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By Jun Medina, Special
Correspondent
SAN FRANCISCO: World
pound-for-pound boxing king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao embarks on
a 10-week intensive preparation for his coming super fight against
six-division world champion Oscar “Golden Boy” De La Hoya.
He is expected to be in Los
Angeles by the middle of September to train at the famous Wild Card
Gym in Hollywood-owned by his renowned American trainer Freddie
Roach.
“This is the biggest fight of
my life. I need to prepare perfectly well at training camp to
improve my chances of winning against my bigger and taller
opponent,” Pacquaio said.
Roach, who was instrumental in
pushing the December 6 mega fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las
Vegas, said Pacquiao’s training would mostly be closed from the
public to avoid distractions.
Roach disclosed that he is lining
up big and tall sparring partners the size of De La Hoya as part of
Pacquiao’s preparation for the big fight.
Despite his decided edge in
experience and body structure, De La Hoya is not taking Pacquiao
lightly.
De La Hoya’s international
matchmaker and confidante Eric Gomez, said Golden Boy has started
running and doing light exercises at his Puerto Rico home. De La
Hoya is expected to pitch training camp in October at Big Bear
mountain resort in San Bernardino County in Southern California.
Gomez said De La Hoya weighed 153
lbs last week.
Las Vegas bookmakers put De La
Hoya as an 8-5 favorite. It is the first time that Pacquiao is rated
an underdog since his 11th-round technical knockout win over Mexican
icon Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003.
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