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Solis: 'I don't know how to lose'


The southpaw Manny Pacquiao (43-3-2, 34 KO's) has been tabbed as a heavy favorite to win the Blaze of Glory match, but Jorge Solis (32-0-2, 23 KO's) says he is capable of beating the iconic Pacman, insisting that he doesn't know how to lose. Pacquiao will stake all his marbles on Saturday when he defends his WBC International superfeatherweight title against undefeated Solis in a 12-round brawl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (Sunday morning in Manila). GMA Network and Solar Sports will air the fight starting at 9 a.m., although the "live" telecast in Cebu will be held at the Casino Español, Marriott Hotel, as well as the Mandaue Sports Complex, and the New Cebu City Coliseum. Veteran sportscasters Chino Trinidad, Quinito Henson and boxing scholar Hermie Rivera will provide blow-by-blow analysis of the fights from ringside for the millions of Filipino fans who will be glued on their television seats to see the fights today. Two Filipinos are seeing action in the undercard, as Brian Viloria takes on Mexican Edgar Sosa for the vacant WBC light-flyweight title and Bernabe Concepcion defends his WBC Youth superbantam crown against American Benjamin Flores. A third Filipino fighter, Ernel Fontanilla, is set to face Torrence Daniels in a 'swing fight,' which will happen if one of the televised fights ends abruptly. If victorious, Pacquiao will be the next challenger to WBC superfeatherweight king Juan Manuel Marquez, who recently defeated Marco Antonio Barrera for the title. The third man for today's fight will be Vic Drakulich, who also called the shots for the Pacquiao-Eric Morales rubbermatch. Judges are Larry O'Connell, Gale Van Hoy and Oren Shellenberger. Weigh-in At Friday night's weigh-in, Pacquiao easily made weight, coming in at 128.75 lbs. right on his first try at the scales. Solis, for his part, only made weight after an hour of trying and three attempts earlier. His first try was 130.5 lbs, then 130.125, before finally hitting the 130 mark. He stripped naked and took off his necklace in a desperate effort to make weight. "Hindi nahirapan sa timbang si Manny. He looks very chiseled. Ang galing ng kundisyon. As for Solis, it seems he is having a hard time making the weight," reported Chicago-based Rolando Hiso, who took a long flight from Windy City just to be at ringside for the fights. New techniques Pacquiao, in an interview with scribes in General Santos City, said that they are preparing new techniques to be used for Solis. "May ibang techniques kaming i-aaply dahil sa style ni Jorge Solis. So you will see the new techniques tomorrow," Pacquiao stated. Pacquiao also said that he is delighted to know that his political rivals incumbent Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio and Mayor Pedro Acharon will reportedly watch his fight at the free viewing inside the Lagao gym in General Santos City on Sunday. "Masaya ako na manood sila. Yan naman ang gusto ko. Kalimutan muna natin ang politika," Pacquiao added. Solis's plan Pacquiao knows that Solis will be coming into the fight with everything. "Solis can punch. I'm not undeestimating his power. Plus, he knows he's in the fight of his life. This is his big chance," said the Pacman in an interview with Boxingtalk. Solis, however, appears to have studied Pacquiao's style so well, that his team is almost sure of a major upset. "The key to this fight will be movement. 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," the Mexican told Boxingtalk. - SALVEN LAGUMBAY, Philboxing.com