Roach - Oscar's too old

Roach: Pacman for victory

Next week, the shoe is gong to be on the other foot and Oscar is going to find out first-hand how Julio Cesar Chavez felt the night he lost to Oscar the first time, June 7, 1996.

Freddie Roach
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DE LA HOYA v PACQUIAO
12 Rounds Welterweight
JUDGEMENT NIGHT
10pm, Saturday, December 6
Live on Sky Box Office & HD
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Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach insists his man will defeat Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas, as age has finally caught up with the Golden Boy.

Roach was in De La Hoya's corner when he lost a spilt decision against Floyd Mayweather Jr in May last year.

The 35-year-old held Roach responsible for the defeat and there is no love lost between the two men heading into the December 6 fight, which live on Sky Box Office.

Roach is now trying his best to guide Filipino superstar Pacquiao to a win over his former fighter, and he is confident the current pound-for-pound king will be triumphant.

Part-time

"Oscar is 35 and a part-time fighter," said Roach. "It's obvious that father time is catching up with him.

"His stamina has decreased and he's not the fastest learner when it comes to new things. Manny is Oscar's polar opposite when it comes to those factors.

"Manny can flat-out fight three minutes of every round for 12 rounds and he picks up a new lesson the first time it's shown to him."

Roach also blamed De La Hoya for the defeat against Mayweather, saying he could not stick to the plan the team had set out - a problem that could be his undoing again.

"Oscar works well when he can follow a script, but he showed in his fight against Mayweather that he's even having problems doing that," Roach added.

"Our game plan was working well the first half of the fight and then he stopped.

"Manny not only has the discipline and the stamina to follow a script in the ring, he has also become a master at improvising.

"And I think that may be the difference in this fight."

Career

With Roach almost guaranteeing a win for 'Pacman', he also thinks that the defeat will effectively end De La Hoya's sparkling career.

"Boxing is a young man's game and it's dangerous to overstay your welcome," Roach continued.

"You don't have to look any further than these four examples: Rocky Marciano ending Joe Louis' career, Larry Holmes ending Muhammad Ali's career, Terry Norris ending Sugar Ray Leonard's career and Oscar De La Hoya ending Julio Cesar Chavez's career.

"Sure they may have fought on after their losses, but their careers as elite fighters were over.

"Next week, the shoe is gong to be on the other foot and Oscar is going to find out first-hand how Julio Cesar Chavez felt the night he lost to Oscar the first time, June 7, 1996."