Oscar De La Hoya: Mind Says Mayweather, Heart With Pacquiao
Oscar De La Hoya is torn.
Having fought and lost to both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, De La Hoya's brain is telling him that "Money May" will have his hand raised May 2, but his heart is with Pacman.
The "Golden Boy" also thinks the Saturday night mega bout will be worth the wait of upwards of five years.
"I believe this fight is going to be more exciting today than five years ago because both guys are not as agile on their feet," De La Hoya said Tuesday, while talking to ESPN. "Mayweather has lost a step or two with his legs and so has Pacquiao. Pacquiao will have a chance to connect a few punches on Mayweather and vice versa."
De La Hoya added that he thinks Freddie Roach training Pacquiao will give him an advantage — Roach was in De La Hoya's corner in 2007, when he lost to Mayweather.
Roach says he learned a great deal from that fight and has applied that knowledge in preparing Pacquiao for his bout with the undefeated champion.
"I really did learn from the Oscar fight. It was a good lesson to me," Roach told ESPN. "Floyd is tricky but not very complicated. But if you get behind him and start following him around the ring he will set a trap. I have trained Manny not to let that happen. When he sets a trap, Manny will walk away."
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(Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
