Roach: Pacquiao too much for de la Hoya
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 08/19/2008 9:07 AM
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Despite reports and confirmations that Manny Pacquiao has called off the proposed December clash against Oscar de la Hoya, the Filipino ring icon's coach and trainer has insisted that his ward "is too much" for the Golden Boy at this time.
"Pacquiao’s style and the in-and-out motion and his speed is, I think, too much for Oscar at this time," Roach told 15rounds.com's Mario Ortega Jr.
Roach said that the de la Hoya now is not the boxer he trained before. "He is not what he once was. He has trouble pulling the trigger."
The hall of fame trainer added: "He (de la Hoya) does have trouble with southpaws, which has nothing really to do with when I was training him."
With regard to de la Hoya's advantage in height and weight, Roach said he does not see this as a problem.
"On fight night, Oscar would outweigh Manny by about ten pounds. That doesn’t bother me whatsoever. Oscar has one advantage, his size, but Manny has speed, power, endurance and youth," he said.
Pacquiao is only 29 years old while de la Hoya turned 35 in February.
For Roach, a fight with de la Hoya, an ex-Olympian and six-time world champion, "will not be easy for Pacquiao. He, however, said that it would be a "very winnable" fight for his ward, who is the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion.
Last week, Pacquiao's camp confirmed that the Filipino will no longer face de la Hoya in the planned fight on December 6 in Las Vegas since both groups were not able to agree on the terms for revenue sharing. Roy Medina, abs-cbnNEWS.com
