'Ill-prepared' Pacquiao will lose to Horn, says conditioning coach

BRISBANE, Australia – Jeff Horn’s strength and conditioning coach insists he has seen something that the camp of Manny Pacquiao and everyone else have not.

Through what he claims as in-depth analysis of Pacquiao’s training the past few weeks, Dundee Kim has concluded that the Filipino icon is not well-prepared to go to battle with Horn and will lose in their bout a few days from now.

“I think Manny Pacquiao looks like he didn't prepare to work. He only concentrated in training for three weeks,” Kim, who hails from South Korea, told Filipino scribes at the sidelines of the lone pre-fight press conference on Wednesday at the Suncorp Stadium here.

A self-confessed “big fan” of Pacquiao, Kim said there’s something wrong with the WBO welterweight champion’s physical appearance and movement this time.

“As far as video analysis of his face, his movement and paddlework with Roach, he's not ready,” added Kim, who also shared that he scoured social media for videos of Pacquiao in training.

Dundee Kim, Jeff Horn's strength and conditioning coach. | Dino Maragay/Philstar.com

While Pacquiao’s handlers stressed that the champion has had a solid training camp, the Filipino needed a few days to shed rust when he opened camp in Manila months ago. There was even one day where he struggled in sparring.

But Pacquiao and his team vowed that everything went smoothly since, and that the General Santos City-based southpaw has peaked at the right time for Sunday’s bout.

Kim, for his part, is still not convinced.

“I looked at YouTube videos, at (Pacquiao trainer Freddie) Roach's Facebook training (videos), he (Pacquiao)'s not ready. His legs are not moving, his head not moving, his punching power's not ready,” Kim continued.

Credited for helping the 29-year-old Horn reach contender status by gradually building his muscle mass and boosting his power, Kim said it’s odd that Pacquiao is entering a fight ill-prepared.

“I love Pacquiao, I'm a big fan of him. I followed him for a long time. But it's just strange why he didn't prepare well. I've never seen him not prepare for war,” he said.

Kim insisted that he’s a good judge of character and stands by his assessment of Pacquiao.

“They said he (Pacquiao) prepared well but I know. I'm Christian, he's Christian. God will not bless you if you're not well prepared,” he said.