LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao swears he has all the bases covered for his mega match with Oscar De La Hoya next week in Las Vegas.
If De La Hoya chooses to box from a distance, Pacquiao said he knows what to do and if the Golden Boy elects to engage in a phone booth warfare at the onset, the Pacman will be more than willing to respond in kind.
“I am ready to rumble with him and go 12 hard rounds if needed,” Pacquiao said on Wednesday after a torrid three-hour workout at the Wild Card Boxing Club.
“If it’s going to be a very tough fight, I will be ready,” Pacquiao said as he was chomping down on Thai food just several steps away from the gym.
Despite the fact that De La Hoya is no longer in his prime, Pacquiao remains wary of what the 35-year-old Olympic champion will bring to the ring but is nevertheless upbeat about his chances of scoring a major upset at the MGM Grand.
“You have to watch out for his left hand, his (left) hook and (left) uppercut. That’s all,” Pacquiao, 29, told scribes. “I believe I am bringing my speed and power (to welterweight). I have been sparring with tall and big guys, too, and I guess I will be able to take De La Hoya’s blows.”
Asked what De La Hoya should watch out for in their scheduled 12-round welter (147-lbs) duel, Pacquiao’s face lit up.
“There are plenty of things (De La Hoya) should watch out for,” he said.
To say that Pacquiao is ready for battle is an understatement as evidenced by the intensity of his training session that saw him bang the mitts of trainer Freddie Roach for 13 rounds without the usual one-minute, in-between rounds break.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Pacquiao hollered, sounding as though he was begging for Roach to push him to the limit.
Roach had actually pushed himself to the limit and Pacquiao’s response to the tough regimen only made the 48-year-old extremely delighted.
“You want more?” Roach asked his prized pupil.
“Come on, let’s go,” Pacquiao answered back.
In a snap, the thudding sound of leather slamming on Roach’s mitts reverberated from across the gym with Pacquiao looking content that the master had given in to his fervent wish.
But since there were other stuff to be done, Roach had to put a stop to the frenzied punching exhibition so Pacquiao could complete the other chores.
Pacquiao then hit the double-end bag and speedball, skipped rope, shadow-boxed and went through excruciating pain when Eric Brown, who assists Roach, brought the dreaded Thai stick and applied it on Pacquiao’s biceps, stomach and ribcage.
Pacquiao screamed a few times as his fans and followers cringed as if they were the recipients of the nightmarish pain being spawned by the light-colored 16-inch and half-an-inch thick stick hitting Pacquiao’s sweat-drenched body.
This Thursday, Pacquiao will spar four rounds each with chief sparmate Rashad Holloway and Marvin Cordova, which will bring the number of sparring rounds to over 140 rounds.
Team Pacquiao leaves for Sin City on Monday afternoon after his 11 am workout, according to Roach.
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