Save for the height and weight difference between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao, everything appears to be even as far as legendary trainer Angelo Dundee is concerned.
“Height, weight, that?s all,” Dundee told noted fight scribe Jeff Haney of the Las Vegas Sun when a group of media arrived in Big Bear, California, last week.
Dundee, now 87 and best known for his involvement as the man who called the shots for Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, was tapped by De La Hoya to serve as camp consultant for the Dec. 6 bout with Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
”This is a tough fight against a tough, aggressive fighter. Oscar ain?t gonna listen to that. You?ve got two guys who are very pliable, very talented guys. Manny Pacquiao is a hell of a fighter,” said Dundee.
Still, Dundee is convinced that the 35-year-old De La Hoya, who took America?s lone boxing gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, will be the one to come out triumphant.
“But the thing is, in this profession, there?s always one guy who can lick the other guy. You?ll see it that night. De La Hoya is gonna show him who?s in charge.”
Dundee will not be the one hurling out instructions from the corner ? that role belongs to Ignacio ?Nacho? Beristain ? the bemoustached Mexican maestro who apparently knows the strong and weak points of Pacquiao by virtue of his work with Juan Manuel Marquez on two occasions.
But Dundee will still play a pivotal role as he is actually the right-hand man of Beristain.
“My voice will be through Nacho, who I?ve known for years. I won?t be the man in corner. But I have been watching Oscar train, and he?s just blowing through these workouts. He reminds me of an old-time fighter with the way he works and his desire to work. He?s enjoying it, and that?s what important,” Dundee said.
