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.....“Because Manny’s getting used to the 140 pound weight. He’s punching better, he’s settling into the weight much better now. He’s knocking sparring partners out, which he doesn’t do too often. We’ve gone through about four sparring partners this time. The thing is, by fight time, Ricky’s going to be heavier than Manny - but that doesn’t make you stronger. Manny’s become a very strong 140-pounder. Everyone thinks he’s a blown-up 112-pounder and ‘22-pound but that’s not true. He’s really developed into this weight. He had trouble making 135, he felt like he was starving himself. So that’s why we went to 147. But ‘40 is the best weight for Manny, I feel.”
Pacquiao began his professional career as a teen weighing 106 pounds and also moved up the scale to claim titles in five divisions (112, 122, 126, 130 and 135).
When you look at both men this week, however, the size difference isn't apparent other than De La Hoya being a few inches taller than Pacquiao.
Roach, Pacquiao's trainer and one of De La Hoya's many former trainers, has insisted all along that the size difference won't make much of a difference. In fact, it was Roach who was one of the driving forces in helping get the fight made because he had such a strong belief in Pacquiao's ability to handle De La Hoya.
"Manny's been getting bigger all the time, he's getting older, getting thicker, and he had trouble making weight," Roach said. "Even in the Diaz fight, the day of the weigh-in we had to lose two pounds. He told me then we're not fighting at '35 again. He said we had to move to '40. Then when this fight came about, when you [media] guys started talking about this, at first I thought no way, I thought it was unrealistic.
Pacquiao began his professional career as a teen weighing 106 pounds and also moved up the scale to claim titles in five divisions (112, 122, 126, 130 and 135).
When you look at both men this week, however, the size difference isn't apparent other than De La Hoya being a few inches taller than Pacquiao.
Roach, Pacquiao's trainer and one of De La Hoya's many former trainers, has insisted all along that the size difference won't make much of a difference. In fact, it was Roach who was one of the driving forces in helping get the fight made because he had such a strong belief in Pacquiao's ability to handle De La Hoya.
"Manny's been getting bigger all the time, he's getting older, getting thicker, and he had trouble making weight," Roach said. "Even in the Diaz fight, the day of the weigh-in we had to lose two pounds. He told me then we're not fighting at '35 again. He said we had to move to '40. Then when this fight came about, when you [media] guys started talking about this, at first I thought no way, I thought it was unrealistic.
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