Manny Pacquiao doesn?t mind getting hit with a pair of 8 oz gloves even if these blows will come from the rock-hard fists of Oscar De La Hoya.
“That?s great,” said Pacquiao yesterday during a teleconference call arranged by the Philippine Sportswriters Association from Los Angeles, site of his training for the Dec. 6 welterweight war with the Golden Boy at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao said their mutual decision to use thinner gloves only mean one thing: explosive ending.
“Just one shot (should end the fight),” said Pacquiao, who nevertheless is upbeat that he “can take De La Hoya?s best blows.”
Pacquiao revealed that he is nearing peak form even if there is still a little over a month remaining before the scheduled 12-rounder.
“We?re just working on our stamina but actually I?m 80 to 90 percent. We just have to maintain it so I reach a hundred percent,” said the 29-year-old Pacquiao, who is leaving the lightweight (135 lbs) ranks to try his luck at welter (147 lbs) for the very first time.
Pacquiao has been working out with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club the last four weeks and had just in fact arrived in his apartment in trendy La Brea when the Q&A with the media started.
“I am just trying to maintain my weight (151 to 152 lbs) so I wouldn?t be too light with still one month left,” said Pacquiao, stressing that the addition of plyometrics to his training regimen has made this camp the hardest so far in his stellar career.
Plyometrics is a special form of exercise that helps an athlete add up power and size without compromising speed. He does these exercises behind closed doors under the watchful eyes of strength coach Alex Ariza.
Pacquiao admits he has bulked up but makes it clear that he has built up muscles, not fat, even in the short time that he has done plyometrics.
Meanwhile, British star Amir Khan, who is one of Pacquiao?s sparring partners, told the Los Angeles Times that the Filipino has more than a puncher?s chance of upsetting De La Hoya.
“Manny?s in great shape, very explosive, very fast, you don?t know where his punches are coming from. He?s got a good chance to beat Oscar,” said Khan.
“Manny?s so sharp and quick. Speed is power. Manny?s got a good chin to handle what Oscar throws at him. He?ll just be too explosive for Oscar, and he?s a big puncher himself.”
Roach also told fight fan.com that the Pacquiao-Khan workout “is good work for Manny, and a great confidence builder for Khan,” who is trying to resuscitate his career following a stunning first-round knockout to Colombian banger Breidis Presscott last September.
