CHUCK JOHNSON'S FIGHT WEEK: THE PRESSER
Check back throughout Saturday for more updates on the "Dream Match" between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao
December 4, 2008 - by Chuck Johnson | Photos by Ed Mulholland & Chris Farina
LAS VEGAS -- "The Dream Match" had the unmistakable air of not just a big fight, but a colossal event Wednesday afternoon at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino as more than 500 credentialed media from around the globe jammed the final press conference before Saturday night's HBO Pay-Per-View fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.
And, to think, the biggest fight of this year and one of the biggest fights of all-time would not be about to happen had it not been for the buzz that started within the boxing media.
In particular, HBO's venerable boxing analyst Larry Merchant is given credit as one of the first to propose De La Hoya ve rsus Pacquiao as a viable matchup at a time when few others had even given it a thought.
There's still some skepticism. But there's also an equal dose of intrigue. Many boxing fans now agree with Merchant that the disparity in the fighters' physical stature doesn't necessarily give De La Hoya, the bigger man, the advantage.
Those who give Pacquiao a good chance of winning have the belief that great fighters and performances come in all different sizes, especially when you measure what a fighter has within.
"As long as you train right and have the right foods going into your body and the right team around you, you can jump up as many weight classes as you want,'' De La Hoya said. "Manny Pacquiao can handle the weight because of his power and his speed. He's not the slowest fighter out there. He's probably the fastest."
And, with what these two fighters have accomplished in the ring, no one will ever accuse either Pacquiao or De La Hoya of lacking heart or shying from a challenge.
The more the two ring greats thought about the possibility of hooking up, the more they liked the idea.
"The idea caught on and it started to inspire the fighters and it started to inspire the fans,'' said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "The fight fans really wanted to see that fight. They want to see the matchup between the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world (Pacquiao) and one of the most decorated fighters of all-time (De La Hoya)."
After just one fight at 135 pounds, Pacquiao, a former flyweight, is moving up two weight classes and will be making his debut at welterweight, while De La Hoya, who last fought at 154 pounds but has fought as high as middleweight (160), has trimmed down seven pounds for the scheduled 12-round welterweight bout.
"It's good for me because I can eat well and it's not a problem,'' said the Filipino sensation. "Right now I'm just under 147. I'm ready for this fight. I trained nine weeks for this fight and I'm prepared mentally, physically and spiritually."
As a 10-time world champion in six different weight divisions, De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs) knows about the discipline in takes to be great at any weight.
"As long as you train right and have the right foods going into your body and the right team around you, you can jump up as many weight classes as you want,'' De La Hoya said. "Manny Pacquiao can handle the weight because of his power and his speed. He's not the slowest fighter out there. He's probably the fastest.
"Even if he jumped up 30 pounds, it's still a fast Manny Pacquiao. I don't think it's going to affect him that much, the way it affected me. I jumped to six weight classes and by the sixth one, it was tough."
De La Hoya was referring to his ninth-round KO loss in 2004 against then middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. In that fight, he discovered that fighting at 160 pounds was a bit too much to ask from his body, especially in a fight against one the best middleweights of this era.
"It's a matter of wanting to do it an d having the (courage) to do it," said De La Hoya, giving his respect to the challenge Pacquiao has accepted. "When you want to win that Oscar, you'll do anything. They don't want to leave here empty-handed. But I'd be disappointed if I don't knock him out."
Pacquiao, 29, has won world titles at 112, 122, 130 and 135 and is confident that his speed and power will remain the same dominant factors at 147.
"Winning this fight is important to me and to my country and my people,'' Pacquiao said. "I know Oscar is a great fighter. He's a 10-time world champion. But I took this fight because I believe my power and speed gives me a great chance to beat him."
Alluding to a fan movement he called "Mexicans for Manny,'' Schaefer said De La Hoya is still the most popular fighter in the world and he attempted to amplify that by inviting a parade of former Mex ican boxing champions to the dais in a show of support.
That sentiment is shared by Top Rank's Bob Arum, co-promoter of Saturday night's fight, who compared De La Hoya to defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain, describing him as being "a little long in the tooth and too slow,'' while suggesting that Pacquiao is more like the U.S. president-elect.
"In Pacquiao, we have a man of the people who reminds me a lot of Barack Obama,'' Arum said. "He really gets the blood flowing, he creates interest in the fight and is as dynamic as a fighter as our president-elect is as a speaker and as somebody who will govern this nation."
De La Hoya, who hails from East Los Angeles and is of Mexican heritage, will be trying to thwart Pacquiao's well-earned reputation for beating Mexican legends, most recently Juan Manuel Marquez.
Alluding to a fan movement he called "Mexicans for Manny,'' Schaefer said De La Hoya is still the most popular fighter in the world and he attempted to amplify that by inviting a parade of former Mex ican boxing champions to the dais in a show of support.
"By the way, Bob (Arum) voted for McCain,'' Schaefer said.
"We all make mistakes,'' Arum responded.
Surely, the making of Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya isn't one of them.
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