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Roach: Pacman will beat Old Oscar |
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Written by staff
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Saturday, 29 November 2008 06:22 |
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 Freddie Roach is confident that Manny Pacquiao will beat Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas on December 6.
The Filipino icon's trainer won't let up in his war of words with De La Hoya, this time stating that age is catching up with the 35-year-old.
Roach was in De La Hoya's corner when the 'Golden Boy' dropped a split decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr back in May 2007.
And he hasn't been afraid to make bold predictions ahead of the eagerly-anticipated big-money welterweight clash at the MGM Grand.
"Oscar is 35 and a part-time fighter," said Roach. "It's obvious that father time is catching up with him.
"His stamina has decreased and he's not the fastest learner when it comes to new things. Manny is Oscar's polar opposite when it comes to those factors.
"Manny can flat-out fight three minutes of every round for 12 rounds and he picks up a new lesson the first time it's shown to him.
"Oscar works well when he can follow a script, but he showed in his fight against Mayweather that he's even having problems doing that. Our game plan was working well the first half of the fight and then he stopped.
"Manny not only has the discipline and the stamina to follow a script in the ring, he has also become a master at improvising. And I think that may be the difference in this fight."
Roach doesn't only think Pacman will win, he thinks he could end De La Hoya's career.
He continued: "Boxing is a young man's game and it's dangerous to overstay your welcome.
"You don't have to look any further than these four examples: Rocky Marciano ending Joe Louis' career, Larry Holmes ending Muhammad Ali's career, Terry Norris ending Sugar Ray Leonard's career and Oscar De La Hoya ending Julio Cesar Chavez's career.
"Sure they may have fought on after their losses, but their careers as elite fighters were over. Next week, the shoe is gong to be on the other foot and Oscar is going to find out first-hand how Julio Cesar Chavez felt the night he lost to Oscar the first time, June 7, 1996." - Sporting Life UK Ltd
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