It's an intriguing match up any way you look at it to say the least. Even the mere thought of a fight like this has the ability to generate debate, excitement, and yes, even passion. Although this fight is far from set in stone at this point, any boxing enthusiast would be hard pressed not to discuss the potential of a Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight happening to some degree. Whether this fight ends up becoming a reality or not, it would undoubtedly be called what boxing fans refer as a fight fans dream.
Oscar De La Hoya might have already seen his best days in the welterweight division pass him by, but as far as the box office and pay per view buys are concerned, he is still the heavyweight champion. From the time De La Hoya captured the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic games, he has steadily climbed the stairs to stardom with a rare mix of good looks and talent that might have alienated some hardcore fight fans, but brought in a whole new female demographic that had not previously been seen in the sport.
Along the way to becoming one of boxing's most recognized faces, De La Hoya piled up wins against some of the sports top fighters. Great pugilists such as defensive master Pernell Whitaker and Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez all fell victim to the "golden boy" during their careers, and De La Hoya's star continued to rise to unprecedented levels. However,with the exceptions of Rocky Marciano and Ricardo Lopez, even the great one's have to lose a fight or two, and that's exactly what happened on September 18th, 1999. On that night, De La Hoya lost a controversial decision to Puerto Rican superstar Felix "Tito" Trinidad. De La Hoya seemed to have the fight in the bag until he made the unwise decision to trade in his boxing shoes for track shoes, and completely avoid the relentless Trinidad for the last three rounds of a fight that failed to live up to the high expectations placed upon it. Despite the loss, however, De La Hoya gained sympathy from many fans who thought he was robbed, and continued to draw staggering numbers in his fights. Future losses to Shane Mosley (twice), Bernard Hopkins, and Floyd Mayweather seemed, amazingly, to have had little if any effect on Oscar's box office appeal.
There seems to come a point in an elite boxer's career where nobody even cares anymore if they lose because by then these fighters bouts are not mere boxing matches, but instead resemble more of an event. You'd have to admit, even though the likes of Roy Jones Jr. and Mike Tyson have seen their best days in the rear view mirror, the spectacle and curiosity that would inevitably follow them into the ring would have even casual fans of the sport glued to the television. Oscar De La Hoya has, without a doubt, gained this status.
Although Manny Pacquiao's rise to stardom is not yet on the level of De La Hoya's, Pacman has quickly become a household name in the states, which is to say nothing of his celebrity status in his native country, the Philippines. Speed, power, and relentless aggression are all attributes that are so closely related with Manny Pacquiao, he might as well have them trademarked. Pacquiao, along with middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto, have become boxing's newest superstars, and are attempting to grab the torch that is slowly being passed to them by aging warriors such as De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, and Roy Jones Jr. Although Pacquiao is closely identified with the Philippines, his world wide appeal is no mystery. Fight fans, inevitably, want to see lots of action in the ring, and plenty of knockouts to coincide with that action. Pacquiao brings these qualities to the ring by the truckload, and has been rewarded for his actions with nominations for pound for pound champion and the Philippines greatest fighter, ever. Indeed, if there is one individual who is trying to grab the torch out of the old guard's hand, it's Manny Pacquiao.
Memories of Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales being absolutely crushed like a broke down Pinto at a junk yard have given Manny Pacquiao credibility that cannot be manufactured by knocking out gate keepers and journeymen. Under the careful watch of world class trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao has developed into a pugilistic ball of fire that can land punches from any angle, and leaves fight fans feeling as though they haven't wasted their money. Roach, who once trained De La Hoya for his split decision loss to Floyd Mayweather in May of 2007, seems to think that despite the height and weight differential, Pacquiao has the necessary tools to make De La Hoya wish he had never stepped back into the ring after his dominant but uneventful victory over Stevie Forbes. Whether Roach truly believes this or is just trying to lure Oscar into a mega fight for the sake of the millions of dollars that are sure to accompany the bout remains to be seen, but the "what if" factor has sparked great debate none the less.
So whether you believe that the bigger, stronger De La Hoya will dominate the smaller Pacquiao, or that Oscar is just too old and ring-rusted to deal with Pacquiao's ruthless aggression, you are more than likely to find someone who takes the opposite approach to picking the winner of this fight. You might be asking yourself who I would choose to write about a potential bout that is merely being discussed in ongoing talk at the moment, and the answer is painfully simple. Boxing needs fights like this! What these two fighters bring to the table individually is staggering in itself, but the possibility of these two swapping punches already has people ready and willing to shell out their hard earned money to witness this event. Whether this fight interests you or not, rest assured that we can all agree on at least one thing, and that is a fight of this magnitude will bring the masses, and will try once again to lift the sport out of the "special interest" status it's obtained.
Boxing had it's chance to make people stand up and cheer recently when De La Hoya fought Floyd Mayweather in a pay per view telecast that broke the all time PPV buys record. However, the fight itself failed to live up to the hype. So, are the masses ready to give the sport another shot at redeeming itself? Let's hope so.
Scott Tonelli is the Senior Editor at FightJudge.com, and a lifelong boxing fan. Send questions or comments to scott@fightjudge.com
