By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 23 Sep 2008
“The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya agrees with fight fans who believe his left jab will be his most potent weapon against Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao when they clash in their “Dream Match” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on December 6. De La Hoya spoke to www.insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports by overseas telephone from Monterrey, Mexico where Golden Boy Promotions staged a highly successful fight card in which Colombia’s Antonio Pitalua scored a stunning sixth round knockout over Jose Armando Santa Cruz and will fight Edwin Valero for the WBC interim lightweight championship.
De La Hoya said “honestly I am going to work on my left jab. I want to throw it three or four or five times and I want to put my punches together. Fire combinations so I will be working on different techniques in training, up to the fight.”
De La Hoya doesn’t have a trainer as yet and this apparently worries him a little but he assured us “I will be ready for the fight.”
The Golden Boy revealed that Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, the great Mexican trainer who handled Juan Manuel Marquez among others, is on top of the list. De La Hoya said “I am going to be talking to Nacho Beristain in the next couple of days.” De La Hoya described Beristain as “a great trainer who obviously knows Pacquiao very well.”
De La Hoya claimed he has had one month’s training so far and his weight is down to 151 pounds which is a mere four pounds above the stipulated 147 pound limit for the Pacquiao fight.
He said “I feel great. I feel very motivated” emphasizing that “this fight is very serious for me.” De La Hoya reiterated that he is training very hard and expects “a very tough fight from Manny, but we’ll be ready.”
De La Hoya downplayed his height advantage over Pacquiao saying “you know I think he can give me a tough fight. I think because of the speed and his power. Age is obviously going to be a factor but all I can do is get in the best shape of my life and train like I always train, so I could be ready.”
While he conceded that by moving up to the 147 pound limit from his last fight at 135 Pacquiao will “get a little bit slower” De La Hoya noted that “Manny, a little bit slower is still faster than anybody else.”
Discussing the biggest assets of Pacquiao in relation to their “Dream Match, De La Hoya said “I think his greatest asset is his left hand. He’s got a good left hand. And the speed” saying that it was the “one thing we are working on to neutralize.”
Speaking about the promotional tour which opens on October 1 in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York said they had put together a great promotional tour where he and Pacquiao will visit places all over the US that are going to be historical. Aside from New York the tour will move to Chicago, Houston and San Antonio in Texas and San Francisco and Los Angeles.
DE LA HOYA WORKING HARD ON HIS LEFT JAB
RELIEVED PACQUIAO RETURNS TO L.A TODAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 23 Sep 2008
A relieved Manny Pacquiao returns to Los Angeles on Tuesday night to begin serious training for his “Dream Match” against Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on December 6.
His lawyer, Atty. Franklin “Jeng” Gacal who arrived with Pacquiao on Sunday night told www.insidesports.ph that there were two reasons why Pacquiao decided to return for a brief visit. He wanted to “know first hand the effects of the financial crisis in the US on Philippine banks” and that he was completely assured that his hard-earned funds were well protected because the Philippine banking system was well protected and was not affected by the crisis in the U.S.
Gacal also reiterated what Pacquiao said on arrival that he “missed his family.” Pacquiao and his charming wife Jinkee have two sons and a daughter and she is expecting their fourth child, a girl, in December.
Gacal who returned to his hometown of General Santos City after their arrival came back to Manila Monday afternoon via Davao and confirmed they would leave for Los Angeles today.
Gacal said Pacquiao was pleased that everything was okay and he could be free of distractions and keep his focus on his preparations for the megabuck clash with De La Hoya.
LATEST UPDATE: PACQUIAO MAY TAKE TONIGHT'S FLIGHT TO L.A.
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 22 Sep 2008
There’s apparently no need for supporters of Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao to panic about his sudden return to the Philippines Sunday night, according to his lawyer Franklin “Jeng” Gacal.
Gacal told www.insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports on Monday morning that Pacquiao and he would fly back to Los Angeles on Tuesday for sure, although he said that there was a slim possibility that they may even leave aboard the Philippine Airlines flight on Monday night. The trouble is that Gacal flew to his hometown of General Santos City following their arrival from the US and while he told Pacquiao he could return to Manila right away if Manny wanted to return right away he was told they could leave on Tuesday.
The lawyer said Pacquiao returned to Manila because of concern over his substantial deposits in a big Manila bank which Gacal said “is a legitimate concern” because of the collapse of major financial institutions in the US which has affected the world economy and created a financial crisis although banks in the Philippines were reportedly not affected and were well protected.
Gacal said it would have been difficult for Pacquiao to “continue to focus and concentrate on his training” if he was concerned about his hard-earned money.
Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach told www.insidesports.ph he had “heard about” Pacquiao’s departure but hadn’t been directly informed. He said Pacquiao “needs to get focused” on his training right away.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MANNY PACQUIAO
“It doesn't matter how much bigger and taller he is, it's about what he can do in the ring.” -- Manny Pacquiao
Listen to the Manny Pacquiao audio interview here
Boxing Herald sat down with the pound for pound king, Manny Pacquiao and got his thoughts on his HUGE upcoming fight against the legendary Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao's training camp is already in full throttle, and the champion from General Santos City had plenty to say about what is no doubt the biggest fight of his career.
BOXING HERALD – Manny this is a huge, huge, huge fight for you. A lot of your fans are very excited.
MANNY PACQUIAO – YeS, [laughing] this is going to be a great fight.
BOXING HERALD – Talk about the matchup with you and Oscar De La Hoya.
MANNY PACQUIAO – Well, Oscar is bigger and taller than me, but it doesn't matter how much bigger and taller his is. The most important thing is what can he do in the ring. I think I have the advantage over him, and that's speed. Speed and strategy in the fight.
BOXING HERALD – A lot your fans and boxing writers feel that Oscar is too big for you. What can you say to your fans that will relax them, to make them feel that you will be OK in there against De La Hoya?
MANNY PACQUIAO – Well, what I can say is just relax, and take it easy, I can handle this. I am focused on my training. I will train hard for this fight. I came to training camp early for this fight, because I knew that I would have to.
BOXING HERALD – I heard that you will be sparring with junior middleweights and middleweights in preparation for Oscar.
MANNY PACQUIAO – Freddie found good sparring mates, taller guys like Oscar, so this will be a great, great training camp. We will have a great training camp.
BOXING HERALD – You have fought the best to offer, Marquez, Morales, Barrera etc. Now you will fight Oscar De La Hoya. Will he be the most dangerous fighter that you will have ever faced?
MANNY PACQUIAO – I can say that he's going to be the hardest fight of my career. I understand that this guy is also a great fighter. I know that he is a legend, but for me it's an honor to fight a legend like Oscar De La Hoya. I will do my best to win this fight and to make people happy.
BOXING HERALD – Do you feel that it's a possibility that Oscar might get tired in the later rounds, and that may be another key to your victory?
MANNY PACQUIAO – We believe that he may get tired in the later rounds. That is one of our advantages.
BOXING HERALD – There were a lot of negotiations that were going on in order to make this fight a reality. How difficult were the negotiations, and to finally sign the contract?
MANNY PACQUIAO – Well, the first thing was to get both parties to agree on everything. We both have agreed on the negotiations, so the fight will happen now.
BOXING HERALD – So you are happy with the percentage of your purse, and the weight that you will both be fighting at?
MANNY PACQUIAO – I am happy with the negotiation. I think now I have to focus on the training for this fight.
BOXING HERALD – What is the one thing overall that Oscar does in the ring that most concerns you?
MANNY PACQUIAO – Well first, Oscar is bigger and taller than I am. That is the first concern, and that is why we will train hard for this fight. We have a strategy in place in order for us to beat a bigger and taller guy.
BOXING HERALD – You are now getting into boxing promotions, talk about that.
MANNY PACQUIAO – It's my plan that after my boxing career, I want to be a promoter. I have a promotion coming up this September 26th in San Diego.
BOXING HERALD – How many more fights do you think you have left in your career before you retire?
MANNY PACQUIAO – I have more fights after this one.
BOXING HERALD – Is Ricky Hatton one of them?
MANNY PACQUIAO – Maybe [laughs].
BOXING HERALD – Do you want to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. before you retire?
BOXING HERALD – That's a possibility. If I win this fight maybe Floyd Mayweather will come out of retirement looking for a big fight.
BOXING HERALD – The pound for pound king fight.
MANNY PACQUIAO – Thank you.
BOXING HERALD – Manny thank you for your time.
MANNY PACQUIAO – Thank you, Brad.
De La Hoya still after Mayweather Sr.
Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez told ESPN.com that De La Hoya and Mayweather spoke in recent days on the telephone to discuss the situation.
Mayweather is in a bit of a bind because he has signed on to train junior welterweight world champ Ricky Hatton -- who is promoted by De La Hoya and also one of his potential opponents -- for his Nov. 22 fight with Paulie Malignaggi, and the two training camps overlap.
Gomez said they were talking about the logistics of how Mayweather possibly train both of them. Previously, Mayweather had suggested that if both fighters trained in Big Bear, Calif., where De La Hoya has usually trained, he could split his time between the two.
"Oscar really wants Mayweather. Mayweather is his guy," Gomez said. "Oscar really believes that had Mayweather trained him, he would have beaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. It's a situation where Oscar doesn't want to interfere with Ricky, but he also has to do what is right for him. He spoke to Floyd Sr. and they think maybe they can figure something out so he can train them both."
Just in case it doesn't work out, De La Hoya plans to meet with Nacho Beristain, the leading candidate to replace Mayweather, Gomez said.
De La Hoya will be in Monterrey, Mexico, this weekend for the Jose Armando Santa Cruz-Antonio Pitalua lightweight eliminator Golden Boy is promoting there Saturday night, and Beristain has a fighter on the card.
"Oscar will be here in Monterrey and will sit down with Nacho," Gomez said. "He'll meet with him Saturday morning. It's still possible Mayweather will train him, but Oscar wants to talk to Nacho and get his perspective on things, see what his ideas would be."
Mayweather Sr. has trained De La Hoya since 2000 with the exception of the May 2007 blockbuster against Mayweather Jr., the estranged son of the trainer.
PACQUIAO BEGINS TRAINING, ROACH HIRES TWO LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHTS AND ONE WELTERWEIGHT AS PACQUIAO'S SPARRING PARTNERS
LOS ANGELES -- Filipino boxing superstar Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao has began training Wednesday afternoon (Thursday morning in Manila) at the famed Wildcard Gym of Freddie Roach in Los Angeles embarking to what he termed as the 'greatest fight of his life' when he faces boxing's golden boy and one of the most popular boxers in decades Mexican-American Oscar de la Hoya at the MGM Grand Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec 6.
The Wildcard Gym, located in the heart of Hollywood along Vine St., was teeming with people all morning but as soon as the Filipino phenom arrived past two o'clock in the afternoon, the gym was cleared to give way to what would probably be the longest and the one most intently watched and covered training camp of Pacquiao since he trailbazed America in 2001.
Two time trainer of the year and future hall-of-famer Freddie Roach, along with trusted lieutenants Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri, Roger Fernandez, Eric Brown and chief aide Winchell Campos and official photographer Miguel Salazar were present to assist Pacquiao in his every move. This afternoon's training, postponed from the day before because Pacquiao was not feeling well, was very light as he did the mitts with Freddie Roach, the speed bag and shadow boxing.
The general mood in Pacquiao's first day of training was light as Manny joked around and was talking to everyone while he did his routine.
TWO LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHTS AND ONE WELTERWEIGHT HIRED AS PACQUIAO'S SPARRING PARTNERS
Roach said that Pacquiao, who now weights 147 lbs according to Neri with 80 days remaining before fight time, will do conditioning workouts for 10 days and begin light sparring right after.
Roach, who will most likely devise a strategy to neutralize De La Hoya's most dangerous weapon, his poweful left hook, hired two 154-pounders in Yuri Foreman (5'-11", 25-0 8KOs) and Arron Robinson (5'-10", 6-2-0 4KOs) and one welterweight (147 lbs) in Rashad Holloway (5'-11", 9-1-0 5KOs).
"They have all powerful left hooks," Roach said when asked what's so special with the three. Asked further if he was not worried of De La Hoya's right, Roach's quick reply was "he (De La Hoya) has no right. He has a jab but no right."
This was echoed by Holloway, who was also present. "My best weapon is my left hook and I'm raring to use it against Manny when I begin to spar with him," the well-built Raleigh, North Carolina native said.
Top photo: Manny Pacquiao (R) throws a right jab at trainer Freddie Roach during Pacquiao's first day of training at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles in preparation for his fight against Oscar de la Hoya on Dec 6 at MGM Grand & Casino in Las Vegas. Photo by Miguel Salazar / MP Promotions.
Lois: Oscar's Left Hook To Brain Will Make Pacquiao Do Crackhead Dance
The whole, wide world is divided into two types of people. You have your Pacfans and your Pachaters.
Put Boxingconfidential.com’s Executive Editor Ricardo Lois in the latter camp. Believe it or not, but Rigordo is a respected educator by day, in a tough LA school where they serve broken leg of lamb every Thursday.
He only plays the boxing vampire-fool at night. It’s a long way to Dec. 6 but Lois is licking his chops already.
“This will make up for what we’ve had to put up with Pacmaniacs over the years,” Lois told BC Radio sidekick John Chavez on Monday night’s program. “It will be great seeing Oscar de la Hoya knock Manny out in three rounds. After Oscar hurts Manny with a left hook to the brain, you will see Pacquiao doing the crackhead dance. He might do the Zab Judah crackhead dance mixed with some Thomas Hearns wobbly, wobbly. It will be great to see that.”
Ever the diplomat and not forgetting he lives among a huge Pinoy population in the San Francisco area, Chavez held his fire.
“It is what it is, a business fight,” Chavez said.
Weight gain will add power to Pacquiao’s punch–trainer
MANILA, Philippines—Manny Pacquiao’s power is proportionate to his weight. As he gains poundage, so does the wallop of his punches.
Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza reportedly made the discovery during his stint at Pacquiao’s training camp in June, when the Filipino ring icon challenged and eventually beat David Diaz for the World Boxing Council lightweight crown.
Ariza, who also monitored Pacquiao’s nutrition, power and speed from Day One of training up to fight night in Las Vegas, affirmed that Pacquiao is endowed with superior strength.
And, unlike before when Pacquiao’s killer punches emanated mostly from the left, both hands now wield lethal power capable of knocking out even a heavyweight boxer.
In a Pacland Forum post Tuesday, Ariza supposedly measured Pacquiao’s power at the start of camp when the four-division champion weighed between 147 and 150 pounds.
The finding startled Ariza, who’d worked with other boxers, and turned him into an instant believer of Pacquiao’s widely recognized brutal power.
But as the training progressed, Ariza also made another startling finding: Pacquiao’s strength declines as he loses weight.
Fact is, in the same post, Ariza supposedly noticed that from being a heavy banger Pacquiao turned into a light hitter after the weigh-in, when he tipped the scales at 134.5 pounds. Expectedly, the decline in power of his developed right was even more pronounced.
Ariza, of course, can’t explain what happened in-between, when Pacquiao slowly stuffed himself with nutritious food, vitamins and drinks before he fought and knocked out Diaz in the ninth round.
Ariza merely concluded that Pacquiao is more dangerous if he doesn’t lose weight during training.
And since Pacquiao is slated to fight Oscar De La Hoya at 147 pounds on Dec. 6, he no longer needs to go on diet because he normally weighs 144-147 pounds.
Ariza may be at a loss to describe the phenomenon of losing and regaining power, but the explanation may have come from Pacquiao himself.
In an interview made before his WBC junior lightweight title fight against Juan Manuel Marquez early this year, Pacquiao likened himself to a sponge.
He can shrink fast, but also bulk up fast.
Against De La Hoya, Pacquiao needs to be just his natural speedy, deadly self.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles Sunday night to begin his long and arduous preparation for his megabuck bout against De La Hoya.
As always, Pacquiao will train at the Wild Card Gym of celebrated trainer Freddie Roach in Hollywood.
Pacquiao will also take time off to help promote the 12-round fight, a sure sell-out at the MGM Grand Grand Arena in Las Vegas and a certain pay-per-view blockbuster.
De La Hoya’s Training Dilemma
With less than three months to go until Oscar De La Hoya faces Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas the ‘Golden Boy’ is still without a trainer.
Ideally Oscar would prefer Floyd Mayweather Snr to prepare him for his December 6 clash with pound for pound king Pacquiao. But with Mayweather Snr already committed to training Britain’s Ricky Hatton for his clash with Paulie Malignaggi on November 22 it is highly unlikely Mayweather Snr will be able to train both men.
Speaking to ESPN.com De La Hoya said: "There is no decision on who the trainer is going to be. We’ll be making a decision in the next couple of days."
However, De La Hoya also told ESPN.com he would be happy to train alongside Ricky with Mayweather Snr in charge.
"I wouldn’t mind sharing Floyd. Floyd Sr. is worth sharing if that is what it takes," De La Hoya said. "If it can’t be worked out, I’m going to move on and get another trainer. It’s going to take a call from me directly to Ricky and say, ’Hey, what do you think? Can we work something out?’ I think it’s still possible. But the time is coming where I have to make a decision and that decision has to be made in a few days."
Mayweather Snr is also receptive to the idea providing both Men are prepared to train for their respective fights at Big Bear in California.
"Of course, I can’t be in two places at one time," Mayweather Sr. told ESPN.com. "I would love to train Oscar. But I did make a commitment to Ricky. I am not a person to make a commitment and back out. If I give you my word, it is my bond. I am hoping some kind of way I can get Ricky to come to Big Bear and train. I could train both of them."
If a solution cannot be worked out De La Hoya named Nacho Beristain, Jesus Rivero or Rudy Perez as possible replacements.
BREAKING NEWS: PACQUIAO ARRIVES IN L.A. FOR THE DE LA HOYA FIGHT
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 15 Sep 2008
Top photo: Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao (R) and lawyer Franklin Gacal make their way out of the LAX tonight as Pacquiao arrives in the United States to promote and start camp for his mega fight with another boxing superstar Oscar de la Hoya.
Los Angeles, CA:- If the huge crowd that swarmed the Tom Bradley International Airport Terminal tonight is an indication of how many people will be seeing the Oscar de la Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight on December 6th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, then selling the fight will be a no-brainer for the three promotions companies (Top Rank, Golden Boy and Manny Pacquiao Promotions) putting up the event. The Philippine Airlines Flight 102 from Manila touched down at the LAX at 8:10 pm and at 9:15 pm, Pacquiao and his trusted lawyer Franklin 'Jeng' Gacal walked up the hallway that led from the Immigation and Customs Section out to the city.
As soon as they reached the arrival lobby, all of a sudden people came from nowhere and swarmed around Pacquiao. Many were calling his name. They all struggled to touch him and/or have a photo taken.
Cameras of all shapes and form, cell phones included, started flashing. Even Top Rank photographer, Cris Farina was there to cover the event.
The LAX security people where caught unprepared for the sudden burst of people. But thanks to the Team Pacquiao led by Rob Peters, Edward Lura and Winchell Campos, Pacquiao was escorted rather quickly to his waiting SUV and driven away to rest for the night at his Palazzo apartment at the Wilshire District in this city.
