American trainer Freddie Roach is not crazy. He?s not egoistic either. And based on what he has been doing, it?s safe to assume he knows his job well.
Roach is so confident of a Manny Pacquiao win over Oscar De La Hoya that he boasted yesterday that there won?t be a need for three judges at ringside when boxing?s leading personalities clash on Dec. 6.
“We are going to knock him out anyway,” Roach told the Bulletin after another hard day?s work at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. “There?s no way we?ll lose this fight.”
Since the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has the sole authority over the Pacquiao-De La Hoya 12-round welterweight war, it is expected that NSAC Commissioner Keith Kizer would appoint judges and even the referee who are from the state of Nevada.
A day earlier, the camp of De La Hoya also claimed that Pacquiao will suffer a brutal knockout when the two fighters meet.
Since expressing his full confidence on a spectacular Pacquiao victory at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Roach has been called names by critics but he has kept his temper in check most of the time, upbeat that in a few weeks time, he would add his detractors to his legion of fans.
“They think I?m crazy but that?s how I see it,” said Roach, laughing.
Turning more serious this time, Roach cited two celebrated fighters who wound up getting beat up badly when they went down in weight.
“Let?s look at the history of boxing,” Roach preached, naming Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones Jr. as prime examples.
“Leonard got down to 154 lbs (super-welter) and fought Terry Norris and Norris won after winning the middleweight (160 lbs), super-middle (165 lbs) and light-heavy (175 lbs),”said Roach, the image of Leonard down twice in the fight still fresh in his mind.
Roach also took note of Jones, who had held the heavyweight title for a short time but decided to move back to light-heavyweight class where he suffered two savage knockout losses to Antonio Tarver and Glenn Johnson.
This latest tirade might end up getting into De La Hoya?s nerves anew after Roach?s can?t-pull-the-trigger remark and toy gun incident in San Francisco during the press tour early this week although the amiable cornerman is still on the lookout for a new gimmick.
“I am still thinking of something new,” added Roach, who will send in Rashad Holloway and Arron Robinson on Thursday (today in Manila) for Pacquiao?s second sparring session.
Up in the mountains of Big Bear, De La Hoya continues to train in isolation with images of Pacquiao and Roach clearly on his mind, patiently counting the days before he gets a chance at proving that he can still pull the trigger.
