Pacquiao to look out for de la Hoya's left hand
By DENNIS GASGONIA, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/01/2008 8:10 PM
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Oscar de la Hoya’s left hand will be Manny Pacquiao’s main concern once they meet inside the ring on December 6.
The Filipino champion and his coach Freddie Roach worked extensively to find ways and plot strategies to neutralize de la Hoya’s left hand.
"During our training we always focus on Oscar's left hook, his left hand and that's what we're studying everyday. So we're ready on that. We applied a lot of techniques for this fight," Pacquiao told MaxBoxing.com’s Steve Kim.
Unknown to many, de la Hoya is a left hander just like Pacquiao. He has, however, converted to into an orthodox stance to use his left hand to its full advantage.
De la Hoya’s vaunted weapon is a mixture of left hook and uppercut which he calls the “45”. He is also known to have a stiff left jab that creates distance against charging opponents.
To get away from de la Hoya’s left hand, Pacquiao said he will rely on his speed and power.
"I feel I still have the speed and power and that's what we're focused on in training, speed, because the speed will be the key in this fight," he said.
Pacquiao also said that his added pounds will help cushion strong hits should de la Hoya directly tag him with a hard left.
"I believe that I can handle Oscar's power," he said.
Better feel
Pacquiao currently weighs at 148 pounds, just a pound away from the welterweight catch of 147.
During the past weeks, he has hovered over 150 pounds to get a better feel on fighting at a heavier weight.
Meanwhile, de la Hoya said his decision to retire will greatly depend on the outcome of his “Dream Match” with Pacquiao.
“It depends on the outcome, depends on how I look, depends on how I feel,” he said in an interview with ESPN.com.
He, however, said he will not hesitate to hang his gloves for good if he gets a beating from the Filipino champion.
“Come fight night, if it's not there, it's not there. There's no looking back at that. I'd have to really consider hanging up the gloves because that's when it can get dangerous… that's when people get hurt. obviously I don't want that for myself,” he said.
Pacquiao will enter the ring with a win-loss record of 47-3 with two drawn and 35 knockouts while de la Hoya, in his first welterweight fight since his 2000 knockout of Arturo Gatti, is 39-5 with 30 knockouts.
The December 6 (Sunday Manila time) fight is set to take place at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
