GENERAL SANTOS CITY — All it took for Manny Pacquiao to size up his Mexican opponent Jorge Solis was a mere one-and-a-half rounds.
Several days ago, Pacquiao asked his training assistants Nonoy Neri and Buboy Fernandez to join him in assessing the fighting style of Solis inside the entertainment room of his P30-million palatial home here.
Neri said Pacquiao, who faces Solis on April 14 in San Antonio, Texas, did not finish the entire fight featuring Solis against Fernando Lizarraga that was staged last Jan. 25 in Las Vegas.
“The fight lasted five rounds and Manny did not bother to see how Solis stopped Lizarraga,” said Neri, who has been lending a hand in helping Pacquiao hone up for the Solis clash that will be held at the Alamodome, which will be reconfigured to seat 20,000.
Neri said he didn’t ask Pacquiao what his thoughts were about the lanky Solis, who will go into the scheduled 12-rounder a heavy underdog although he believes that the 28-year-old Filipino hotshot had seen enough and was supremely confident about repulsing the latest challenger.
“Solis can be hit easily,” Neri said, noting that the Guadalajara native is “flatfooted.”
“Once Manny hits him squarely, I have no doubt that he’ll go down,” said Fernandez.
“Manny can take care of Solis,” said Patrick Patricio, one of Pacquiao’s trusted men.
While he is so immersed in his plan to run in the May 14 polls as congressman for the first district of South Cotabato, Pacquiao has made it a point to work out six times a week at a gym owned by benefactor Rey Golingan that is a two-minute drive from his house.
Pacquiao, who hasn’t fought since knocking out Erik Morales last November in Las Vegas, plans to leave for Los Angeles for the final phase of his training anytime this week.
Solis is unbeaten with a 32-0 slate stuffed with 23 knockouts.
