Hoya will find a different Pacquiao

Gearing up for the fight of his life, Manny Pacquiao yesterday vowed to beat Oscar de la Hoya in their Dec. 6 showdown in Las Vegas and prove to all that the Filipino fighter is the best in the world.

“I will never let my countrymen down and I will show the world that the Filipino fighter is the best,” said Pacquiao in his column posted at Philboxing.com. 

Back at the Wild Card gym following a hectic, whirlwind six-city promo tour that hyped up their duel at the MGM Grand Garden, Pacquiao impressed a group of fans and supporters with his form and outlook in what could be the toughest but richest fight ever for the Filipino boxing icon.

“It’s Pacquiao time,” one of the gym rats shouted as Pacquiao climbed the ring to begin a 10-round mitt session with trainer Freddie Roach.

According to Philboxing.com, Pacquiao looked more solid and compact, underscoring his readiness for his new-found weight class at 147.

“I’m giving away so much in height and reach against De la Hoya. And at 147 lbs, this will be my toughest fight,” said Pacquiao. “But I promise that from the opening bell, you will see a different Pacquiao.”

 “Give him a few weeks and you will see how far better he would look,” said Buboy Fernandez. “He feels so good about this fight and that will help in his training.”

Pacquiao’s 10 rounds mitt session with Roach was amazing and his power incredible.

“I can feel the power,” said Roach when asked about the Pacquiao’s punches.

For the first time, the noted trainer wore a body shield to protect himself from the controlled body punches that might stray and hurt him.

Pacquiao, a 1-2 underdog, started his day with body stretching and isometrics under conditioning coach Alex Ariza. He then did a few rounds of shadow boxing to loosen up before he and Roach climbed the ring to begin the punch mitts sessions.

The Filipino icon then did the other usual routines – the heavy bag with Fernandez and the speed bags with Nonoy Neri before doing the jump ropes and the cool down exercises.