+ The Dream Match + Let's talk!! (Pics. & Vids)

[KKisser]

Four reasons why Pac could beat Wlad

1. Speed, Pac is faster than Wlad.

2. Conditioning, Pac is better conditioned.

3. Shorts, Pac wears the nicer shorts.

4. Beard, Wlad doesnt have a beard so by default Pac wins this one.

It could happen

even sb isn't as obtuse as that lol. but seriously, if pac can make this fight competitive and close even if he loses, that would serve as a moral victory of sorts.

[gudnite vienna]

god i starting too hope oscar KO's pac!

[Chris Nagel]

You all forget, God is on Pacquiao's side...








But gold is on Delahoya's.

[albsur2006]

I'm formally upgrading my opinion on Pacquiao's chances of winning from absolutely none to a slight possibility. Pacquiao looks extremely fast right now and ODLH honestly looks a little slow. Now I know that they could be manipulating 24/7 to show Oscar while he's not looking as good to make it seem like it will be an even fight, but from everything I've seen, ODLH is looking weak and slow. Maybe Freddy was right about that trigger...

[TitoFan]

I'm formally upgrading my opinion on Pacquiao's chances of winning from absolutely none to a slight possibility. Pacquiao looks extremely fast right now and ODLH honestly looks a little slow. Now I know that they could be manipulating 24/7 to show Oscar while he's not looking as good to make it seem like it will be an even fight, but from everything I've seen, ODLH is looking weak and slow. Maybe Freddy was right about that trigger...

No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o !!!!
Say it isn't so, albsur. Say you're not yet another victim to fall to the carefully crafted hype about the DLH-Pac fight.

I preferred your post from some days back when you predicted that HBO would be blabbering crap about DLH "turning back the clock", as if a win over a bloated Pacquiao was some kind of wondrous achievement for Oscar. What happened to that Albsur?

[XaduBoxer]

LAS VEGAS — People know about Manny Pacquiao now.

link --> Pacquiao made world take notice in '03 fight

They know he’s considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. That he’s trying to defy the odds and beat Oscar De La Hoya here on Saturday in the “Dream Match.”

They even know how to pronounce his name.

PACK-ee-ow.

But five years ago, the man they call Pac-Man was a virtual unknown — until he came to San Antonio as a decided underdog against the great Mexican fighter, Marco Antonio Barrera.

The bout took place Nov. 15, 2003 at the Alamodome, and it launched the Filipino sensation’s career.

“I remember the odds were 4-1,” Pacquiao said with a smile Wednesday. “Nobody expected me to win that fight.”
Nobody who was there that night — or watched the fight on HBO — will ever forget it.

Pacquiao stunned the boxing world and the 10,127 fans in attendance with a convincing 11th-round technical 8knockout.

He dominated the fighter everyone considered the best featherweight in the sport with power, fast hands and a relentless style that would become his trademark.

He entered the ring to the boos of the pro-Barrera crowd and wearing a Tim Duncan jersey. He left the ring with a smile on his face and the title of boxing’s newest star.

In an odd twist, sitting ringside that night was Pacquiao’s opponent Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. De La Hoya’s company, Golden Boy Promotions, was in its first fight as Barrera’s promoter at the time.
“I never dreamed then that I’d be fighting Manny Pacquiao,” De La Hoya recalls. “That’s why they call this the ‘Dream Match.’”

Richard Schaefer never dreamed it, either.

Golden Boy’s CEO sat next to his business partner that night. Neither he nor De La Hoya was prepared for what they were witnessing.

“It was a shock,” Schaefer recalls. “We couldn’t believe our eyes.

“I really wasn’t worried about the fight going in. Everyone was telling me it was going to be a walk in the park for Barrera. It was anything but.”

Schaefer and De La Hoya had seen Pacquiao before in person. In June 2001, he appeared on the undercard the night De La Hoya earned a 12-round unanimous decision over Javier Castillejo at the MGM Grand.

Schaefer recalls how impressive Pacquiao was in beating Lehlohonolo Ledwaba of South Africa for the IBF super bantamweight title.

“I remember thinking, this guy’s like the Energizer bunny but with triple batteries,” Schaefer said.

Pacquiao weighed 121 pounds for the Ledwaba fight, the same night De La Hoya fought Castillejo at 154.

For the Barrera bout, Pacquiao weighed 125 pounds.

Photos at a news conference two months before to announce the fight in San Antonio show the 5-feet-10 1/2 inch De La Hoya towering over the 5-6 1/2 Pacquiao, whose blue-jean pants appeared ready to fall from his tiny waist.

Weight wasn’t an issue then. But it’s been the center of attention for Saturday’s bout. Both fighters have to make the 147-pound limit by Friday’s weigh-in.

Many experts believe Pacquiao is too small to stand up to the power of the naturally bigger fighter in De La Hoya.

In his career, which began at 106 pounds, Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) has moved up in weight almost every year. This will be his third fight of 2008, with each one coming at a higher weight.

In March, he beat Juan Manuel Marquez at 130 pounds. In June, he beat David Diaz in his only fight at 135 and is the reigning lightweight champion.

“I really don’t think weight will make any difference for this fight,” said Pacquiao, an idol in his native Philippines. “Physically, I feel the same. My speed is there, and I have power.”

De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs) said to forget all the talk about this fight being a physical mismatch.

“Manny Pacquiao can handle the weight,” he said, “because of his power, his speed and youth.”

Pacquiao is 29 years old, and De La Hoya is 35.

De La Hoya’s camp knows better than to take Pacquiao lightly.

After all, Schaefer saw what happened to Barrera five years ago in San Antonio.

“I’m pretty worried about this fight, actually,” Schaefer says.

“Manny doesn’t just win. He hurts people.”

.

[oscarfan77]

Wait, I'm confused...

"Pac is faster, in his prime and the better fighter"... but Oscar proves nothing with a win?

That doesn't make sense. If Pac is a worthless how can he be the better boxer? How is it a major victory for the younger, in his prime, faster fighter to win and not a victory if Oscar wins under those same circumstances?

I'm very interested to see this fight. Both fighters have heart. I have seen Oscar fight with his heart and I have seen him fight as though he would rather be ANYwhere but in the ring.

Will be interesting I think

[brucelee]

No matter what people would say about this fight, it remains very clear that this is a very exciting fight. As for me, I will watch this and become part of boxing's history.

[XaduBoxer]

Did you guys remember who won this fight?

Of course PAC is no Chagaev but PAC has a chance...

Not against Valuev but against Hoya...
.

[Fenster]

I'd give Pac more chance against Valuev than Oscar. Fact.

[XaduBoxer]

Picking Pacquiao to win on points


link: http://www.examiner.com/x-802-SF-Boxing-Examiner~y2008m12d4-Picking-Pacquiao-to-win-on-points

I still think Oscar De La Hoya can punch harder than Manny Pacquiao. But my money is on Manny to land more punches and upset Oscar in their welterweight megafight Saturday in Las Vegas.

My pick is not consistent with my long-held belief that a fighter should compete at the lowest weight possible, nor my philosophy of backing the man with a good jab and a reach advantage.

In fact, the pick is not consistent with what I wrote in September, when I said De La Hoya would look like a monster up next to Pacquiao, who is moving up 17 pounds above his recent perch atop the junior lightweights at 130. De La Hoya turned pro at 130 but always seemed destined for welterweight. Now I’m saying size won’t matter.

What swayed me, aside from all the new friends I’ve made in the Philippines building up this fight?

First, I saw Pacquiao in the flesh three weeks ago and was convinced the higher weight is a help, not a hindrance. He looked the same as usual: trim and quick.

Second, I finally realized the analogous fight in boxing history was the Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello junior welterweight fight in 1982. Pryor, 5-foot-6½ like Pacquiao, overwhelmed Arguello, 5-10, in a manner Pacquiao is well-equipped to duplicate against De La Hoya. (It turns out I’m not the first to notice the Pacquiao-Pryor parallels, though Pryor, unlike Pacquiao, fought right-handed and was black.) Anyway, it isn’t so difficult to picture Pacquiao standing up to De La Hoya and even mauling him.

Third, who am I to argue with trainer Freddie Roach about the most crucial element in this fight, whether De La Hoya’s right hand is effective. Against a southpaw, his left jab and left hook may be less effective than usual, but the right should be easier to land. De La Hoya has been landing bigger shots with the right in recent years than he used to, but Roach says De La Hoya’s right is still substandard. And Roach indeed says he has a plan to neutralize Oscar’s jab.

Pacquiao will win the first round. De La Hoya will try to feel him out, and Pacquiao will prove his quickness can’t always be parried. Pacquiao will be winning the second round in that manner when suddenly a lead right from De La Hoya puts Pacquiao on the canvas. He’s up quickly, but De La Hoya can be effective against anyone when he whales away, and Oscar wins a two-point round. And wins another one in the third, decking Manny with a counter right while Manny lands a solid left. This time Manny is really hurt and labors to last the round.

What happens after that is the key to the fight. One commenter on my blog said that if Manny could last into the fifth round, he would win the fight. I believe that’s what will happen. Pacquiao will take control of the fight late in the fourth round and will look like his usual self the second half of the fight, much too busy for De La Hoya. Maybe Oscar will win one late round, but the scorecard will read Pacquiao 115, De La Hoya 111.

[XaduBoxer]

Pacquiao, De la Hoya winning odds near even


12/05/2008 | 04:55 PM
I'm predicting the odds will become more near even after the weigh-in when people will have a first look of Hoya's weak looking body...


MANILA, Philippines - The Dream Match has been called a mismatch, a circus, and a no-contest.

Betting lines on Friday (Thursday, US time) in Las Vegas clearly showed otherwise.

Oscar de la Hoya's winning odds continued to slip after The Golden Boy was listed as a mere minus-165 favorite to beat Manny Pacquiao with two days to go before their highly anticipated showdown.

With that line, that means a bet of $1.65 on de la Hoya will net $1.00.

Pacquiao was listed reportedly as a plus-135 underdog ($1.00 to win $1.35) on the same day.

In simple terms, de la Hoya and Pacquiao have nearly the same winning odds.

Some personalities - including World Boxing Council president Jose Sulaiman, former world champion Roger Mayweather, among others - have branded the bout one that the naturally bigger de la Hoya will win lopsidedly.

But as the fight draws near, the so-called "circus" is starting to look a little more serious.

Just last Monday, de la Hoya was at minus-185 ($1.85 to win $1.00) and Pacquiao at plus-155 ($1.00 to win $1.55).

While Pacquiao's lines have been steady, there has been a noticeable drop on de la Hoya's winning odds since the Dream Match was formally announced in early September.

In mid-September, bookmakers installed de la Hoya as a minus-240 favorite ($2.40 to win $1.00). In late October, the line went down to minus-204 ($2.04 to win $1.00).

In the same periods, Pacquiao was at plus-190 ($1.00 to win $1.90) in mid-September and between plus-155 and plus-185 in late October.

Before the Pacquiao-de la Hoya tiff was formalized, Las Vegas oddsmakers put Pacquiao's value at plus-165 ($1.00 to win $1.65) and de la Hoya at minus-185.

Based on the trend, the welterweight bout between Pacquiao, who is going up in weight for a second consecutive match, and the naturally bigger de la Hoya appears to be a lot more even that some of the recent major boxing cards.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Juan Manuel Marquez was a 3-1 favorite versus Joel Casamayor, Ricky Hatton a 5-2 favorite versus Paulie Malignaggi, Kelly Pavlik a 4-1 favorite against Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley a staggering 8-1 favorite against Ricardo Mayorga.

Among the four bouts, only Hopkins came away with a win as an underdog.