The 17th (tomorrow) marks his 68th, so confesses boxing man Hermie Rivera. Our friend has one simple request. May we kindly print this piece as a birthday gift? Much obliged, boss. Take it away.-Ed
GIVEN the usual exploits of the combatants, the July 2 clash at the Araneta Coliseum between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar Larios could turn out to be one hell of a fight.
After a dearth of quality boxing events, the Big Dome roars back to life by staging Pacquiao’s first outing since destroying Erik Morales. This time it is against Larios, a former world champ who’s coming here to “win and not to lose,” according to his chief advisor Eric Gomez.
It took the coliseum’s top honcho, Nene Araneta, awhile to rediscover the lure of big-time boxing.
In turn, Nene’s move brought back the game to a venue which had played a vital part in the country’s storied boxing history.
A huge turnout is expected then when Manny enters the Big Dome ring where once the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Flash Elorde, Luisito Espinosa and countless other assets of the Sweet Science saw action.
For a while, the staging of this blockbuster hung in the balance, threatened by political mischief and the specter of a coup at the height of negotiations among the principals.
Luckily, it wound up well with ABS-CBN picking up the pieces after the US-based server HBO backed out.
Even with the sterling credentials of Manny, who lays claim to the best record going into this super featherweight tussle, the buzz going the rounds is whether the gutsy Mex can withstand the bombardment the GenSan marvel will unleash come fight night.
But boxing followers with an insatiable appetite for non-stop action will not hesitate to pull out their wallets for the much awaited event.
Just who is this Larios anyway?
He’s a former World Boxing Council super bantamweight champion from Mexico managed by the golden boy, Oscar De La Hoya, himself.
No less than De La Hoya’s right hand man, Eric Gomez, is adamant that Pacman’s decision to face their ward wasn’t a smart move at all.
Fact is, HBO, the pay-per-view giant, was most insistent in having Larios tangle with Pacquiao to guarantee a competitive match-up.
In addition to giving it all against the hardest-hitting super featherweight on the planet, the resolute Mexican is hoping to perform at least as well as he had done in his successful title defenses when he reigned supreme in his division.
Meanwhile, our man, the Gen. Santos City punching machine, is coming off from the most exciting victory of his career: when he beat the once redoubtable El Terrible Erik Morales to submission in 10 rounds at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas last January.
What we will see when Pacquiao and Larios collide would be their own not-so-contrasting styles-full of carefully contrived and energized hits.
Both will be right in their alley-in front of each other-with no backward movement until the big blows start hitting their targets.
If the slugfest in terms of ferocious leather exchanges turns out anything like Pacquiao-Morales II, expect one hell of a fight night to remember.
Adios Se?or Larios.
Can our fight fans get that lucky?
