Fantasy Man here. I put down the football stats for a while so I could vent on the “Dream” fight tonight between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. Can I vent?
All you need to know about this spectacle is that when they posed for pictures at Friday’s weigh-in, De La Hoya was in his socks and they had Pacquiao put his shoes on.
De La Hoya is a much bigger fighter. At 5-foot-10 1/2 inches, he has a four-inch height advantage and a six-inch reach advantage over the 5-6 1/2 Pacquiao. But the bigger discrepancy is in weight and power.
De La Hoya is down to 145, but has fought against 160-pounders and will surely put back on 10-12 pounds between Friday’s weigh-in and tonight’s opening bell. Pacquiao is up to 142 but has only fought once at 135 pounds. And that was against a slow David Diaz in June.
Worse for Pacquiao and his fans tonight is that he has heart. He is an attacking fighter who leaves himself wide open, and that hasn’t hurt him against 126- and 130-pound fighters. But it will tonight against a 157-pound guy with a huge left hook who needs a win badly after losing two of his last three title fights.
That’s why De La Hoya handpicked Pacquiao as his opponent. And that’s why Pacquiao initially turned him down. And that’s why De La Hoya gave him $11 million.
Marketed differently, this would be like Sugar Ray Leonard, not in his peak but still dangerous, fighting a jockey, a spirited jockey mind you. Is that a “Dream” fight you would spend $55 to watch on pay-per-view?
It’s a disgrace. There is no way this fight lasts five rounds.
