Somodio confident Manny will beat Money

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach’s chief assistant Marvin Somodio said recently he has no doubt that Manny Pacquiao will beat Floyd Mayweather, perhaps by knockout, if and when they finally square off in what has to be the most awaited boxing match of the decade.

Somodio, who was recruited by Roach to work as the master’s apprentice at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles in 2012, was in town for three weeks with his girlfriend Melissa Limbo during the Christmas holidays. Somodio and Limbo left Manila to fly back to Los Angeles the other night. While in the country, they went to Baguio, Iloilo, Boracay and Quezon to visit friends and family.

A highlight of Somodio’s trip was the blessing of a three-bedroom bungalow he financed for his mother Luzvivina in Jelicuon Este, New Lucena, Iloilo. For two years, Somodio sent money out of his earnings every month to pay for the construction of the house. One of nine children, Somodio said he made it a priority to build a house for his mother after settling in Los Angeles. A sister Mae lives with his mother. His father has passed away.

Somodio also visited his friends in Baguio where he went to high school and trained with the national boxing team for four years. It was in Baguio where Somodio met Roach while he trained Pacquiao for Miguel Cotto in 2009. Roach eventually invited Somodio to join him in Los Angeles as his assistant. Without professional experience as a boxer, Somodio decided to enter the pay ranks in 2011 while awaiting the issuance of his US work visa. He won twice and lost once before finally receiving his visa. Now, Somodio is Roach’s lead assistant and supervises the training of over 20 fighters at the Wild Card Gym.

Asked if Amir Khan would pose a problem for Pacquiao in case they fight, Somodio said not at all. “Amir would be easier to beat than Mayweather,” said Somodio. “Manny likes to engage and so does Amir. Maybe, in the first four rounds, it will be competitive against Amir then Manny will take over. Amir will engage more than Mayweather and that will make it easier for Manny to win.”

Somodio said Mayweather’s tendency of fighting back when hurt could be fatal. “First of all, Mayweather has problems with southpaws,” he continued. “He had difficulty with lefthanders like Zab Judah and DeMarcus Corley and they’re not even in Manny’s class. Mayweather likes to fight with his back against the ropes then he’ll spin out. He’ll throw a left jab or a right lead then a left uppercut. Manny will be ready to counter. If Manny’s in the same condition he was when he fought (Chris) Algieri, he’ll knock out Mayweather.”

Somodio said Mayweather hates to lose rounds and that could cause his downfall. “If Mayweather’s hurt, he won’t run away like Algieri,” he said. “He’ll stand up and fight. That’s how Manny likes it. Mayweather doesn’t like to lose rounds and he keeps that in mind. So if his opponent gets a lead, he’ll try to fight back right away so he doesn’t lose the round. It’s the way he is.”

Somodio said from what Pacquiao has shown in the ring in his last two fights where he beat two previously unbeaten boxers Timothy Bradley and Algieri, he can continue performing at a high level for at least three or four more years. Pacquiao has a contract with Top Rank until the end of 2016 or four more fights. The speculation is three fights are reserved for Mayweather and a final fight may be held in the Philippines before he retires.

Somodio has joined Roach in Pacquiao’s corner only for the Brandon Rios fight in Macau in 2013. He was assigned by Roach as chief cornerman when Brian Viloria halted Hernan Marquez to retain his WBA/WBO flyweight titles in Los Angeles in 2012 and Ruslan Provodnikov defeated Mike Alvarado for the WBO lightwelterweight crown in Denver a year later. Last November, Somodio worked the corner of Provodnikov when he stopped Jose Luis Castillo in Moscow. Before the Provodnikov-Castillo bout, Somodio was in actor Mickey Rourke’s corner for his second round stoppage of Elliot Seymour in the undercard.

Somodio said when he arrived in Los Angeles in 2012, a spate of bad luck welcomed him at the Wild Card Gym as Roach’s fighters suffered successive losses. One of the setbacks was Pacquiao’s knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas. “Marquez was ready to go when he landed that lucky punch,” said Somodio. “Marquez stepped on Manny’s foot as he came in. Marquez waited for Manny to make two feints, knowing he’ll come forward. Manny never made excuses, he never came out to complain about Marquez stepping on his foot. Marquez looked so strong in that fight. In the third round, he knocked down Manny with a shot from far out. Marquez never had that kind of power in their first three fights. When Marquez fought Bradley, he didn’t look as strong. I really think 24/7 drug testing should be imposed on fighters so we know who’s clean and who’s not.”

Somodio will leave for New York today to work the corner of unbeaten Ukrainian lightmiddlweight Taras Shelestyuk for a fight at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino on Friday. Shelestyuk, 29, is a former world amateur welterweight champion and a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist with a pro record of 9-0, including 6 KOs. He is one of several East European fighters trained by Roach and Somodio.