‘Pacquiao can knock out Oscar de la Hoya’ - Roach

MANILA, Philippines – Talk about the possibility of a Manny Pacquiao-Oscar de la Hoya blockbuster bout is being rekindled. And what does Freddie Roach have to say? Simple. “I think Manny can knock Oscar de la Hoya out." For the first time since capturing the world lightweight crown and names of Pacquiao’s next possible opponents have been floated around, the de la Hoya option has been broached seriously again. And Roach doesn’t sound like he’s joking about the possible result of a Pac-man-Golden Boy showdown. “Oscar’s been looking for a fight right now. And him and [Felix] Trinidad, they’ve stopped negotiating. And I’d love to see Bob [Arum] negotiate for a de la Hoya fight because I believe that at this point in Manny’s career, I think he can knock Oscar de la Hoya out," Roach said in an interview on the Sports Chat radio program on dzSR Sports Radio. A Pacquiao-de la Hoya match was considered improbable just 12 months ago. But when he announced that 2008 would be his last year as a boxer before hanging up his gloves, de la Hoya shared his thoughts that inadvertently shocked the world. “I want to fight the best fighters. And if ever Pacquiao moves up in 147, I will be there for the challenge," de la Hoya said in an article by Dennis Principe on BusinessMirror in November 2007. De la Hoya was supposed to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a rematch scheduled for September but Mayweather decided recently to retire. De la Hoya said he wanted to fight three more times this year before calling it a career. Given the negotiating time needed to pit the two superstar boxers, December may be the best time to hold the megabuck battle. “I would be fine with a December fight," Roach said. “It’s a better date than November. Manny’s right hand is a little sore now. I’d like to let that heal completely. And if we fight Oscar, we need to train long for that to find out what kind of style we’re going to fight with him." Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, has Humberto Soto and Edwin Valero in mind as Pacquiao’s next opponent. But Roach rued the choices, saying both were not “saleable". – Dominic Menor