Manny Pacquiao is so eager to get on with his fight with Oscar de la Hoya that he would have preferred to have it sooner than the Dec. 6 fight date.
“Ang tagal pa ng laban,” Pacquiao said yesterday during a phone interview in General Santos City where he said he was having fun playing with daughter Princess.
Pacquiao sounded impatient noting that the fight is still 86 days away.
“Gusto ko laban na,” said the four-division champ, who is in the process of completing all of his commitments in the next two days. He is booked to leave for the US on Sunday night via Philippine Airlines.
Bren Evangelio, Pacquiao?s secretary, said the fighter will make an overnight visit to Manila today then fly to Cebu on Saturday afternoon to fulfill an earlier promise with the people of Pinamungahan town, where the Pacquiaos trace their roots.
Pacquiao will be joined in Cebu by his confidant, boxing kingmaker Wakee Salud, who spent some quality time with the boxer a few days back in General Santos City.
Salud said Pacquiao was “very confident of beating De La Hoya.”
“Manny is excited and looking forward to the fight. From what I heard during our conversation, he was expecting a sensational performance,” Salud said.
“Manny is so determined not only to win, but to win in dramatic fashion,” said Salud, adding: “I haven?t seen him this confident.”
Pacquiao might opt to move his training at the Wild Card Boxing Club to a new date and plunge into training proper after he and De La Hoya finish the six-city, five day press tour that kicks off on Oct. 1 in New York.
But Wild Card guru Freddie Roach doesn?t want to waste precious time and plans to make Pacquiao work even while they are on tour.
“I already have hired two sparring partners and they?ll raring to go as soon as I believe Manny is ready,” said Roach, who has signed up super-welterweights Arron Robinson and Rashad Holloway, who are both 5-10 and right-handed, like De La Hoya.
De La Hoya has reportedly began training in Puerto Rico but obviously the Golden Boy is still in a relaxed mood since he even graced a fight in Houston over the weekend and should be in Las Vegas this weekend for another promotion featuring Juan Manuel Marquez against Joel Casamayor.
