THE most intriguing matchup perhaps since the Queensberry rules were instituted will finally happen this Sunday (Manila time) as boxing?s poster boy Oscar de la Hoya puts his legacy on the line against a literally smaller but equally distinguished champion Manny Pacquiao for 12 rounds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Criticized to no end for acceding to the challenge of his much lighter foe and his camp, de la Hoya tried every trick in the book comparable with the ?Mommy, Where Do Customers Come From?? manuscript, to make it appear the fight has the makings of a classic one.
Known to be a regular 154- to 160-lb fighter, de la Hoya is said to be facing the fight of his life, training for two months in the mountains of Big Bear in California and shedding off regular flesh and muscles from his five-foot-10 frame to make the welterweight limit of 147.
Pundits wishing for a dream come true of this fight hyped as ?The Dream Match? believe that a de la Hoya going way below his body mass index (BMI) will make him vulnerable and give Pacquiao a much better chance of scoring an upset.
It?s interesting to note, however, that at five-foot-10 and 147 lb, qualifies de la Hoya, at least based on the BMI calculation, in the normal weight category.
?I feel in tremendous shape. I can spar 12 rounds with no problem. I can run 10 miles with ease. Haven?t felt this good in a long, long time,? said de la Hoya.
While de la Hoya does all the glib on his side, Pacquiao remains considerably modest with his answers even to the most persuasive questions thrown at him by mainstream media.
?I?m really focused for this fight. I?m just doing my job. I train hard to win for my countrymen,? said Pacquiao in his usual riposte.
How it all started?
It all started when the BusinessMirror contacted Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach a few weeks after Pacquiao dethroned lightweight ruler David Diaz in June at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Back then, Pacquiao?s promoter Bob Arum was tinkering with the idea of matching up the world?s top pound-for-pound fighter against either Mexican Humberto Soto or Venezuelan knockout artist Edwin Valero.
Roach insisted Pacquiao, for his stature, deserves to fight the best and one name the American guru mentioned was de la Hoya.
Not only did Roach believed a fight with de la Hoya will be huge, promotional wise. The Hall-of-Fame American trainer even daringly said Pacquiao is capable of knocking de la Hoya out.
?I know Oscar is looking for an opponent this December and I believe my guy can take on Oscar,? said Roach. In the ensuing interview, Roach blurted what is now a byword not only in boxing but in all of sports as well?the ?can?t pull the trigger? one-liner.
?When I trained Oscar, he was just having trouble pulling the trigger and he?s a little bit slow. If Stevie Forbes can hit him as easily as he did, I know Pacquiao will knock him out,? said Roach. ?I know my guy. The thing is, I would never take a fight that I didn?t know my guy could win. I would never do that.?
Roach was referring to his only training gig with de la Hoya, the Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight, which the Golden Boy lost by a narrow decision.
De la Hoya publicly stated he will be fighting for the last time this December although he was still searching for an opponent as the proposed rematch with Mayweather got scuttled with as the undefeated American champion announced his retirement.
De la Hoya?s last fight was a 12-round decision win against Steve Forbes.
De la Hoya?s negotiations with one-time tormentor Felix Trinidad fell through which, according to Roach in the same interview with the BusinessMirror, opened up the de la Hoya-Pacquiao showdown.
?I think Bob is a real smart guy and he?ll come up with something. December is a better date than November because Manny?s right hand is a little sore and I?d like to let that heal completely,? said Roach then. ?We need a long training camp just to work on the styles of how to beat him because he is a bigger guy but he does have trouble pulling the trigger now. He is not the same Oscar 10 years ago.?
Roach said he asked around and learned that de la Hoya can fight at 147 lb if a real worthy opponent is available at that weight.
?I want Manny to weigh-in 140 lb and then at fight time he?ll be at 145, he?ll have his power and speed. I just don?t see Oscar handling Manny at this point of their careers,? Roach said. ?Manny told me he?d love to fight Oscar and Oscar has made it public he?d love to fight Manny and I think it?s a big, big fight.?
The weight has been a nagging issue for de la Hoya, whose last fight in the welterweight division was on March 24, 2001, when he stopped American Arturo Gatti via a fifth-round technical knockout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since then, de la Hoya has campaigned in the light-middleweight and middleweight divisions where he won titles in each divisions. Pacquiao meanwhile captured the super featherweight title with a close decision win over bitter Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez last March. He followed it up with that win over Diaz that made the Filipino icon a four-division world champion, adding his WBC flyweight and IBF super bantamweight belts.
Though he will be moving two divisions up from his lightweight kingdom, there were no major changes to his training as Pacquiao did all of his regimen at Roach?s famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.
For his Big Bear camp De la Hoya hired legendary American trainer Angelo Dundee as consultant with fellow legend Ignacio ?Nacho? Beristain as lead trainer.
Dundee is credited for his role with legends Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman and Muhammad Ali while Beristain has produced 16 Mexican world champions.
?I see in him a heckuva fighter having a good time preparing for a big fight. And he?s ready for it. I know the condition he?s in right now. My concern is he doesn?t leave all the condition here and take it to the fight,? said Dundee.
Dundee in some ways did his role in downplaying irksome statements, at least for his boss who is also the lead promoter of this card.
?Oscar de la Hoya?s fought tough guys his whole life. The weight have nothing to do with it. The height will have nothing to do with it. What will determine the fight is that Oscar?s the better fighter,? added Dundee.
The fight will be televised by GMA-7, Solar Sports and will have a live blow-by-blow account on GMA?s AM radio DZBB and all their FM stations nationwide.
