Nazario says In Jin Chi will go in seven

Rod Nazario said yesterday World Boxing Council featherweight champion In Jin Chi of Korea will be lucky to survive seven rounds with Manny Pacquiao in case their fight pushes through on April 29 in Macau.

Nazario, who used to be Pacquiao’s business manager, gave In Jin Chi only an outside chance to score an upset.

"His only hope is a lucky punch," said Nazario. "Manny has been floored before so it’s not as if he won’t go down if he gets hit flush on the chin. The Korean is durable. But nobody hits harder than Manny at 130 pounds. In Jin Chi has no defense and he’s wide open for Manny. If he gets hit by Manny, it’s over."

Nazario underwent a quadruple heart bypass operation last September. A week after the surgery, he developed complications and nearly died. Nazario was given only a 20 percent chance of survival as he battled pneumonia, asthma, diabetes and arthritis. He was hospitalized a total of 38 days before being discharged with a clean bill of health.

Now, Nazario is back in circulation, managing four pros and three amateurs and operating the Wild Card Gym in Parañaque.

Nazario said Pacquiao is at the peak of his career and it depends on him how long he can fight at a high level.

"Even a car, no matter how good it is, will overheat if you don’t take care of it," said Nazario. "There is also wear and tear. Manny can continue fighting at a high level for years if he takes care of himself, doesn’t abuse his body and doesn’t get hit too much in the ring."

Nazario said no superfeatherweight or lightweight today can beat Pacquiao if he’s in shape.

"I think Manny can go straight to lightweight and earn even bigger purses fighting Diego Corrales, Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz who are all brittle," said Nazario. "He can clean up the lightweight division and make enough money to retire and enter politics, if he wants."

Nazario said he agrees with the strategy of alternating hard and easy fights to prolong Pacquiao’s career. Erik Morales, for instance, was burned out at 30 because he fought too many tough bouts successively.

"In Jin Chi will be an easy fight for Manny," said Nazario. "Any manager will try to get easy fights for his fighter if the money is right. That way, he can fight many more years."

Nazario said fighting Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch would bring in a huge payday for Pacquiao but the fight is in jeopardy because Juan Manuel Marquez is in the way. Barrera and Marquez are squaring off on March 17.

"Marquez is a good counterpuncher and if Barrera doesn’t change his style, he could lose," said Nazario. "If that happens, a rematch with Manny won’t be as marketable. Of course, Barrera can counterpunch, too, but it will be a dull fight although I think Marquez will lose in that case."

Nazario said Pacquiao has improved a lot since his watch.

"I think he has more power now because he’s bigger," continued Nazario. "His defense is better. His footwork has also improved. He is able to cut the ring off on opponents who try to move away from him. His right hand? He’s always had a strong right. Remember the Gabriel Mira fight? Manny used his right to knock him out. Training abroad makes a big difference. When he used to train here, Manny would really just train himself because he knows better than his trainers. In the US, he follows what Freddie (Roach) says."