I did not get a chance to ask this pertinent question on Thursday?s conference call but I am sure it will be a factor as the lawyers for Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao pound out the contracts for their Dec. 6 showdown in Las Vegas.
They?ve settled the gloves issue but an open question and one that could make a real difference into who wins this big bout has not been addressed, at least publicly.
When will the official weigh-in be held?
For a typical PPV fight, the weigh-in takes place in the late afternoon the day before the bout. In this case, with the much smaller Manny fighting Big Oscar, I don?t see how promoter Bob Arum and the rest of Pacman?s team can accept this.
For his WBC lightweight title bout against David Diaz, it was often noted that Pacman blew up in weight to welterweight, to 147 pounds by the time he entered the ring for a fight for the 135-pound title.
So let?s say Oscar and Manny weigh in about 4 pm Vegas time on Friday, Dec. 5. By the time they get into the ring the following night, about 8 pm, De La Hoya could easily be well over the middleweight division limit of 160 pounds.
Due to his smaller stature, Pacquiao cannot add such poundage. He wouldn?t want to either less he lose some of his hand and foot speed because of a bloated gullet.
This is an unusual fight, an unusual situation but, not to worry, there is a Michael Marley Old School solution which will make this fight fairer and only add to legitimacy of the matchup.
Manny needs to get Oscar to agree that the official weigh-in take place at noon on Dec 6.
They can have an unofficial weigh-in on Friday and just use that for publicity purposes.
But the only way to make sure that Oscar goes into the ring anywhere close to 147 pounds (157 pounds?) is to go back to the timing of years gone by, the same day weigh-in.
Obviously, the money split on all the various revenue streams, is the biggest issue to be solidified in the contracts.
That should not be a big problem, not with an agreement in principle already in place.
But, in terms of fight night competitiveness and fairness, the same day weigh-in is the biggest prefight round.
I think Pacman trainer Freddie Roach would certainly agree with me.
If Oscar does not agree to a same day weigh-in, or there is no reasonable compromise (maybe weighing in Saturday morning about 8 o?clock?), then I would have to agree somewhat with those critics who call this a monstrous mismatch in size.
This is the prefight fight that Pacquiao must win in order to be able to win in the ring.
Fighting a middleweight at the welterweight limit is what I think that Megamanny thinks he has bargained for.
Fighting a super middleweight in a bout contracted for 147 pounds is quite another.
If the Pacman reps want to concede about 20 pounds to Oscar, then something becomes quite clear.
It means Manny and his Merry Men are showing up Dec. 6 for a payday and not for a victory.
