INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines ? Beware of that left hook.

Manny Pacquiao?s former manager Rick Staheli advised him to run around, hit around, and take advantage of the known fact that Oscar De La Hoya has difficulty facing a smaller foe.

But don?t get in the way of De la Hoya?s vaunted left hook.

?Let Oscar earn his dollars. At 35, he can?t keep up, make Oscar beat you with his right hand,? Staheli was quoted as saying by philboxing.com.

Staheli nurtured Pacquiao up to his first title ? the WBC flyweight crown ? which the Filipino won after knocking out Thai Chatchai Sasakul in the eighth round of their fight in December 1988.

He said he doubts if Pacquiao could knock De La Hoya on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand, but if the 10-time world champion ?gets careless,? he?s bound to suffer.

De La Hoya?s only KO loss came from Bernard Hopkins in 1994 after taking a hit to the body, so Staheli advised Pacquiao to ?get under that left jabs and quickly throw a right hook or a left straight to the liver. And quickly get away please.?

Staheli reminded Pacquiao that De La Hoya is a natural southpaw who has since evolved to become an orthodox boxer, which make both hands equally lethal. Pacquiao, over the past two years, has developed his right hand to become his latest weapon of destruction.

Known for having one of the hardest chin in the sport, De La Hoya had a tough time disposing of 5-foot-6 Pernell Whitaker in their WBC welterweight title fight nine years ago.

De La Hoya also lost by decision to 5-foot-8 Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year, and had a bruising encounter before beating 5-foot-7 Steve Forbes last May.

Expected to watch eagerly by the stands on fight night is Juan Manuel Marquez, who still feels he has a score to settle with the Filipino icon who stripped him of the WBC super featherweight belt last March.

?That?s a fight that everybody wants to see, everybody is talking about it now,? Marquez told setantasports.com.

Pacquiao is technically also in the De La Hoya?s Golden Boy stable but after working out a deal with Top Rank, he fights under the banner of Bob Arum.

Marquez, whose trainer Ignacio ?Nacho? Beristain will be at De La Hoya?s corner, is preparing to fight 37-year-old Cuban legend Joel Casamayor on Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila).

?Well first of all I can tell you that Manny Pacquiao knows that on the second fight something strange happened in the decision,? said Marquez, who has witnessed his rival leap into stardom after their explosive May 2004 fight.