News ROACH PLEASED WITH PACQUIAO’S CONDITION

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach is clearly pleased at this early stage of Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao’s preparation for his “Dream Match” against “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand on December 6. Speaking to www.insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports from the Wild Card Gym where Pacquiao worked out yesterday, Roach said Pacquiao was coming along “great” and they had “a very good workout before the press tour” which opens at the Statute of Liberty in New York as we reported weeks ago following a conversation with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.

Roach said Pacquiao would work out every day even during the promotional tour and said there were no problems.

He said Pacquiao went six good rounds on the punch mitts and went through the entire routine which he “normally does” in training.

Roach revealed that Pacquiao weighed 152 pounds which is just five pounds over the stipulated 147 pound limit for the De La Hoya showdown.

He said Pacquiao “looked good” and said he played basketball on Sunday and was “happy.”

When told that De La Hoya had been quoted as saying he would go for a knockout against Pacquiao, Roach who trained “The Golden Boy” for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr retorted “he better.”

Roach added, “if you look for a knockout it never happens. You know that.”

The promotional tour opens with a lot of fanfare in New York and then moves to Chicago for the next stop. Former WBC lightweight champion David Diaz who lost his title in a ninth round demolition at the hands of Pacquiao told us he would try to make it to the tour stop in his hometown of Chicago.