Manny Pacquiao still feels there is a very good chance that he will face Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
“Seventy-five percent,” Pacquiao told the Bulletin yesterday from General Santos City.
While Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) have yet to engage in another round of talks, Pacquiao is upbeat that promoter Bob Arum and GBP Chief Executive Officer Richard Schafer will forge a deal.
“They?re still working on it and Bob Arum knows what to do,” said Pacquiao, who revealed that both camps have agreed that the catch weight is 147 lbs and that he is open to using eight or 10 oz gloves.
“It would depend on the negotiation,” said Pacquiao, who returned to the country Monday morning after serving as flag-bearer during the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics.
Arum hasn?t talked directly with Pacquiao as he is keenly awaiting word from Schaefer, who was scheduled to confer with De La Hoya in Los Angeles but has informed Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal and advisor Mike Koncz about the result of his initial discussion with Schaefer last week.
Arum said the gloves issue has been resolved and that Pacquiao and De La Hoya will wear 8 oz gloves but the fact remains that the sharing of revenue has yet to be agreed upon by both parties.
Gacal said he was hoping that Pacquiao gets to use 8 oz gloves, while De La Hoya wears 10 oz since he is the naturally bigger fighter.
Pacquiao, 29, hasn?t fought beyond lightweight (135 lbs), while De La Hoya, who turns 36 in February next year, has been fighting as welter (147 lbs), super-welter (154 lbs) and even middleweight (160 lbs) the last ten years.
“From what I understand, if the fighters agree that they can use different size of gloves, they can go on with the fight,” Gacal said.
In the event a Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight is made, there?ll be no title at stake but interest will be at an all-time high since it will be a clash between Pacquiao the pound-for-pound champion, and De La Hoya, the pay-per-view king.
The 17,157-seat Grand Garden Arena inside the vast MGM Grand Hotel and Casino has been put on reserve by GBP to host De La Hoya?s swan song.
