Roach walang kaba sa presensiya ni Dundee

Kagaya ng dapat asahan, hindi nakaramdam ng nerbiyos si American trainer Freddie Roach kaugnay sa pagkuha ng Golden Boy Promotions kay legendary trainer Angelo Dundee bilang consultant ni Oscar Dela Hoya. 

 “I don’t care if Oscar has Major Dundee in his camp. No one is going to be able to help Oscar pull the trigger when he faces Manny on December 6,” sabi ng 48-anyos na si Roach sa paghugot ni Dela Hoya sa 87-anyos na si Dundee, may 15 world boxing champions na kinabibilangan nina Hall of Famers Muhammad Ali, Carmen Basilio, Sugar Ray Leonard at George Foreman.

 Nakatakda ang non-title welterweight fight nina Dela Hoya at Manny Pacquiao sa Disyembre 6 sa MGM Grand Garden Arena sa Las Vegas, Nevada.

 Makakatuwang ni Dundee sa preparasyon ng 35-anyos na si Dela Hoya, ang 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medalist, si Mexican chief trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, tumayong cornerman ni Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez sa dalawang laban nito kay Pacquiao.   

“If Oscar’s trainer and they do that to me, I’ll leave,” pang-aasar ni Roach kay Beristain. “There is only room for one boss in the training camp. With two, it doesn’t work.” 

Ito ang unang pagkakataon na lalaban sa 147-pound limit (welterweight) ang 29-anyos na si Pacquiao mula sa paghahari sa flyweight, super bantamweight, super feather-weight at lightweight division.

“It’s going to be the styles of the fighters, not the weight that determines the winner of the fight,” sabi naman ni Dundee sa pagbaba ni Dela Hoya buhat sa light middle-weight class para sagupain si Pacquiao sa welterweight.

 Isang malaking tulong si Dundee, maglalagi ng ilang araw sa Big Bear training camp sa Nobyembre, sa paghahanda nina Dela Hoya at Beristain, ayon naman kay Golden Boy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Schaefer. 

“We felt to have somebody with the knowledge and the eyes and the credentials of Angelo Dundee to observe and give us his thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of Dela Hoya and Pacquiao — it’s invaluable,” ani Schaefer. “That’s why we wanted to have Angelo as a camp consultant.” (Russell Cadayona)