LAS VEGAS?Oscar De La Hoya, handsome in a black-and-white hero?s get-up, glowed pinkish with a facial make-up Wednesday upon entering the MGM Grand, site of his dream fight against Philippine pride Manny Pacquiao.
But Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach need not suspect a mask.
Oscar is here to wage battle, not to shoot another television segment.
Oscar will also be pulling the trigger.
And he won?t be firing blanks, whether Roach likes it or not.
***
Manny Pacquiao, in a smart blue business suit, his gym beard shaven, was mobbed by autograph seekers when he formally entered the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Members of the welcoming party, most of them Filipinos, included many Mexicans who have embraced Pacquiao as their own.
Of course, the Golden Boy camp knows what the Pacman is up to.
He did not come for a simple business meeting.
He will instead be all business inside the ring come Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) at MGM Grand.
***
They came via different routes, Pacquiao by land, De La Hoya on a plane.
There was visibly no rush behind the hotel lobby formalities.
But Pacquiao beat De La Hoya by nearly two hours, his formal entry started at 11 a.m.
De La Hoya was on schedule for his 12:30 welcome.
Both warriors reported for the routine rites cool and composed.
***
No, it didn?t matter who between the two tested fighters, today?s hottest prizefight properties, got registered ahead in their official quarters.
Asked by a veteran Filipino television talent how he managed to look a lot younger than his 35 years, De La Hoya laughed.
?It?s in the food I eat, my workout and my haircut,? he quipped.
De La Hoya, who appeared in a light mood, is scheduled to jog today.
He also informed the interviewer he has been tipping the scales at 144 and 146 lb.
***
When the Dream Match was first announced, the two combatants were separated by no less than 20 pounds.
It?s a bit odd, but the smaller Pacquiao, who signed up for the big fight still a certified lightweight, the reigning WBC 135-lb king, has suddenly broken the 147-lb limit for his rich welterweight battle with De La Hoya.
Actually, there were taunts that Oscar would need a miracle in order to normally scale down to 147 from at least 160 lb.
How the Golden Boy trimmed splendidly, with no reported artificial agents, has stunned experts.
***
Anyway, gone is the dreaded size disparity, which had at first threatened to turn the Dream Match into an oddity.
At least, there?s the happy promise of the Pacquiao-De La Hoya now being decided through pure athletic prowess, not on bigness or the lack of it.
Of course, there are bigger questions waiting for urgent answers.
Will it be ruthless power over craft and composure, or will it be the other way around?
Will it be the sharpshooter, who prepared and trimmed down naturally, or the dangerous bomber whose new size and might were carved through strange means?
Stand by for some unmasking at the end of the Dream Match on Saturday night.
