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Philippines, 20 May 2024 |
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HAS 'WEAR AND TEAR' CAUGHT UP WITH OSCAR DE LA HOYA? By Danyeva Grace C. Donato PhilBoxing.com Sat, 11 Oct 2008  When Freddie Roach recently revealed in public that Oscar De La Hoya ?could no longer pull the trigger?, was the Hall of Fame boxing trainer referring to De La Hoya?s apparent decline after more than 15 years of trading mitts as a pro? ?The wear and tear is evident because he has not been active these past years,? said the editorial in Iloilo Today. ?De La Hoya has been reportedly busy these past years playing golf and attending to parties and nightly gimmicks while Manny Pacquiao was trading tongs and hammer versus Erik Morales, Marco Antonio, Juan Manuel Marquez, and recently David Diaz, all top-caliber fighters.? De La Hoya?s last fight on May 3, 2008 where he outfoxed Steve Forbes for 12 rounds was viewed by some experts as ?lackadaisical? and although he compiled a record of 39 wins, 30 KO?s against five defeats, the paper shows he logged only one fight per year since 2006. Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, was busy trading tongs and hammer against the top super featherweight titans when De La Hoya thought retirement was the best option after blasting his way to stardom and there seemed to be no more interruption starting when he erased from the map the deadly Pernell Whitaker, Julio Caesar Chavez, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, and Hector Camacho in amazing fashion. During the multi-cities promotional tour, it may be noted that De La Hoya neither cursed nor belittled Pacquiao. In San Francisco, California, he even serenaded the 29-year-old underdog in an apparent defense mechanism for his failure to convince odds makers that he still what it takes to blow away a human skull in square jungle. Suspicion that the Golden Boy was waned was bolstered after he had to change his trainer overnight. The lack of long-term working relationship between fighter and trainer is a big letdown in any megabuck fight.. There are also suspicions that De La Hoya?s breadbasket is as soft as pillow due to long months of inactivity. If Pacquiao can connect with a picture-perfect haymaker in the bodega, the fight could be over in a blink of an eye. Pacquiao is still arguably one of the most deadly finishers in the business in the bodega department. On December 6, De La Hoya will show to everyone that he is still macho and that those who claim that Pacquiao can beat him are going to eat their words. Pacquiao, however, has other plans in his mind. And his ?deafening? silence has worried De La Hoya who is not used to facing a silent fighter who seemed cannot hurt a fly but is actually capable of changing the course of boxing history with a stunning upset victory. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Danyeva Grace C. Donato.  |
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