When people think of intimidation in terms of boxing, visions of former undisputed heavyweight champions ?Iron? Mike Tyson or George Foreman might come to mind. They had the look, the style, and the out of ring antics that would leave most spectators unsettled with a sense of fear.
When the name Oscar De la Hoya comes up, I?m not exactly sure what most people tend to think of. He doesn?t possess the weathered face of a blood and guts prize fighter. His language in public always seems at times to be a bit too politically correct. In essence, if you probably asked most casual fans of the sport as to whether they might have a legitimate chance at beating De la Hoya in a street fight, most would probably like their chances.
It?s quite laughable being that the ?Golden Boy? would most likely never engage in a fist fight in the street and if he did, most humans would have their jaw ripped off by one those nasty left hooks the East Los Angeles native possesses.
Don?t believe me?
Just ask Ricardo ?El Matador? Mayorga.
It?s quite amusing to think that people perceive De la Hoya as a beatable character simply based on his looks and demeanor outside of the ring. It?s as if the public forgets that the man is a championship caliber prize fighter that has the ability to knock the average person unconscious with relative ease.
With the proposed match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De la Hoya, it just begs me to ask the question as to how the ?Pacman? would fare against any other top five or even top ten welterweight today.
For instance, I?d make Pacquiao a 10-1 underdog against a solid contender such as Joshua Clottey.
Miguel Cotto? Are you nuts? The Puerto Rican would absolutely ruin the Filipino superstar within four rounds.
This is not meant to discredit Pacquiao in any way, shape, or form but rather my way of looking realistically at the proposed super fight for December.
What about Paul Williams versus Pacquiao or Antonio Margarito versus the ?Pacman?? What? you say it?s not fair because both of those 147 pound fighters are too big?
Am I missing something? Has Oscar De la Hoya recently contracted a spinal ailment bringing his height to that of a tree stump?
While I?m not stating that De la Hoya-Pacquiao wouldn?t provide some decent intrigue, it?s akin to a freak show where everyone wants to see what whether the Octopus can truly read Shakespearian passages while sitting on a stool. I?d pay to see that and I?ll pay to see the ?Golden Boy? vs. ?Pacman? but it doesn?t necessarily mean that it will be easy on the eyes.
Remember people, the world’s craziest police chases and the superbowl of hotdog eating contests tend to draw solid television ratings.
Even an untested champion such as Andre Berto would open up as at least a 6-1 favorite over Pacquiao simply based on the size and strength differential. While both Mayweather and De la Hoya made going up in weight look relatively doable, it was based on their versatility and adaptability rather than pure relentlessness.
We all remember what Antonio Margarito looked like when he went up in weight against current 154 pound belt-holder Daniel Santos. The Puerto Rican might not have even been the best junior middleweight at the time but he still gave Margarito plenty of problems strictly based on his size and strength advantage.
Do not be fooled by De la Hoya?s matinee idol good looks and think? he?s a beatable character. No disrespect to either Nate ?The Galaxxy Warrior? Campbell or Joan Guzman but would anyone give either of them a chance to beat De la Hoya?
I doubt it and simply based on that it just seems to me that it?s a bit much to ask Pacquiao to do the unreasonable.
If the fight does end up happening, it ends up happening. I won?t complain for once but I?ll still refer to it as a freak show?
PS. I always wanted to see Kelvin Davis vs. Nicolai Valuev. Can somebody put that on the undercard? If not Davis, substitute Montel Griffin for the 5’7″ cruiserweight.
