Pacquiao to push Hoya to the limit

It’s Oscar dela Hoya, and not Manny Pacquiao, who’s going to run out of steam as the “Dream Match” enters the crucial rounds on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Freddie Roach said Pacquiao will make sure it happens.

“That’s what we’re going to do. Push the issue,” the celebrated American trainer told DogHouseBoxing.com in a recent interview at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

Roach said Pacquiao, in the thick of training for the biggest and heaviest fight in his career, has been training to last the whole 12 rounds against his legendary opponent.

“If the knockout comes it’ll be a bonus. That’ll be gravy. But you know, Pacquiao doesn’t train to knock people out. He trains to fight twelve hard rounds,” Roach told Gabriel Montoya.

Roach said they’d bring the fight to Dela Hoya.

“Make Oscar fight three minutes of every round. I think we will get him somewhere along the way because he does tire. But you know, obviously Oscar is a great fighter. I’m confident but I know it’s not going to be easy.”

Roach said letting the other camp know what their battle plan is wouldn’t change the outcome of the match.

“Well, obviously we have to get past the jab. We know that. It’s not a secret. People say that I shouldn’t be telling my strategy but who doesn’t know that. I mean, c’mon. Oscar is going to be using the jab.

“That’s going to be the key to him dictating the pace of the fight is to use his jab effectively. We got to take the jab away from him and that’s what we been working on. So far it’s working well,” said Roach.

Pacquiao has been working harder than ever for this fight, and his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, is amazed.

“I’ve seen no fighter in the history of boxing with the stamina of Manny Pacquiao. I’ve been in the business since 1966 and I haven’t seen anything like it,” said Arum last Saturday.