‘THRILLA? IN MANILA ARENA COMES ALIVE 31 YEARS LATER
Manila, RP-Although there are plenty of fights taking place this weekend, none will have a bigger impact on the sport than that of the Manny Pacquiao-Oscar Larios encounter. Scheduled for 12 rounds, the two men will fight at 130 lbs. for the WBC International title. All that really means is a green belt will be wrapped around the winner, at an estimated cost of 2% from each mans purse. The card starts on American Pay Per View TV at 9 PM ET, which is 9 AM Sunday morning in the Philippines.
PEOPLE WILLING TO BET AGAINST PACQUIAO?
At 40-3, with 33 early endings, Manny is a decided betting favorite. So much so that people who have for years time and again bet the underdog and lost, are dropping a few ducats on Larios at +$500. Sometimes when the odds go one way and hard, people in boxing get, ?underdog-itas.? This is a malady that affects people looking to defy the odds.
OSCAR JUMPING TWO DIVISIONS IN WEIGHT
While his moving from 122 to 130 lbs. in one fight may seem like a huge jump, Larios, 56-4-1, (36 KOs) stands 5?8, or an inch and a half taller than the Filipino terror. Looking for somebody that knew something about beating Larios, yesterday I talked with Frank Espinoza, manager of World 122 lb. king Israel Vasquez. Seeing Vasquez had halted Larios in December 2005 in Oscar?s last fight, I asked him if he thought betting on the underdog in this case was a good idea.
MANAGER OF LARIOS VICTOR HANDICAPS MATCH
?He (Oscar) cuts up real easy. I don?t think he can beat Manny,? said Espinoza who continued. ?So, it?ll probably be a TKO on cuts, or Manny will just stop him. Pacquiao is notorious for throwing every punch as if it were a knockout punch. With him coming forward, the fight is his. Larios? only chance is to back Manny up, as he doesn?t fight well like that. Israel stopped him twice, and he stopped Israel once. Israel thinks Pacquiao will just be too much firepower for Oscar to handle.?
PUMPED UP PACQUIAO HARD TO DISSUADE
With a packed Araneta Coliseum just bursting at the seams with rabid Pacman fans, and Pacquiao being the stronger both physically, and from a punching standpoint as well, this is a tough row of corn for Larios to try and hoe. Having trained for this fight in Japan, Larios? people think he will be more acclimated to the Philippine time zone. On the flipside, Pacquiao, who trained in Los Angeles, CA until about 12 days ago, is said to have tried to keep the same schedule since arriving.
