WHO WILL CARRY THE WEIGHT?

December 5, 2008 - Photos by Will Hart & Ed Mulholland

LAS VEGAS - Among a boisterous crowd of about 4,000 fight fans, the supporters of Oscar De La Hoya outnumbered those for Manny Pacquiao by an estimated 5-1 margin at Friday's official weigh-in on the eve of "The Dream Match" tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena (HBO Pay-Per-View, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, $54.95).

Predictions for a De La Hoya victory also solidly favor the East Los Angeles-born Mexican-American icon, who many think is just too big and packs too big of a punch for Pacquiao to fulfill his goal of winning the fight of his life and uplifting the pride of his native Philippines.

The scheduled 12-round bout will be contested in the welterweight division, but surprisingly both fighters weighed in under the 147-pound limit, with De La Hoya tipping the scales at 145 and Pacquiao at 142.

For Pacquiao, who began his career as a 106-pound junior flyweight and has never fought above 135 pounds, it could bode well for him that he didn't try to gain more weight than his diminutive 5-foot-6 frame could carry. The extra pounds could have risked losing the foot speed that many think will be his only clear-cut advantage.

De La Hoya, on the other hand, hasn't fought at 147 since stopping Arturo Gatti on a fifth-round KO in March, 2000, and has even fought as high as a 160-pound middleweight, a leap that ended with a ninth-round KO loss to Bernard Hopkins in September, 2004.

If you listen to the so-called boxing experts, the same rude awakening that Hopkins' body shot had for De La Hoya is being forecasted for Pacquiao, whose biggest test will be whether he can withstand the increased punching power that comes from moving up two weight classes bigger than he's ever been.

George Lopez and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer

The keys to victory for Pacquiao will turn on whether he can apply the constant pressure and inside attack that he's noted for while somehow avoiding De La Hoya's vaunted left hook and negating his jab.

Another unknown that will be revealed is whether Pacquiao's power - his 47-3-2 record includes 35 victories by KO - can have the same debilitating impact on a bigger De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs) as it has against smaller fighters.

When the two fighters stood side by side after weighing in, they looked comparable from the torso up. Both displayed hardened six-pack abs and muscled biceps, although the 5-10 De La Hoya, in his socks, still had a considerable height advantage over Pacquiao, who was wearing his sneakers.

Stamina, however, remains the big issue for De La Hoya, who is 35 and is fighting for just the fourth time in four years. That contrasts with Pacquiao, 29, who will be fighting his fourth fight in just over a year.

If there's a universal criticism of De La Hoya, it's that he has shown a propensity to get tired and fade in the latter rounds and sometimes inexplicably abandons his jab, as he did in losing a decision against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May of last year.

Having fought at junior middleweight in his last four fights, De La Hoya said he had no problem shedding the weight for this fight. No doubt, he'll be much bigger when he steps in the ring tonight after eating a hearty meal. But his official weight of 145, two pounds under the welterweight limit, could be a sign that he possibly overtrained and adds more credence to the stamina issue.

Aside from the weighty matters, Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer brought it to the attention of the Nevada commission Friday that De La Hoya likes to wrap his hands with two-inch thick tape, which Roach says violates the rule that a fighter must use one-quarter inch thick tape.

That could be a concern for De La Hoya, who broke his left hand in his most recent fight, a decision against Steve Forbes in May.

But perhaps even more germane to the outcome tonight is that De La Hoya also sustained a broken cheekbone against Forbes, who was also a smaller man like Pacquiao and doesn't hit nearly as hard as the Filipino sensation.

If Forbes could go the distance against De La Hoya and do damage, there's reason to believe Pacquiao can do the same.

But, based on the hopes and expectations from a majority of the crowd at Friday's weigh-in, it wouldn't be surprising if Pacquiao eventually runs into one of De La Hoya's big punches and for the "The Dream Match" to be put to sleep.