AT FIRST glance, a matchup between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao doesn?t make sense.
But, in a story written by Dan Rafael on ESPN that came out Monday (Tuesday in Manila), the noted fight scribe discussed the probability of such a fight taking place with veteran and respected analyst Larry Merchant.
After the two boxing men exchanged views, Rafael then phoned Top Rank big boss Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, to comment on the prospects of pitting De la Hoya with Pacquiao, regarded as boxing?s top attraction today.
“We?ll take it,” Arum told Rafael over the phone. “I don?t even have to call Manny. I am sure he would accept the challenge without question.”
That was all Rafael needed to hear and, suddenly, it began to make sense.
In the past, accomplished fighters in the lower weight classes had tried to challenge the big boys in the hopes of earning more money and the best examples were the title shots of middleweight king Sugar Ray Robinson against light-heavy Joey Maxim, lightweight Henry Armstrong against Filipino middleweight Ceferino Garcia, and more recently that of light-heavy Roy Jones Jr. against heavyweight John Ruiz.
Merchant told Rafael in one of their regular boxing discussions that Pacquiao blew up to 144 lbs on the night he outpointed Marco Antonio Barrera on Oct. 6 after making 130 lbs on the eve of the bout.
For the fight to take place, Pacquiao and De la Hoya would have to agree on a catch-weight, say, 147 lbs, according to Merchant.
The last time De La Hoya fought ? losing on points to Floyd Mayweather last May ? the popular American puncher tipped in at 154 lbs although he started out his career at 130 lbs in 1992
The last time De La Hoya fought at around 140 lbs was in 1997 when he beat Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
Pacquiao stands 5-6, is 28 years old and has a reach of 67 inches, while De La Hoya stands 5-10, 34 years old and a has wingspan of 73 inches.
Besides, there?s a tinge of bad blood in this fight considering the legal stuff that surrounds De La Hoya and Pacquiao.
Once upon a time, Pacquiao had inked a seven-fight deal with De La Hoya and the Golden Boy was not able to exercise his rights over the famed fighter after Top Rank came into the picture.
Before Pacquiao and Barrera fought in a rematch, De La Hoya tried to put a stop to Pacquiao?s April 14 fight with Jorge Solis and was denied by a Nevada court.
While it remains a conjecture at this point in time, strange things have happened in boxing where money talks and everybody tend to listen.
