He won?t sign his name to the declaration. He is afraid of business recriminations more so from Golden Boy Promotions than from Top Rank.
I?m calling this veteran of four decades in the boxing business The Prophet Of Pacquiao Doom. He is not some fringe character or some yahoo shouting that the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, should be one bad heartbeat away from the presidency.
He is, in our trade, a man of respect. He is loved by few, hated by many and respected by all.
That?s why I have to put some credence in his warning for what will happen in a Las Vegas ring come Dec. 6. To hear the man tell it, this will be a day that lives in boxing infamy.
The man, I mean The Prophet, makes BC naysayers John Chavez and Ricardo Lois seem like a cheerful earful, as optimistic as Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, when it comes to Oscar versus Manny.
?This is a total disgrace,? The Prophet told me this weekend. ?The Nevada commission should be investigated for passing this garbage, they really should. They are going to rubber stamp a ridiculous fight because of the power of the MGM Grand and, less so, because of the two promotional companies.?
The Prophet is not waiting to see how Oscar and Manny look in training camp. He is making his gloom and doom prognostication here and now.
And it is a shocker.
?Oscar by KO in one round,? The Prophet said.
I shot back at The Prophet. I said, ?Do you mean the same De La Hoya who has won three of his last six bouts and could only KO Ricardo Mayorga in that period? He is going to knock Pacman out in a single frame??
?No doubt!? The Prophet snapped back. ?When?s the last time Oscar the true middleweight fought a featherweight and that is what Pacman is, a blown up featherweight. I say KO 1 by Oscar.?
If The Prophet is correct, Pacquiao?s name will go on the short list of those banged out in one round by De La Hoya. With 30 KOs on his pro log, De La Hoya only has four opening round victories.
In his pro debut in 1992, the Golden Boy got a KO 1 over Lamar Williams and then came right back to do the same to Clifford Hicks. In his eighth pro bout, Oscar dispatched Troy Dorsey just as quickly.
Fourth and final guy who did not get into round two against Oscar was Narciso Valenzuela who, on Oct. 30, 1993, suffered the same fate.
In his next bout, Oscar showed his mettle by winning his first crown, the BO super featherweight title, with a 10-round stoppage over rugged Dane (is there any other kind?) Jimi Bredahl.?
?This is a blatant, screaming mismatch which is only about the money,? The Prophet said. ?It should be branded an exhibition, not a boxing match, because Manny has no chance.?
The Prophet may be right or he may be wrong. But he sure does not sugarcoat it.
Come on, Great Ring Oracle, tell us what you really think, lol.
