,? said Roach. ?Nutrition isn?t my specialty but I know all that weight will make you slow and sluggish and take away your quickness. It?s not right to think that the bigger you are, the stronger you are.?
Roach was told sports nutritionist Dr. Sanirose Orbeta offered to develop a diet for Pacquiao like she did for Gerry Pe?alosa. The diet will not dehydrate a fighter in making weight and preserve his strength for a bout.
?It wouldn?t hurt for Manny to listen to Dr. Orbeta,? said Roach. ?Nutrition is such a big factor in preparing a fighter and now that Manny is moving up to lightweight, he should consult an expert on how to bulk up without losing his power and speed.?
