OSCAR, BOOM-BOOM, AJ PUERTO RICO TRAINING UPDATE (WITH PICS)
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 12 Apr 2007
Photos are coming in from the training camp in Puerto Rico where Boxing's "Golden Boy" Oscar de la Hoya along with Filipino contenders Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ "Bazooka" Banal are preparing for their much awaited fights on May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Oscar De la Hoya will face top pound-for-pound fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what is considered as a fight of the ages aptly dubbed as "The World Awaits." Rey Bautista (22-0 17KOs) will open up the HBO pay-per-view telecast of the event against the equally undefeated Argentinian Sergio Manuel Medina (28-0 16 KOs) while Banal (12-0 10KOs), the newest boxing sensation from the Philippines who took a fearsome array of Asian contenders in more than half of his total fights, will take on Mexican knockout artist Juan Alberto Rosas (25-2 22KOs).
Speaking to the media at the jampacked Wilfredo Gomez gym in Guaynabo, De la Hoya declared that he is "100% ready" to face Mayweather. "He better watch out for my fists. I'm in the best shape of my life and that trash talking really pumped me up," De la Hoya said.
Roach, who will fly to San Antonio, Texas on Saturday to be in the corner of Manny Pacquiao when the Pacman goes up against the undefeated Jorge Solis of Mexico, told PhilBoxing.com in an earlier interview that "De la Hoya's training is going really great."
Meanwhile Bautista and Banal are coming along well with their own training which greatly impressed De la Hoya himself. Bautista regularly spars with Australian super featherweight 'Billy the Kid' Dib (who is also seeing action on May 5 against Jose Alberto Gonzales) and undefeated Puerto Rican Jonathan Oquendo. Banal meanwhile had reportedly busted the nose of the Oquendo in their last sparring.
PHOTO GALLERY
Boom Boom (left) and AJ (right) pose with last year's trainer of the year Freddie Roach who sports a new haircut.
With Filipino trainer Edito Villamor (left).
De la Hoya shadowboxes at the Wilfredo Gomez gym.
De la Hoya stretching out.
DE LA HOYA'S AP PICS DURING THE TODAY'S PRESSCON:
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