Former world champion De La Hoya knows all about Pacquiao having fought him before and was stopped inside the distance when they fought.
It represented the end of Oscar De La Hoya’s professional boxing career and was his last ever pro fight in December of 2008.
Fast forward to 2025, speaking to the KO Artist Sports channel — De La Hoya advised Pacquiao:
“Right now, rest is Manny Pacquiao’s friend in between training, in between sparring sessions. There’s no shame in taking a day or two off, Manny, trust me. Let your body relax, let your body rest. He’ll do fine. He’s experienced, he obviously has the power because it never leaves you. I’m a little worried about the speed, but Barrios is a live dog. He’s a world champion, and he’s no slouch. I think it’s going to be a good fight. I wish Manny all the best. I’m not sure who’s going to win. I really haven’t seen Barios but the youth is obviously in his corner.”
He’s probably talking sense there. Pacquiao is already training very hard but the odd day or two off in the next eight weeks is probably smart.
He can spend that time with trainer Freddie Roach and the team going over tapes of Barrios anyway.
They will be quite familiar with him at this point with the fight being talked about for over a year at this stage.