Manny Pacquiao, boxing?s pound-for-pound king, has too many good reasons to say that his coming fight against Oscar dela Hoya is ?the biggest fight of my life.?
One, the Filipino superstar has never fought for a purse so big. For this fight, he stands to earn around $15 million ? more than what he earned in his last three fights combined.
That?s a staggering P675 million which is almost thrice as much as the P250 million the government spends for the close to a thousand national athletes in a year.
Two, the 29-year-old Pacquiao has never fought someone as big as Dela Hoya who stands 5?10 1/2? and has a reach of 73 inches. Pacquiao stands 5?6 1/2? with a reach of 67 inches.
Pacquiao?s name may ring a bell in every corner of the world, but the attention he will get this time will be incomparable. Trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao will be 10 times more popular after this fight.
Pacquiao?s three classic fights with Mexican legend Erik Morales drew a million pay-per-view hits combined. The fight against Dela Hoya, the undisputed pay-per-view king, can easily reach two million buys.
?That?s why this fight is taking place. It?s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Manny,? said one of his close advisers, Wakee Salud.
?The moment the idea of this fight was brought up (by boxing commentator Larry Merchant) I knew it was going to happen. Oscar cannot make as much if it?s not Manny he?s facing, and Manny can?t make as much if it?s not Oscar, too,? he added.
And for a change, Manny Pacquiao will climb the ring as the underdog when he fights the bigger but older Dela Hoya, pushing 36, on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
As soon as the fight, which should be the biggest this year, was sealed the other day MGM opened its betting line and placed Dela Hoya at -155 and Pacquiao a +135.
This means that a wager of $155 only wins a hundred bucks for Dela Hoya while a wager of $100 wins $135 for Pacquiao, always the huge favorite in his recent fights.
Die-hard Pacquiao supporters may cash in on this early odds, and place their bets now than wait for the time, by the time the fight nears, that it gets pretty close.
If only he can place his bet, Pacquiao will surely bet in the millions.
?I saw his last performance,?? Pacquiao said in a tele-conference, held at around 2:30 a.m. yesterday, that formally announced the staging of the dream showdown between two superstars.
?I think I can beat Dela Hoya,? he added. ?I?m faster and stronger than him, and I?m younger. I can beat him in the way I beat (David) Diaz in my last fight. My speed is going to be effective in this fight.
?He?s taller than me but I believe I?m stronger than him. I think this is a blessing from God,? said Pacquiao, the reigning WBC lightweight (135 lbs) champion who will move up two weight classes just to face Dela Hoya, almost a natural welterweight.
The weight limit is set at 147 pounds, and the last time Dela Hoya tipped the scales at that weight was when he fought Arturo Gatti in March of 2001.
At around that time, Pacquiao was fighting as a super-bantamweight (122 lbs).
Dela Hoya said making 147 is no problem, and he claims he?s around the vicinity with still three months before the fight. But the Pacquiao camp is making sure that he is, and they?re demanding at least $750,000 from Dela Hoya for every excess pound. They also want the weigh-in held on the day of the fight.
Dela Hoya, who fought his last two fights at 150 lbs, said he would have to change his style to counter Pacquiao?s.
?I do have to change my style around. I do have to adjust to his speed,? said the former champion of so many weight divisions.
?I know he?s a strong fighter, and I have to figure out a way to pull the trigger ? I have to find a way to increase my speed. I have quite a task in front of me,? he said.
?We have to figure out quick how we?re going to neutralize him. It?s going to be an explosive fight. My pride, and Manny?s pride,? said Dela Hoya.
It?s just too bad that the fight isn?t around the corner yet.
