Having trained Oscar De La Hoya, trainer Freddie Roach knows the strengths ? and even the weaknesses ? of the Golden Boy.
“Believe me, I won?t take this fight if I don?t believe that my guy will win it,” said Roach yesterday from his apartment unit adjacent to the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Roach was referring to the plans of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) and Top Rank to pit De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao together for a megabuck clash on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
Roach spent some time with De La Hoya in Puerto Rico last year when he helped the 35-year-old superstar in training for what turned out to be the most lucrative fight in boxing history in terms of pay-per-view and ticket sales against Floyd Mayweather.
“Oscar?s best punch is the left hook and he fights well using the left and he doesn?t have a great right hand,” said Roach.
“If this fight pushes through, Manny and I will work on speed,” said Roach, who did not intend to hurt the feelings of De La Hoya?s camp with his statement last week that Pacquiao would knock him out in the event they meet.
“That?s just my opinion, nothing more,” said Roach.
Roach said that his main concern will be the recruitment of big sparring partners and that it might not be that crucial to transfer training camp like the one in Big Bear (elevation 7,500-feet above sea level) that a friend of his is offering.
“But I will talk first with Manny and see what he wants,” said Roach.
As to the paycheck, Roach is of the opinion that Pacquiao can earn between $ 15 million to $ 18 million in a De La Hoya fight because of strong pay-per-view sales.
Negotiations have started between GBP Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer and Top Rank head Bob Arum and talks will resume as soon as Schaefer arrives from his European vacation next week, said Arum.
Also being awaited is the outcome of this Saturday?s bout between Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and Mexican Antonio Margarito at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas since De La Hoya has also expressed his desire to bang with Cotto.
Pacquiao leaves for the US on Thursday night to discuss the De La Hoya fight with Arum. He will be back on July 30 in time for a boxing event that close friend Wakee Salud will host in the town of Pinamungahan in Cebu, where Pacquiao?s father came from.
“Manny still has relatives living there,” said Salud.
