LAS VEGAS ? Larry Merchant, who brought up the idea of this ?Dream Match? ahead of everybody else, came out with his latest, precious thoughts on the fight.
At the Wild Card Gym in LA Monday, scribes caught up with the ageless boxing commentator and sought his analysis of the Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar dela Hoya show.
The former sportswriter known for his hard-hitting comments was at his usual self.
?Well, Oscar is the favorite because he?s the busier guy, the taller guy. So, he should be the favorite,? said Merchant who came to see Pacquiao on his last day of sparring.
?The unknowns about Oscar cannot be measured on the scale or on the ruler. The unknown is his age, his inactivity, his fighting southpaws. But those intangible factors you can only find out in the ring.
?When people are betting, they?re betting on what they know. And as a matter of fact… he fought very well against Mayweather. Better than I thought he would so you cannot underestimate him,? he added.
Merchant was asked what edge the other boxer has over the other.
?Well, Oscar has height advantage which may be more important than the weight advantage. And Manny has to find a way to cope with that. He?s got a great left hand and he (Pacquiao) will have to find a way to deal with that and neutralize that,? he said.
If he were Pacquiao, Merchant said he?d rather deal with Dela Hoya?s right hand ?because his right hand is not a great weapon.?
Pacquiao, he said, has his own advantages.
?What Manny has is he?s in his prime with great energy. And he?s a left-handed real puncher. We?ll see how his punch matters against the bigger men because Oscar has a good chin even among bigger men,? he said.
The 76-year-old Merchant added that the opening rounds will be more crucial for Pacquiao.
?I think what happens in the first three or four rounds will determine the fight. If Manny can get through those rounds and try to impose his activity on him and hope that in the last third of the fight he can control the fight.
?But he must get through the first four rounds. I don?t know what Manny has in mind I think that Manny has to give him something to think about early in the fight,? Merchant went on.
Merchant knows too well that Pacquiao?s greatest weapon is the quickness of his left hand, but the question is how it would affect Dela Hoya once he lands it.
?There are very few left-handed power-punchers and the opponents don?t see it coming and that?s why it has such an impact on them. But everybody knows it and it?s a real weapon,? he said.
Merchant can?t wait for the fight ? his fight ? to happen.
