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IF all
goes according to script, Manny Pacquiao guarantees he
will be dishing out a performance worthy of an Oscar for
his next fight.
In
inviting members of sports media to dinner Wednesday
night at the Harbour View in Manila, Pacquiao admitted
that boxing superstar Oscar de la Hoya is the one fight
he would love to engage in.
“It’s an
honor to fight a legend like Oscar. If this fight pushes
through, I will give my very best in preparing for this
fight,” said Pacquiao, who came with wife Jinky and
their usual large entourage.
Pacquiao,
who stands at five-feet-six-and-a-half inches, said he
is unfazed about the disparity in height and heft
because he is used to sparring with fighters as big as
middleweights. De la Hoya is listed at five-foot-10 ½.
Pacquiao,
meanwhile, canceled his trip to the United States last
night because he has been asked by Malacañang to grace
President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address Monday at
the Batasang Pambansa.
He was
supposed to be one of the principal guests in the highly
awaited welterweight brawl between defending champion
Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico and Antonio Margarito of
Mexico.
Pacquiao’s lawyer, Jeng Gacal, will take his place in
the negotiations concerning the possible de la Hoya
fight.
Pacquiao
admitted that his decision to agree to a de la Hoya
fight was mainly based on the observation of his trainer
Freddie Roach, who last week started to push for a duel
between the Filipino fireball and de la Hoya when the
American guru was a guest on Sports Chat over dzSR
918kHz.
“I
believe Freddie when he said I can beat de la Hoya.
Freddie once trained de la Hoya so he knows the
strengths and weaknesses of de la Hoya,” said Pacquiao.
Roach,
the well-liked Hall-of-Fame trainer, was tapped by de la
Hoya when the Golden Boy trained in Puerto Rico for his
fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May last year.
“When I
trained Oscar he was just having trouble pulling the
trigger, and he’s a little bit slow. If Stevie Forbes
can hit him as easily as he did, I know Pacquiao will
knock him out,“ said Roach. “I know my guy. The thing
is, I would never take a fight that I didn’t know my guy
could win. I would never do that.”
The
four-division world champion said he is now again
feeling the desire of a hungry fighter, the same feeling
he had when he was paired against Marco Antonio Barrera
in 2003.
“My
preparation for Barrera was my best ever where I
prepared for two-and-a-half months. If I get to fight de
la Hoya I will also prepare for two-and-a-half months,”
said Pacquiao.
In
November 2003, Pacquiao scored what was considered a
major upset at that time when he annihilated Barrera
inside 11 rounds in a win that propelled the Filipino to
stardom.
“Can it
be done? Yes, it can be done. Manny is that type of
fighter. He’s a superstar. Manny has the speed, he’s got
the power. It’s a dangerous fight for Oscar. It’s a very
very dangerous fight for Oscar, that is why he is
thinking it over,” said Golden Boy Promotions vice
president Eric Gomez.
“Aside
from De la Hoya, we are still considering Humberto Soto
and Edwin Valero,” said Pacquiao.
Observers believe the Cotto-Margarito fight will have a
bearing on talks involving Pacquiao and De la Hoya.
There has been a nagging clamor for De la Hoya to take
on Cotto, whose promoter, Bob Arum, has also been
adamant in offering his undefeated Puerto Rican
sensation as the Golden Boy’s next foe. |
