SAN ANTONIO --- Last year’s Fighter of the Year and Trainer of the Year will be reunited this weekend after all. Manny Pacquiao confirmed Friday that Freddie Roach, apparently given special dispensation from Oscar De La Hoya, will fly from Puerto Rico to San Antonio Saturday in time to join the Pac-Man for his fight against Jorge Solis at the Alamodome.
“He ain’t coming all the way here to sit in a ringside seat, mate!” replied assistant trainer Justin Fortune when asked if Roach would have hands-on authority in the corner.
When he fought Marco Antonio Barrera in the same venue four years ago, the Mexican was the drawing card and Pacquiao the relatively unknown opponent. This time it has been left to him to carry the show, and it appears he has done his job well. Over 15,000 tickets had been sold by yesterday morning, and if promoters Bob Arum and Lester Bedford are correct in their assessment of the walk-up potential, a crowd of over 20,000 would make this one the second best-attended fight in San Antonio history, behind only the Julio Cesar Chavez-Pernell Whitaker draw at the Alamodome.
“Solis can punch,” said Pacquiao (43-3-2). “I’m not underestimating his power. Plus, he knows he’s in the fight of his life. This is his big chance.”
Though little known outside his native Mexico, Solis is unbeaten (30-0-2). The only remotely recognizable name on his resume is Humberto Soto, and their 2003 fight was declared a three-round No Contest after Solis was cut badly by an unintentional butt.
“The key to this fight will be movement,” said Solis. “I know Pacquiao is going to throw a lot of punches, but if I keep moving and he isn’t hitting anything, eventually he’s going to get tired.”
At the same time, Solis realizes that sooner or later he’s going to have to throw some punches himself. When he does, he is hoping to take advantage of his height – at nearly 5’9” he has close to three inches on the Pac-Man – to score with jabs.
Like his brother, reigning IBF light-flyweight champ Ulises (Archie) Solis, Jorge is a former pupil of El Profesoro, Jesus Rivero, “but since he is no longer with us, we now must help train each other.” Archie will be in the Solis corner against Pacquiao tonight.
Although most of the crowd will be there for Pacquiao, Solis said he isn’t worried about getting jobbed should the issue go to the scorecards.
”If it goes the distance, that means I’ve taken him there, and I will win the fight,” he predicted.
Pacquiao scaled in at 128 3/4 at yesterday’s weigh-in at the Alamodome. Solis initially came in a half-pound heavy but after some light exercise returned to the scale and made the limit at 130.
Nevadan Vic Draculich will be the referee for the Pacquiao-Solis fight, while England’s Larry O’Connell will join Texans Gale Van Hoy and Oren Shellenburger on the panel of ringside judges.
Only the meaningless WBC International 130-pound title will be at stake in the main event of Arum’s “Blaze of Glory” card, but that’s enough to get it scheduled for 12 rounds.
Two legitimate WBC titles will be at stake in other fights on the PPV televised card. Jorge Arce moves up to challenge for Cristian Mijares’ junior bantamweight championship in one, while in the other Brian Viloria has been matched against Edgar Sosa in a bout for his former light-flyweight title, which was vacated following a positive drug test by Omar Nino Romero.
Arce (46-3-1), who with a win would join countrymen Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales as the only Mexicans to win world titles in three different weight classes, says he is taking the bout so seriously that he will eschew his usually colorful ring entrance.
“No horses for me,” he said. “Not even any dancing.” (Arce was a former participant in his country’s version of “Dancing With the Stars.”)
“This is too important,” said Arce, who claims he wants IBF flyeweight champ Vic Darchinyan next, once he disposes of Mijares.
Mijares (30-3-2) has never before fought in the United States. A comparative rarity among Mexican boxers, he is a college graduate who plans to enroll a Mexico City law school later this year. As a fledgling broadcaster, he served as a ringside commentator for Mexican television back in January when Arce fought Julio David Roque Ler.
“Of course I’m excited about the opportunity,” he said.
”If I beat Arce I will be the new star.”
No shrinking violet, Mijares says he is not only better looking than Arce, but that he’s a better dancer, too.
“Everybody gets his 15 minutes of fame,” sighed Arce when he heard of the boast. “Only in his case, it’s going to be more like five minutes.”
Arce weighed 115 on the nose yesterday. Mijares was three-quarters of a pound heavy on his first attempt, but subsequently scaled in at 115.
Mike Griffin of Canada will be the third man in the ring for Mijares-Arce, while the judges will be Duane Ford of Nevada, Tom Kaczmarek of New Jersey, and Englisman Mark Green.
The past year has been a lesson in humility for Brian Viloria, who lost his title to Romero last August, and then saw the Mexican defend it with a majority draw in November, a result later vacated when Romero tested positively for a substance identified by the Nevada Commission as “methamphetamine.”
“I decided it was time to get right back on the horse,” said Viloria, who apparently realizes how fortunate he is.
“How often do you get a chance to fight for a world title after two fights like those?” said Viloria, who said he had logged nearly 260 hours of sparring under new trainer Joe Goossen, who took over the corner in Roach’s absence.
Viloria (19-1-1) realizes that Sosa will have been viewing tapes of his fights against Romero, “and I expect he’ll try to put a bit of Nino’s style in his arsenal.”
Sosa is 26-5, but hasn’t lost since 2003 and is riding a 14-fight win streak. He is also making his US debut, and has never before performed for an audience of larger than 3,000.
“This is obviously a big opportunity for me,” he said. “Everyone knows who Brian Viloria is in the states. If I beat him I will also be big.”
“Big” being a relative term for a pair of 108-pounders. Viloria and Sosa both checked in at the divisional limit.
Benji Estevez will be the referee for the Viloria-Sosa fight, with Texan Jesse Reyes, Burt Clements of Nevada, and Max de Luca of California the judges.
At least one other non-title bout will be included on the pay-per-view telecast. Undefeated junior middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (30-0-1), the son of the Mexican legend, will take on Anthony Shuler (20-4-1) of Indianapolis.
“I want to show people I’m ready for the next step,” said Chavez, whose father arrived in San Antonio yesterday walking on crutches, but accompanied by a large posse.
Shuler, who moved from the Bronx to Indiana, where he won three state Golden Gloves titles before turning pro, was a fan of Julio Sr., and has been studying tape of his son.
“Normally I regard myself as a boxer and counterpuncher,” he said. “But I know in this fight I need to be on the inside. It’s not my style, but if I’m going to beat him it’s what I need to do.”
Chavez weighed 151, a pound more than Shuler. Five other fights are included on tonight’s card, and if some of the featured attractions run short, a few of them could wind up on television as well.
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