FightFan.com’s Ace Freeman weighs in on the recently signed mega-fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao and examines what it means for boxing’s current pound-for-pound king.
It is actually happening. When I first heard that this fight may become a reality for December 6 of this year I was taken aback. The first stage I went through was denial. I simply didn?t believe that ?Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao? could or would happen. As it became more apparent that the fight was actually being negotiated I experienced some anger. I was excited for the landscape of the lightweight division with Manny Pacquiao in it, but I wanted to see De La Hoya pick on someone his own size in Antonio Margarito. Where do these stars of boxing get off not doing what public opinion and common sense seem to dictate they should?
Finally, in late August? acceptance. Manny Pacquiao is going to move up from 135 pounds (where he had had just one fight) to 147 pounds to face Oscar De La Hoya who will move down from 154 pounds.
Suddenly I found myself staring at a blank computer screen and an over inquisitive cursor demanding that I tell them what I think of this match up.
My immediate feelings are the initial ones I had which seemed solid logic as to why this fight need not happen. The facts remained? Manny Pacquiao is currently the best fighter on the planet. De La Hoya, while obviously and significantly bigger in stature, is widely regarded as being well past his prime.
And then? dollar signs. It doesn?t take an expert to remind you that money makes the world go round. The fact that this is one of the biggest money fights that can happen in boxing has resonated since the initial hints of the match up began to surface.
Still, it doesn?t seem that simple to me. Despite the fact that Oscar publicly spoke about this being Manny Pacquiao?s biggest payday (and by a wide margin) in the negotiation process, it didn?t seem to be mentioned nearly enough that Pacquiao is a money making machine in his own right. If that is lost on you try and spy the little Nike logo on everything he wears.
No, this is about more than money. For Manny Pacquiao? this is about conquest. The expectation that comes with being the top pound-for-pound fighter in boxing comes with an equal part criticism and there are those that see this as an exhibition bout. No titles are on the line. Oscar De La Hoya is not a top pound-for-pound fighter. Is he a big challenge? Or is he just big?
In many ways he is a monolith. Certainly in earnings he is an Everest who leaves any fighter who steps in the squared circle longing for an opportunity to cash in. Oscar De La Hoya has transcended the sport in the regard that while the boxing fraternities may not find their thirst for significant title fights quenched, they are silenced by the sheer magnitude of the million fans who pony up $50 each to watch him fight.
It is that spotlight that Manny Pacquiao wishes to step into. For Pacquiao, it isn?t about his immediate and personal legacy any more than it?s about the money or what boxing writers might think. Larry Merchant once put it very eloquently saying something to the effect of there being an entire Nation that lives and dies with every move the Filipino fighter makes, and as Manny takes that tremendous weight on his shoulders? it gives him wings.
Enter the Filipino people to the equation. Manny Pacquiao?s tremendous rise to greatness in recent years has seen the 29 year old fighter elevated to the status of an Elvis Presley to his people. He is everything that a European soccer team is to their country, all wrapped up in to one single individual.
The story of Manny Pacquiao isn?t limited to boxing fans. He is an active symbol for his nation and he instills pride in all his fellow countrymen. When Manny Pacquiao fights? life in the Philippines stops. People gather in local bars and theaters. Families (from infants to grand parents) gather in their homes glued to their televisions and the crime rate all but stops.
It is with this focus and level of attention that the significance of this ?Event? comes in to play. Oscar De La Hoya is a monumental figure, and Manny Pacquiao moving up in weight to face a fighter larger than life is nothing more than the next chapter in his story. Can the smaller hero overcome the tremendous disadvantages to become the victor in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds? Is there a Rocky Balboa twist waiting around the corner if Pacquio were to lose but with a gallant effort? For Pacquiao the act of laying it on the line and possibly defeating the titanic figure that is Oscar De La Hoya makes for an epic storyline.
This is a fight where title belts and the lofty expectations of dedicated boxing fans can be put on hold to allow other plot lines to come to the forefront. Internationally a broader light will be cast on boxing and the sporting world will take notice. It may not be the fight boxing pundits were calling for? but it is the stuff of which legends are made.
