Is Manny Pacquiao hard enough to challenge Oscar De La Hoya toe-to-toe?
American trainer Freddie Roach will know about it when he pits Pacquiao against the big boys as their training intensifies starting this week.
Fresh from a whirlwind tour of key US cities to promote Pacquiao?s much-awaited Dec. 6 bout with De La Hoya, Pacquiao will spar for the first time on Tuesday afternoon (Wednesday morning in Manila) at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
First to test Pacquiao is super-welterweight Rashad Holloway, whose style is similar to De La Hoya?s.
Like the Golden Boy, the 27-year-old Holloway, stands 5-10 ?, and holds a 9-1 win-loss card with five knockouts.
“We?ll go with him first then we?ll bring in (another super-welter) Arron Robinson,” said Roach, who expects the initial sparring session to be set for four rounds.
Gradually, Roach will add a few more until Pacquiao gets used to it and begs for more. The height of training camp will be in the third week of November when Pacquiao would already be sparring at least twelve rounds in one training day.
While Roach doesn?t have the habit of counting, Pacquiao should rack up between 120 to 140 rounds of sparring by the time he travels to Las Vegas on Dec. 1.
Pacquiao, whose last fight was at lightweight (135 lbs), is confident he can carry his power and speed up to welterweight (147 lbs).
Meanwhile, De La Hoya is getting expert help from one of Mexico?s beloved champions with the acquisition of Daniel Zaragoza.
Zaragoza, former World Boxing Council super-bantam champion, is on his way to De La Hoya?s high-altitude training center in Big Bear, California, to help plot the strategy against Pacquiao, according to the Spanish-language newspaper ESTO.
Zaragoza, who competed in a Mexico City marathon with a clocking of three hours and 29 minutes, will join De La Hoya in his morning roadwork then lend a hand in the punch mitt session in the afternoon.
Supervising De La Hoya?s training in the next weeks is Ignacio ?Nacho? Beristain, Mexico?s legendary corner man and Zaragoza?s former trainer as well.
