RENOWNED trainer Freddie Roach thinks his prized fighter Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao packs more wallop in his punches, and this power plus Pacquiao?s speed will carry him to a shocking win against Oscar de la Hoya in their December 6 ?dream match.?
?Manny hits harder. There?s no doubt about it,? Roach told Ace Freeman of FightFan.com, a US boxing website. ?We have the advantage when it comes to the punch? and we?ve also got the edge in activity and speed. Oscar, well he can?t pull the trigger anymore.?
Roach has trained Pacquiao since his US debut in 2001 and he also worked the corner of de la Hoya in his split decision loss to unbeaten welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr last year. He said his assessment of the punching power of boxing?s biggest attraction and boxing?s best fighters based on his experience working the mitts with the two fighters in training.
Roach again downplayed de la Hoya?s size and reach advantages, stressing that a smaller but quicker fighter can neutralize these factors.
?You know size doesn?t win fights,? said Roach, a three-time trainer of the year. ?Speed, power, boxing ability, a game plan, activity [are what count]. My guy has fought four times in the last year or so and Oscar hasn?t fought four times in four years.?
Roach said de la Hoya?s most potent weapon is the jab, which the Pacquiao camp hopes to ?take away? from the Golden Boy.
?Oscar?s advantage is his jab. That?s his strength and we have to get past it,? Roach said. ?That?s not a secret in the matchup and I?m not going to pretend it is. That?s Oscar?s best weapon and we need to get past the jab.?
Roach added that Pacquiao needs to avoid being hit by de la Hoya?s lights-out left hook, his knockout punch.
?Oscar has a good left hook, but he can put the right hand in his pocket, I don?t care about that. Every trainer Oscar has ever had has tried to improve the right hand and it hasn?t happened,? Roach said.
Asked about the significance of the December 6 fight to Pacquiao, Roach said a win by the Filipino star would put him at a new level and enable him to win de la Hoya?s fans as well.
?Well, you know the money doesn?t hurt,? Roach said, referring to the record purse that Pacquiao stands to earn for the biggest boxing event this year. ?But it?s really about what it does for Manny?s future, his legacy. He?ll fight mega fights. He?ll likely get to fight Ricky Hatton [if he beats Malignaggi in a few weeks] and maybe even Floyd Jr. [if he decides to come out of retirement].?
Asked to explain the phenomenon of Mexican fans and fighters rooting for Pacquiao, Roach said it could be due to the way Pacquiao fights like ?a true Mexican warrior,? referring to his explosiveness in the ring.
Mexican fans, Roach said, never liked Oscar and he never really had their support.
