THE DREAM FIGHT FOR THE AGES - PART II

THE DREAM FIGHT FOR THE AGES
(Pacman Schooled the Golden Boy)

by Doods A. Amora, PEE

The reality of the dream came in sweet…

But in the lurking shadows, a nightmare lingers not only for now, but for long in the stretch of unkind history...


SWEET DREAMS, HAUNTING NIGHTMARES

“In a Fight Between A Good Big Man and A Good Little Man, the Good Big Man Always Beat the Good Little Man.” That’s the state of things before the morning of December 7 in the Philippines. But then a david named Pacman lopsidedly but unexpectedly vanquished the legendary goliath in a masterful display of domination.

"Our dream came true," Roach said. "It was no surprise. I knew in round one we had him. He had no legs, he was hesitant, and he was shot. My guy was just too fresh for him."

With his left eye swollen shut and face bruised, the Big Man called out similar to Roberto Duran’s infamous “no mas”!

Eight rounds of punishment were enough. There’s no sense prolonging the pain.

The mismatch is over. The nightmare had to be stopped...


THE PREPARATION

Before the fight, Freddie Roach was tagged as 'irresponsible' when he led the Pacman’s camp in making this mismatch to happen. But Roach maintained that Oscar can’t pull the trigger anymore. Except for the die-hard Pacman fans, Freddie was not being believed. The odds showed it. Even in the Philippines, a lot of the money in the last minute came out for Dela Hoya.

To be honest, I was scared of this fight. When Oscar fought Pretty Boy Floyd, my scorecard was for Dela Hoya. I watched them again lately and I still believe Dela Hoya won that fight. What awed me were the stiff machine-gun jabs that kept Pretty Boy at bay, the strong big left hooks that Pretty Boy highly respected and the 45 degree angled uppercuts that had paralyzed a lot of champions. They, as I imagined, must be too much weaponry against the smaller Pacquiao. And Oscar is not the lethargic type. He is himself a relentless pumping machine.

Who is not scared of the Golden Boy?

De La Hoya had a monstrous training camp at the Big Bear Mountains in California. In preparing for this fight, a lot of new arts & sciences in body conditioning like acupuncture, plyometrics, exotic diet, etc; all these had been incorporated into a novel regimen supervised by two of boxing world’s greatest maestros: Angelo Dundee and Nacho Beristain. With two top southpaws in Victor Ortiz and Edwin Valero as sparring partners, what else can a boxing pundit ask for?

A week before the fight, De La Hoya was said to have slid phenomenally down to 145 and later at 141 pounds. On the opposite side, Pacquiao was reportedly hovering at some 153 lbs - meaning that Pacquiao in a likely twist of events could be the heavier guy comes fight time. Unbelievable...?

Odd indeed because Pacman fans were looking forward to a drained Oscar as a result of dieting, if not, of starvation en route to achieving 147 lbs. Fearsome looking on the contrary, the weigh-in pictures showed a well-trimmed, well sculptured and a physically excellent Oscar Dela Hoya.

Meanwhile, Pacman’s mentor Freddie Roach elected to make the most of the same old traditional Wild Card sweat-shop style of training. Although Plyometrics was also explored but later it was abandoned - it reportedly did not fit to Pacman’s metabolism. With less fanfare this time, the Pacman worked, worked & worked diligently to the limits.

Entering the ring at 148.5 pounds from the 142 pounds at official weigh-in, Pacquiao surprisingly, was the heavier fighter when the first bell rang. De La Hoya, who weighed 145 just 24 hours earlier, came into the ring Sunday at 147. Defying traditional logic, something was smelling fishy..? Nah, charge it to the wonders of modern science...


OSCAR CAN’T PULL THE TRIGGER ANYMORE?

Although Oscar showed some brilliance in the first round, Manny Pacquiao set the texture of the fight – influencing the action, out-speeding and out-hitting Oscar De La Hoya. In the third round, we already knew Pacquaio had Oscar beaten; the reddening of Oscar’s face was manifestation of a prelude to a massacre.

The feared big Left Hooks although executed once in a while, just hit air all night. Likewise, the rangy & rapid jabs could not smack the mark and the right straights could not be set up. All the while, the missiles called Caliber 45 didn’t show its effectiveness even with the proddings of Nacho Beristain. At this time it appeared that all the pre-fight hypes about the size & reach advantage and the conditioning marvels of De La Hoya eventually meant nothing.

What happened? Probably, the Golden Boy can't pull the trigger anymore.

In fairness to ODLH, to me Oscar can still pull the trigger but not if Manny Pacquaio is his opponent.

Constantly waving and moving his head from side to side, up & down, and side-stepping to Oscar’s left, Pacman kept eluding De La Hoya's attempts to headhunt. Frustrated and confused, Oscar increased his intensity, only to bump into thorns of counter left hands and right crosses of Pacquiao. As a result, Oscar couldn't set-up his timing as the explosions of his arsenal of guns jammed. Then, with speed and accuracy, Manny would come back from nowhere, step forward, and at the same time tag straight lefts direct up to Oscar's facade.

Midway in the fight, Manny increased his zigzagging from side to side, darting in and out; while unleashing castigating combinations. While there were occasional flurries of left hooks and right starights by Dela Hoya but Manny then would bob down and spin around, further moving to Oscar’s left – in the process bringing him safely out of range. Oscar couldn't strike back, because Manny like a ninja wasn't already there. Stealthy? Yes, Manny continued his stealthy form all night, keeping Oscar's radar perplexed.

Oscar in the later rounds increasingly became helpless. It became clear that the hurricane that once terrorized the lighter weight divisions had turned out to be a tornado in the welterweight. And as the twisters came from all angles, Oscar concentrated to block Manny’s punches, disabling himself to deliver shots of his own. Manny in turn, fired missiles of lead straight left hands, then right hooks, then a barrage of looping lefts, then right uppercuts, and lefts to the body and so on and so forth - as a new cycle of attacks would begin again and again.

THE SCHOOLING OF THE GOLDEN BOY

As everyone now knows, Pacquiao extraordinarily & systematically dismantled the legend out of Oscar De La Hoya. “The body punches killed Oscar”, quipped Roach. "I knew it because he started to slow down in the third and fourth after he felt Manny's power."

And while boxing experts predicted a ‘schooling’ by Oscar on the Pacman, what happened was the opposite.

The signatures of power and relentless combinations performed in blinding speed did it again – in the process making the Golden Boy as if inept and mediocre.

With Pacquiao’s lessons seemingly able to find its targets at will, the fight became so lopsided that one could see the imminent end of the career of boxing's richest & brightest star.

“Manny is like the Energizer bunny,” said Richard Schaefer, chief executive officer of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. “You can’t stop him. You can’t pull the batteries out. That’s why they call him the Pacman, because he never stops,” he added.

De La Hoya landed only 83 out of 402 thrown punches which can be translated into 10.375 blows per round, or 3.458 punches per minute. It's not that Oscar became lazy in this fight. He just couldn't unleash and hit a moving target in a ninja-like Pacman.

Pacquiao on the other hand, delivered a quality throughput of 224 of 585 punches. This translates into 28 landing blows per round, or 9.33 per minute. In other words, for every punch that hits Pacquaio, Manny did some three power shots to answer the Golden Boy.

It was painful to watch, it was again, a mismatch, a massacre so to speak!

The end of the eighth round became the end of the episode. Oscar’s decision to call it quits was probably easy. The decision to call good-bye to a career may be a lot tougher.


THE CONCLUDING PART

Pacquiao was way ahead on the scorecards of judges Stanley Christodoulou (79-72), Adalaide Byrd (80-71) and Dave Moretti (80-71) at the end of eighth round. In my book, it was a sweep, 80-72, for the Pacman.

When the massacre was stopped at the end of the eighth, Oscar immediately walked his way across the ring to congratulate Manny on his victory. Manny thanked him and said, "You're still my idol, whatever happens." Oscar answered, "No, you're now my idol!" It was one of the few counters that ODLH had successfully delivered that night.

Pacquiao’s domination over the Golden Boy had again confirmed that he is the best P4P fighter in the world. But the equally real winner in my opinion was Freddie Roach. With Roach, the hurricane in Pacman steadily improved in each and every fight - making him one, if not the fiercest destroyer in the fistic world. Pacquaio in his part must be credited for his gifts of speed and power. By speed, we mean not only hand-speed but tremendous leg-speed, included. Those powerful limbs enabled him to get in and out, and go side to side in circles in unbelievable quickness of a leopard. That's Pacman's secret unveiled!

In the end, Oscar Dela Hoya is synonymous to big time fights. But "the unknowns that took its toll are his age, his inactivity, fighting a southpaw, the degree of hunger and motivation. Those intangibles will only be known once he gets into the ring”, as one top boxing expert once said in an article.

Whatever happens, the great Oscar Dela Hoya is still an idol in the fistic world. That's a fact!

Doods Amora, PEE
December 8, 2008

THE DREAM FIGHT FOR THE AGES - PART I

THE DREAM FIGHT FOR THE AGES

Doods A. Amora, PEE
(December 1, 2008)


The World’s Most Exciting Boxer Vs. The Biggest Name in the Boxing World...!

December 7, 2008 will see another holiday in the Philippines. Unnerving, bloody and frightening - the ending of an episode I saw in my vision.


THE DREAM MISMATCH

In a few days from today, the actuality of the ‘dream match’ will soon unveil. Whether this reverie can live up to the golden platter of expectations as the media hype suggests, it could be the other way around. It could turn out to be fits of nightmare of a mismatch that will linger into the inner fancies of pundits in the so-called sweet science.

Oscar and Manny are living legends – they are top recipes to a dream date. But from the very beginning, the Pacquiao–Dela Hoya match has been seen as a bizarre concept, a morbid joke in fact.

Mismatch? Probably yes, maybe not... But then, that’s what makes the bout very interesting.


Albeit they are giga-champions, they don’t suppose to belong in the same circuit. Pacman is too small while Dela Hoya is obviously huge. Note that when Pacquiao had his 1995 light-flyweight debut as nobody in the boxing world, De La Hoya had already been preparing for his third defense of a lightweight title. In other words, while the Pacman was about to start tasting the impact of real fists camouflaged in leather, Dela Hoya had already been world champion in two weight divisions. They were then 30 pounds apart; they were 30 pounds apart a few weeks ago when the match-up was announced!

Yet at a catch weight of 147 lbs, (the limit in the welterweight), the dream is about to become real. Manny has to climb up while Oscar to slide down from their respective weights. But Oscar has always been much bigger than Manny, and "it's tricky to estimate or underestimate the end-effects on their respective physique even if both have to weigh no more than 147 pounds at the weigh-in time", as one sports columnist said.

Will the pint-sized Pacquiao shock the intimidating frame and height of De La Hoya? On the other hand, can De La Hoya bulldoze & flatten his tiny opponent easily? The possibility that Pacquiao could be badly hurt has become a streaming denigration as the match was being pursued. Obvious as it is; the reach and height advantage, superior technical skills and overall ring savvy, made the odds favour immensely for a Dela Hoya victory!


IMMORTALITY


Immortalized in 44 fights (39-5 with 30 by KO’s), De La Hoya has defeated seventeen world champions (and former champions) and has won ten world titles in six different weight classes. From Junior Lightweight (130 lbs) to Middleweight (160 lbs) range, Oscar had fought the best, the most fearsome and the biggest names in boxing in these weight divisions.

Pacquiao, (47-3-2, 35 KO’s) on the other hand, is a rampaging hurricane terrorizing the light-flyweight to lightweight divisions. Currently acknowledged as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, the Filipino fireball has likewise achieved his own immortality over lighter and smaller boxers. The southpaw piston has a number of truly astounding victories on his record, but then his last fight at 135 pounds was just where Oscar started.

Sk
epticism and intrigue have it that the match could be a making of a grand script - in a theatrical circus that is counter-productive to the sport. Highly marketable even in these financially beleaguered times, skeptics say the mismatch could only be for the money – and lots of it... mind boggling as it is.

Generating the richest payday & pay-per-view revenues, Oscar, the Golden Boy, has been dubbed as the most popular boxer in recent history. De La Hoya, the only fighter capable today of drawing at least half-a-million pay-per-view buys regardless of who the opponent is. But Pacquiao is the most exciting fighter in the world - he too has his own PPV following. A De La Hoya victory means more profitable work schedules at least for one year more. A Pacquiao victory means the end of Oscar’s mega-buck heydays and eventually his retirement as a prize-fighter.


But Filipinos love to play underdog. Trusted by his countrymen to crush Oscar, the guy Pacquaio outmatched in size, weight, height and reach; it would be pleasant to see how the diminutive countryman beat one of the best in the heavier divisions. Note that ODLH happens to be the biggest name in the sport. Beating Oscar will put the Pacman on top of the world!

Pacquaio had already surpassed Elorde’s achievements when he successfully grabbed the WBC Lightweight World Championship past David Diaz via a stunning knock-out. Now, it would be more than superstardom. It would be for the higher grandeur in the chronicles to come by future generations.

In the meantime, Pacquiao must have been honored to have with him Dela Hoya in the ring. In Pacquiao, the challenge to overcome a bigger challenge must have been the other motivation. On the other hand, Oscar, wanting an explosive performance prior to his eventual exit, chose the best of today’s fighters in a smaller & beatable Manny Pacquiao. To Oscar, Pacquiao fits the qualification perfectly.


CAN OUR PACMAN DO IT..?

First is the weight issue. The media-reported weights of both Pacquiao and De La Hoya as monitored during their respective training periods have been significantly erratic. De La Hoya in one publicity stunt was said to have slid phenomenally down to 145 after a week of training and later at 141 pounds. On the opposite side, Pacquiao was reportedly hanging at some 153 lbs - meaning that there is a possibility that Pacquiao in a likely twist of events could be the heavier guy comes fight time.


It can be recalled that at the time the official news broke out on the match-up, the Pacman camp was looking forward to a drained Oscar as result of dieting, if not, of starvation en-route to achieve 147 lbs. Apparently not is the case gentlemen, if media reports have to be believed. On the other hand, Pacman’s moving up to the limits of the welterweight would result to lesser power and speed, as the Golden Boy’s camp and every boxing pundit anticipated.

As many observers quip, 'whether or not the reported weights of the protagonists are factual, it would be interesting to see if Pacquiao has maintained his power and speed at the new weight. On the flipside, the traditional thinking about De La Hoya being drained and weakened, all indicate to be false'. Latest newspaper accounts saw Dela Hoya fit, well sculptured and looked excellent. Even Pacman’s physical conditioning coach Alex Ariza was reportedly awed upon seeing Oscar anew!

In the end, the weight concerns must then be an equalized paramater. With the weight issue cancelling each other out, the bout could be more competitive than one could have originally imagined.

Second is the height & reach issue. Yes, Oscar has tremendous advantages in these departments and Pacman cannot do anything to increase his height and reach. This makes the match-up more attractive because to make up for this predicament, Pacman has to exploit on his blinding speed. Speed & power had been the signature of the Pacman and Freddie Roach must have done his homework to offset Oscar’s advantage. But how Pacman’s speed and power overcome Oscar’s head-start advantage is one that the fans have to watch out.

And lots of body conditioning will play roles in this game. Oscar's size, height and reach advantage would be fearsome in the first half of the fight. Should Pacman survive these rounds, the factor of conditioning comes in. I would not be surprised if Pacquiao dominates the later rounds as Oscar losing steam can no longer pull the trigger.

Oscar pulling the trigger? To me, yes! It will be the scene in the first six rounds... That why this bout is scary. The Golden Boy has the capability to pulverize Pacman during the early cantos of the fight. If Pacman’s cleverness and footwork work, then he has the chance to survive and win the fight.

Third is technique & intelligence. It is being said that De La Hoya’s most lethal weapon is the crossbreed left hook/uppercut. Sport buffs used to call it as “Caliber 45” owing to the angle and timing at which the missile is delivered direct to the opponent’s chin. The effectiveness of this weapon had knocked down the best of current & former world champions in the course of Oscar’s career. But it is believed that Pacquiao’s southpaw stance could neutralize much of its effect. Again, we would like to imagine that Freddie Roach must have developed antidotes for this lethal weapon. And Pacquiao must be intelligent enough to implement it inside the ring.


And there’s that rangy & rapid ‘one, two, three jabs’ that will go stinging all night. With Oscar’s height and reach advantage, Pacman must be in full diet of this dish most of the evening. It is expected that Oscar must be utilizing this weapon first & foremost to neutralize the patented aggression of Pacquaio. By the later rounds Oscar’s camp must have been anticipating an opponent’s face reduced to bloody pulp. But then, Pacman & Freddie must have rehearsed counter-measures.

Fourth is execution. Training is training. What counts is the actual performance. Simulations and Mechanical Training could shape actual performance to textbook precision but actual performance also depends on how the opponent executes his own game. It can be recalled that the Manila Ice didn’t come out in Pacquiao-Morales I. The Marco Bolo neither showed up in Pacquiao-Barrera II. But I would like to believe that the same Marco Bolo technique had battered David Diaz to submission.

In a highly competitive duel, effective adjustments and presence of mind win battles. Both camps had done their home works and are prepared. Both camps know the weaknesses and strengths of each other and how to exploit them. Both camps have game plans.

What if the game plan doesn’t work? When Juan Manuel Marquez was knocked down three times in Round 1 in their first encounter with Pacquiao, it was effective adjustment and presence of mind in the execution of the adjustments that nearly cost Pacman the bout, lest it was a draw as everybody knows. This is where the fighter alone inside the ring must deliver to himself the ring savvy that ordinary mortals don’t have.

Fifth & last, is the maestro. In this case, Freddie Roach vs. the tandem of Nacho Beristain & Angelo Dundee. All of them are the best in the trade. If the bout goes very competitive lasting to the last round, the better coach will win the game. Again, the fight becomes more exciting to imagine. Freddie Roach however has some advantage because he knows Oscar well. But the geniuses of Nacho and Dundee cannot be underestimated. Let’s see how they do it.


CONCLUDING PART

With full media hype, the perceived big mismatch now appears to be a pretty good stuff. With more science in body conditioning, stocks of trainers’ wisdom and lengthy training regimens, both fighters had narrowed down the loopholes.

After all, the joke is not a laughing matter anymore but truly it becomes the biggest fight of the year.

My only prediction is that the fight will be bloody and frightening. Both masked in crimson fluid to the end, I saw see-sawing knockdowns in both fighters, but not knock outs. Then, a close decision in the end – would it be PACMAN or GOLDEN BOY...?

The thought of it makes my senses frozen.


DOODS/

December 1, 2008