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