LAS VEGAS ? Retired international referee Carlos (Sonny) Padilla, who made a name for himself as the third man in the ring when Muhammad Ali halted Joe Frazier in the ?Thrilla In Manila? in 1975, said yesterday Oscar de la Hoya will likely stop Manny Pacquiao in their duel (this morning, Manila) because of his size advantage but didn?t rule out an upset.
Padilla, 74, works here as a driver at the Harmon Medical and Rehabilitation Center. He hasn?t visited Manila in eight years. Last Thursday night, he and wife Esperanza were at the McCarran Airport to welcome granddaughter Karylle who will sing the National Anthem before the Dream Match.
?My advice to Manny is to stay away from De la Hoya in the early rounds and tire him out,? said Padilla. ?When De la Hoya lost to (Tito) Trinidad, he hardly threw punches in the last three rounds and lost a decision. If Manny finishes stronger, he has a chance. But if De la Hoya connects, I think Manny will go down because he?s just too strong and too big.?
Curiously, Padilla said he thinks Pacquiao?s only hope to win is to knock out De la Hoya. The problem is, he added, De la Hoya is known to be durable and has withstood the blows of fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Shane Mosley, Julio Cesar Chavez and Arturo Gatti.
?I don?t think Manny can win on points because of the height and reach disparity,? said Padilla. ?De la Hoya will control the fight with his jab. But you?ll never know. If Manny uses his speed and De la Hoya isn?t able to hit him, we could see an upset. In boxing, anything is possible.?
Padilla recalled that in his last fight as a referee, Pacquiao stopped Nedal Hussein of Australia in the 10th round in Antipolo in 2000.
?Manny wasn?t polished yet and he got knocked down badly,? said Padilla. ?I deducted a point from Hussein for intentionally pushing down Manny after the knockdown and that gave Manny some time to recover. A head-butt opened a cut over Hussein?s eye but I motioned a punch did it. Later, I asked the doctor to stop it and Hussein?s manager Jeff Fenech got really angry. The win was important for Manny because it eventually led to his title shot at (Lehlo) Ledwaba a year later.?
Padilla said he retired from working Las Vegas fights because of too much politics in big-time boxing.
?I don?t kiss anyone?s ass like my contemporaries like Richard Steele, Davey Pearl and Joe Cortez,? he said. ?I didn?t want to play politics so I just quit.?
In his prime, Padilla worked major world title fights involving Roberto Duran, Larry Holmes, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Wilfred Benitez, Michael Spinks, Ali and Frazier.
On a lighter note, Padilla said he?s very proud that Karylle, 26, will sing the national anthem. ?I think her mother Zsa Zsa is still a better singer but Karylle has a lot of time to catch up,? he beamed.
Karylle said she auditioned before Pacquiao last year and only got the call for the De la Hoya fight.
?I?ve never watched a boxing match ever and I?m really excited to watch Manny,? said Karylle. ?I?ll sing the national anthem, not too slow, not too fast, but with a lot of feeling.?
Karylle said she will wear a rose-red terno for her ring appearance.
