DON’T you worry. Manny Pacquiao cannot, should not, will not lose on Sunday.
This prediction is not based on how Pacquiao has allowed himself to cram for his tune-up bout against Mexican Hector Velasquez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
There’s no way Pacquiao, 26, could lose.
Take it from the American promoters, led by the sly Bob Arum, who have already set a Pacquiao rematch with Mexican fight icon Erik Morales.
In fact, the date and place for that monumental second fight against the masterful Mexican who taught Pacquiao neat boxing lessons in Las Vegas last March have already been set.
Morales-Pacquiao II will be held at the Thomas and Mack Center inside the University of Las Vegas campus on Jan. 21.
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Pacman can’t be expected to falter and fall come Sunday.
Why? Because his opponent has been handpicked to help prop up the rich rematch against Morales, who himself will be seeing action in the same card.
Velasquez, a bobbing stand-up fighter, is perfectly tailored for Pacquiao, a certified slasher.
Promoters have set a party, not an exam for Pacquiao.
The Mexican aspirant may not come in cute and cuddly as a Christmas teddy bear.
But he can’t be expected to give Pacquiao even half the trouble he had encountered against two Mexicans, namely Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, who had clearly outboxed the RP fight hero in their previous encounters in Las Vegas.
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OK. The promoters don’t entertain the possibility of an upset.
The odd thing here is that, based on his rush-rush month-long training for Velasquez, Pacquiao could also fall prey to his own folly.
Of course, Velasquez, 30, will have to rise to the occasion if he hopes to make Sunday’s fight a monumental event.
However, if the Mexican aspirant retains his usual plodding stance, Pacquiao would be left to feast on him.
Velasquez’s job won’t be easy, going by his limited, predictable style.
But what if Velasquez suddenly shows up with a new set of legs to carry him in and out in the early rounds?
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Yes, we could also have a fight Sunday.
For this to happen, Velasquez has got to move enough.
If Velasquez escapes the ax-like blows in the early rounds, he could next start testing Pacquiao’s gas tank, the body to be exact.
There’s a strong likelihood Pacquiao, despite the gift of youth, could start losing breath in the second half of the 12-round duel.
For one, Pacquiao had undergone practically the same limited regimen against Thai Fahsan 3-K Battery in Taguig City last December.
Before that bout, trainer Freddie Roach had bragged that Pacquiao was already a hundred percent ready for the easy test.
However, Pacquiao, visibly gasping for air at the end of the third, had to resort to an emergency.
He did some frantic punching to stop his overmatched foe in the fifth, before he himself could totally fag out.
Pacquiao may have to bring in an extra oxygen tank Sunday.
