Manny Pacquiao will move up in weight to battle Oscar de la Hoya just as Kelly Pavlik did to fight Bernard Hopkins but the similarity ends there, said boxing promoter Rex (Wakee) Salud yesterday.
Pavlik is a natural middleweight (160 pounds) but scaled 169 to battle Hopkins who checked in at the catchweight limit of 170 and entered the ring at 180. Hopkins, now a natural lightheavyweight (175), carved out a one-sided decision over Pavlik in Atlantic City last Saturday.
Although Pavlik is 17 years younger, he lacked the speed and power to thwart Hopkins. It was evident he couldn?t cope with the added weight which made him slow and sluggish. Hopkins showed he could take Pavlik?s power, potent in the middleweight division but soft in the heavier class.
There are glaring similarities between Hopkins-Pavlik and Pacquiao-De la Hoya. Pacquiao is younger than De la Hoya like Pavlik is to Hopkins and Pacquiao will be outweighed like Pavlik was. Pacquiao is less experienced than De la Hoya as Pavlik is to Hopkins.
But Salud said Pacquiao won?t fall into the same trap as Pavlik when he faces De la Hoya in Las Vegas on Dec. 6.
?Manny is different from Pavlik,? said Salud. ?Pavlik fought Hopkins? fight and just came forward. Whenever Pavlik got close, Hopkins clinched or counterpunched. It was easy to hit Pavlik. Manny is too smart to fight De la Hoya?s fight.?
Salud also said Hopkins outslicked Pavlik and De la Hoya won?t be able to do the same to Pacquiao.
?It?s not De la Hoya?s style to use ?gulang? like Hopkins,? said Salud. ?Besides, Manny is too fast. Manny won?t just move in like Pavlik. He?ll go in and out. Pavlik should?ve gone to the body, which I expect Manny to do against De la Hoya. Hopkins fights like (Juan Manuel) Marquez. They?re both counterpunchers. De la Hoya will be an easier opponent for Manny than Marquez.?
Hopkins and Pavlik were even or near even in height and reach. They were only far apart in age, experience and weight. Pacquiao is four inches shorter and six years younger than De la Hoya. His wingspan is also six inches less. In terms of fights, Pacquiao has logged a total of 52 in 13 years compared to De la Hoya?s 44 in 16.
Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach, who has worked with Hopkins, said Pavlik?s style is tailor-made for the ageless Executioner.
In a pre-fight analysis, Ring Magazine writer Don Stradley said, ?Pavlik will walk in with no intention of pulling out. That could mean Pavlik will be easier to counterpunch. Roach sees Pavlik as something like Antonio Tarver, another tall fighter who comes forward throwing lots of one-twos. ?If Bernard fights the way he did against Tarver, he?ll beat Pavlik,? said Roach.?
An astute boxing scholar, Roach hit the nail on the head in predicting the Hopkins-Pavlik outcome.
It was Roach who pushed for Pacquiao to fight De la Hoya. Clearly, he saw something in De la Hoya that convinced him of Pacquiao?s winnability.
Salud said Pacquiao will be able to bring up his power unlike Pavlik.
?When Manny was a flyweight, I remember he knocked out the Oriental welterweight champion from Japan in a sparring session,? said Salud. ?Can you imagine the weight difference? The Japanese was out cold. I?m confident De la Hoya will feel Manny?s power. They?ll be using eight-ounce gloves so that?s an advantage for Manny.?
Salud said De la Hoya wasn?t impressive in his last outing against Steve Forbes and has difficulty handling southpaws.=
?I don?t think it will be easy for De la Hoya to make the weight (147) even if he was 150 for his last fight,? said Salud. ?But Manny should be careful. No matter how good you are, if you are hit hard by a bigger opponent, you could get knocked out. I think De la Hoya can only win by knockout. But I doubt if he can catch Manny.?
Salud said, in his analysis, the odds should be 60-40 in Pacquiao?s favor.
?My prediction is Manny will win by knockout or decision,? he continued. ?There?s a chance De la Hoya will win if he can land his left hook. But Manny?s really fast and he won?t stand around to get hit. His stamina is tremendous. He?ll wear out De la Hoya who will feel his age as the fight goes on.?
Salud said it?s not likely there will be a Filipino in the undercard unless Bernabe Concepcion, who stays in Pacquiao?s Los Angeles apartment, is inserted.
Salud said Pacquiao?s wife Jinkee will leave for the US on Oct. 27 and expects to deliver her fourth child in December. He will depart Nov. 28 to rendezvous with Pacquiao.
