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Thursday, August 25, 2005
Pacquiao’s foe unfazed by odds
Manny Pacquiao is the kind of fighter who can take a man’s head off with one punch.
With his combination of power, speed and tenacity, many boxers would rather wrestle a half-ton grizzly bear than trade punches with the Filipino bomber.
But not Hector Velasquez.
Velasquez, the 30-year-old Mexican journeyman scheduled to fight Pacquiao on Sept. 10 (Sept. 11 in RP), recently told a Hispanic boxing website that while he thinks Pacquiao is one fearsome adversary, “Pacman” is not unbeatable.
Difficult
“It’s going to be difficult, but not impossible,” Velazquez told box-latino.com.
Despite his public display of bravado, Velazquez, coming off a big knockout victory over Trinidad Mendoza last July 15 in Chicago, is still considered a longshot to win his 12-round duel with Pacquiao in a blockbuster Top Rank card at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
Mexican megastar Erik Morales, the man who gave Pacquaio a stinging loss last March, will also be fighting in the card against US Olympian Zaheer Raheem in the other 12-round co-main event.
Training
True to his vision, Velasquez has already put in the work needed to help his cause.
Nicknamed “El Artillero,” Velazquez has been training since mid-July, immediately after his win over Mendoza.
By comparison, Pacquiao flew to LA only last Aug. 7 for his training, and has been away from the gym for a while with his recent legal battles with the American IRS and ex-promoter Murad Muhammad.
Pacquiao recently signed up with Gary Shaw and is looking forward to more lucrative fights in 2006, which should include a rematch with Morales. (GCM)
(August 25, 2005 issue)
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