INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Amid the ?distraction? wrought by the issue of unpaid sanction fees, confidence within Team Pacquiao continues to soar with the belief that the Dec. 6 ?Dream Match? at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas won?t end up being a nightmare.

For Manny Pacquiao, that is.

As far as Freddie Roach is concerned, Oscar De La Hoya is going to wake up bewildered after Pacquiao puts him to sleep somewhere in the first nine rounds of the year?s most anticipated fight.

?I?m so confident in Pacquiao in this fight,? Roach told FoxSports.com?s Mark Kriegel during an exclusive video interview. ?We?re going to knock (De La Hoya) out nine rounds.?

The bold words come at the heels of an admission by a lawyer representing Pacquiao that the Filipino ring icon?s attention is now split between training for the Dec. 6 bout and worrying about the World Boxing Council?s threat to strip him of his title over unpaid fees.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman warned Pacquiao on Thursday that if he doesn?t cough up the $130,000 it owes the boxing body, he might be forced to strip the Pacman of the lightweight title.

?This is a bit of a distraction,? for Pacquiao who faces De La Hoya in a nontitle fight in Las Vegas, lawyer Jeng Gacal said.

Gacal said they were ?surprised? by the charge that Pacquiao still owed the WBC money for his July match against David Diaz, when he won the organization?s lightweight belt.

Boxers pay fees to the WBC in exchange for the organization sanctioning their bouts.

Gacal said he had sent a letter to the WBC asking for an explanation, saying such fees had always been deducted from Pacquiao?s purses.

The WBC clarified in a statement Friday that the unpaid dues may have stemmed from a misunderstanding involving Michael Koncz, one of Pacquiao?s advisers.

The Filipino, according to the WBC, owes the organization $30,000 in unpaid sanction fees and $100,000 for the coming De La Hoya bout.

The WBC said in a statement that it felt ?humiliated and betrayed? by the actions of Koncz.

Despite the controversy, Roach feels nothing can stop Pacquiao from beating De La Hoya.

?He [De La Hoya] gets quite tired at normal paces,? Roach said. ?Pacquiao doesn?t fight at normal paces. We?re going to push the old man.?

?Oscar can?t really stand the pace of a Manny Pacquiao, fighting three minutes of every round, attacking him, putting the pressure on this guy, taking away his height and reach advantage by getting close and working that body where Oscar has been weak his whole career.?

With reports from Salven Lagumbay, Contributor; AFP