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DE LA HOYA FIRES SPARRING PARTNER
Posted on 31 October 2008
Oscar De La Hoya has reportedly fired light welterweight sparring partner Victor “Vicious” Ortiz (22-1-1, 17 KO’s) not because he was no good but because he was “beating him up” according to celebrated trainer Freddie Roach who is handling Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao.
In a telephone conversation from his famed Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Roach said “they fired sparring partner Victor Ortiz because he was beating him (De La Hoya) up and they hired Edwin Valero” the WBA super featherweight champion. When we first ran that story Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer vehemtly denied it and said De La Hoya hadn’t even started training while vice president Eric Gomez laughingly said “that’s good for Pacquiao.”
Roach said Valero is a southpaw but “doesn’t fight like Manny. He can hit but he’s slow.”
On the other hand Roach said Pacquiao went six rounds with Marvin “Much Too Much” Cordova who is 20-0-1, 11 KO’s) and weighs 154 pounds and British lightweight hope Amir Khan (18-1, 14 KO’s) who is training with Roach also in preparation for a December 6 fight in England .
Roach said Cordova has a good, powerful jab and a right hook while Khan has a good right and a jab and is fast. In fact WBO champion Gerry Penalosa’s manager Billy Keane told us earlier that Khan’s handspeed appeared to give Pacquiao a few problems at the start of their first sparring session but he was soon able to handle it.
Roach contends that both Cordova and Khan right now are “better than Oscar so his jab won’t be a problem.”
Roach, pushing his efforts to peeve De La Hoya as he clearly did with his “can’t pull the trigger” statement said the decision to hire the venerable 87 year old trainer Angelo Dundee as a consultant was “a slap in the face of trainer “Nacho” Beristain. If I was Oscar’s trainer and they do that to me, I’ll leave. There is room for only one boss in the training camp. With two it doesn’t work.”
Roach exuded confidence and went to the extent of saying “I don’t know if I am crazy but I can’t see any way that Oscar can last with Manny Pacquiao. The way Manny is attacking his opponents. He is very focused, working very hard and I am really confident. Maybe too much.”
Roach continued “the way Manny is preparing for this fight I have never seen him like this. He has moved down to 152 pounds and you should see his body. Not an ounce of fat on him. He is very strong. Everything is right on schedule.”
The two-time “Trainer of the Year” said they have figured out that they have toget past De La Hoya’s jab adding “who in the world doesn’t know we have to get past the jab and go to his body.?” But that, in the eyes of Roach “isn’t a problem.”
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