Wednesday, May 21, 2008 History, Manny, coach Roach paint uphill picture of new weight fight By Edri Aznar Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE late legend Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, one of the greatest Filpino pugilists in boxing history, was one of the top super featherweights of his time.
He went up a weight division higher and ventured the world of lightweights, but didn’t succeed.
Will history repeat itself in the case of Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao as he scales the light weight division and face World Boxing Council lightweight king David Diaz on June 28 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas?
Pacquiao believes that it will not be a walk-in-the-park fighting a world champion and an ex-Olympian like Diaz since it is his debut fight in a heavier weight category, but he feels comfortable and wants to stay in the 135-pound category or even move up to the 140-pound category where British slugger Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton is wreaking havoc.
“Well yes, it’s going to be a difficult fight because this is the first time for me to move up to this weight. He’s a world champion, and he’s a champion at 135 lbs.
It’s not an easy fight for me,” Pacquiao told www.boxingherald.com. “I plan on staying at 135 lbs. right now. I can also fight at 140 lbs as well, it’s easy to me,” the WBC super featherweight titleholder said.
“Well, at 135 lbs. I feel comfortable, and stronger at that weight. It’s easier for me to make that weight,” said Pacquiao, who had some weighty issues in his previous fights.
Freddie Roach, famed trainer of the 29-year-old Filipino slugger, believes that all the questions will be answered when fight night comes.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions with that,’’ disclosed Roach in a report posted at www.thesweet-science.com. “I think he can handle it, but we won’t know until the fight if he can take the power of a 135-pound guy. I believe his punch and speed will be there but we can only guess right now. It could be like (Ricky) Hatton when he moved to welterweight. He didn’t have the same power or strength.”
Roach assured that this fight will be better and more explosive than Pacquiao’s battles with the two Mexican greats Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera.
“This will definitely be a better fight than the Marquez or (Marco Antonio) Barrera fights because Diaz likes to fight and so does Manny,’’ Roach said.
Roach also said that if Pacquaio isn’t comfortable with his new weight, they can go back down to super featherweight category like what Hatton did when glided back to the junior welterweight division after he fought Luis Collazo and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the 147 pound category.
“It’s a great opportunity for Manny but we don’t know yet what he’ll feel like at that weight. He could win and we might still decide to go back to 130. You don’t know until you do it,” said Roach. (EKA)
