ROCA: PACQUIAO HAS MORE THAN EVEN CHANCE OF BEATING DE LA HOYA
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 25 Jul 2008
Hector Roca.
CEBU CITY -- Iconic New York boxing man Hector Roca, chief trainer of the world famous Gleason's Gym in New York and whose fighter Arturo Gatti fought Oscar de la Hoya in 2001, said that Pacquiao has a 60% chance of beating the Golden Boy.
"Oscar is not the same Oscar who fought my fighter Arturo Gatti years ago. He is on the decline and has slowed down considerably while Pacquiao is at his peak right now," Roca told PhilBoxing in an interview during last night's exclusive dinner party at the posh residence of pre-iminent boxing impresario Antonio L. Aldeguer.
"But more than that, it is the styles that matter," Roca would say. "De La Hoya has a hard time fighting with a moving target and Pacquiao has a perfect style to frustrate De La Hoya because he can be everywhere in the ring -- sometimes he's in front of you, sometimes he's on your side and sometimes on your back," Roca said as he moves his right hand in quick succession into diffent directions emphasizing Pacquiao's speed.
"Additionally, Pacquiao is a southpaw and De La Hoya had always problems fighting with a southpaw," Roca added.
Asked whether Pacquiao's punches can hurt De La Hoya, Roca said "definitely because Pacquiao was able to hurt David Diaz who had been fighting as a lightweight and as a junior welterweight."
Recalling the De La Hoya-Gatti fight in 2001 where he threw a towel to the ring to stop the contest in the 5th round, Roca said that De La Hoya was pounding Gatti with hard hooks on the body "that I had to stop it to avoid permanent damage to my fighter. Gatti is willing to die in the ring because he is a true warrior but boxing is just a sport. After that fight Gatti earned eight million dollars more in his next fights so it was not a bad stoppage."
Roca, who is originally from Panama, is here to be in the corner of Panamian Rafael Concepcion for tomorrow's fight against local ring sensation AJ 'Bazooka' Banal when the two collide for the interim WBA superfly title.
Roca, whose father and brother were both boxers, was a former Olympic cyclist in Panama before moving to New York in the seventies and later became a permanent fixture at the Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn as a trainer. He learned his training skills under the great Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's long time trainer and has admired the late trainer Eddie Futch as an all-time great.
Hector Roca during the Banal-Concepcion weighin this afternoon at the SM City-Cebu.
Roca has trained world champions Buddy McGirt, Arturo Gatti, Regilio Tuur and Iran Barkley. He has also coached numerous actors and actresses including Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Rodriguez, John Leguizanio and also actress Hilary Swank for her role in the award winning film "Million Dollar Baby," directed by Clint Eastwood.
Roca, recently named the number one Spanish-speaking trainer in the world by International Boxing Digest, co-authored a book with Gleason's Gym owner Bruce Silverglade titled 'The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout For Women: A 4-Week Head-To-Toe Makeover'.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
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