'IT'S A SIN TO PREDICT A KNOCKOUT VICTORY'
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 27 Nov 2008
LOS ANGELES, California -- Like in his previous fights, Manny Pacquiao refused to predict the outcome of his 12-round non-title duel with 10-time world champion Oscar De La Hoya on December in Las Vegas, Nevada saying "it's a sin to predict a knockout win."
"Only God knows who will emerge victorious, so it's a sin to say that it's De La Hoya or me who is going to win by knockout," quipped the 29-year-old reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion.
Pacquiao, 29, who is underdog in the showdown dubbed "Dream Fight", said "he will only do his best to make the people happy" but vowed "to surprise the Filipino people."
It was Freddie Roach, owner of the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, who had repeatedly predicted that the five feet and six inches Pacquiao will demolish the five feet and 11 inches De La Hoya in the ninth round.
De La Hoya, 35, parried Roach's diatribes and shot back that the fight would not reach the ninth round as he is going to stop the Filipino heartthrob in the fourth round.
Pacquiao said even if both of them have trained hard for the multi-million matchup, nobody can predict who will win by knockout. De La Hoya had said whoever connects harder first wins the bout.
Meanwhile, after a late breakfast together with his wife Jinkee at his Palazzo apartment on 3rd Street here yesterday, Pacquiao watched inmates of Cebu provincial jail dance in the youtube together with brother Bobby.
Pacquiao praised the dancers clad in orange uniform for their discipline and quickness saying they could have been excellent sportsmen if they were not in jail.
If he is not in gym, Pacquiao plays dart inside the apartment together with Bobby, boxer Vernie Torres, and other members of Team Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, who grabbed the WBC 135-lb bauble with a ninth round disposal of Chicago-based David Diaz on June 28, said he has no problem scaling to the 147 pounds, the weight limit of his duel with De La Hoya, as he was weighing at 151 lbs. He is expected to easily make the weight limit on December 5, a day before the fight, while De La Hoya, who was last reported to be at 145 lbs, claimed he is a natural welterweight and considers his current weight as "not a problem."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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