By Mark Vester
Oscar De La Hoya's longtime trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. says that he can help the fighter beat Manny Pacquiao in a rematch. Last Saturday in Las Vegas, Pacquiao dominated and battered De La Hoya for eight rounds. Mayweather was the man De La Hoya wanted to train him for the fight with Pacquiao, but Mayweather had already accepted the task of training Ricky Hatton for his bout with Paulie Malignaggi. Mayweather has trained De La Hoya for all but two fights during the last seven years.
"I think I can take De La Hoya, to be honest, and beat Pacquiao," Mayweather told The Grand Rapids Press. "People might say, 'Oh, no, you can't,' but some of those same people said I couldn't make a change in Hatton in seven weeks. People change who want to change. It's not going to be a change overnight but there could be a change, believe me. Do I believe Oscar could whip Pacquiao?' Yes."
De La Hoya hired Nacho Beristain for the training task. Beristain's most famous pupils are the Marquez brothers, Rafael and Juan Manuel. Mayweather says Nacho did nothing for De La Hoya and helped him lose the fight. Most experts say that is wasn't about using the wrong strategy, they feel De La Hoya got old and destroyed his body by coming down to 145-pounds, the lowest weight for Oscar in twelve-years.
"Nacho Beristain didn't do anything with Oscar. All Oscar had to do was catch Pacquiao's right jab with his right hand and fire that hook over the top. About three or four times doing that and he would've taken that jab away, I guarantee you. He would've stopped him," Mayweather told The Grand Rapids Press.
Mayweather will get his chance to show the world that he can devise a plan to beat Pacquiao. Mayweather's new fighter, Ricky Hatton, is the likely opponent for Pacquiao in 2009. Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions will get together shortly to discuss a Pacquiao-Hatton fight.
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com
