There are a few lingering questions that exist as Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao prepare for their Dec. 6 bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The main one, though, is how Pacquiao will deal with the naturally stronger and more experienced De La Hoya.
De La Hoya, training at Camp Summit in Big Bear, has nearly made the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
Pacquiao, training under Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, has beefed up through diet and workouts to make weight.
Asked about how he sees the fight, Pacquiao said, ?I don?t want to give away our fight plan. It?s a secret. We will focus on speed and lateral movement, though.
?We know Oscar has a big left hook. We are waiting for a big left hook. Of course, I believe in myself. I?m gonna win.?
With De La Hoya, the age question has come up.
?The fact I?m 35 and the fact he?s young, fast and strong, the weight difference balances out,? he said. ?It kind of evens the field.?
Concerning his preparation for the fight, De La Hoya said, ?We are training much harder, with much more intelligence. It?s about the activity of throwing more jabs.
?My trainer, Nacho Berenstein, says that what?s lacked in the past is that I don?t throw anything for 30 seconds at a time, to justify why I have lost some fights.
?So, we?ve been working on using the jab, just to flick a jab, throwing lots of jabs, even when I?m thinking of resting.?
De La Hoya paid a compliment to his opponent.
?Manny is one of the greats,? he said. ?It will be one of the most important fights of my career.?
