STATUE OF LIBERTY - SITE FOR PACQUIAO-DE LA HOYA LAUNCH
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 30 Aug 2008
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, his flair for promotional hype almost legendary, says the historic battle between Filipino ring idol and national treasure Manny Pacquiao and "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya will be launched at the Statute of Liberty on Liberty Island, New York on October 1.
In an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph Friday morning, Arum said the New York launch will kick off a five city tour of major cities in the US, two of which, Los Angeles and San Francisco have a "very, very large Filipino population."
Arum said Pacquiao was "so anxious to come over and start training" that he will be in Los Angeles in mid-September and then go on the tour, confirming what Pacquiao?s lawyer, Franklin "Jeng" Gacal told us on Thursday.
While he didn?t want to give any numbers which celebrated trainer Freddie Roach earlier told www.insidesports.ph was a 65-35 split, Arum conceded that "of course there was give-and- take otherwise it wouldn?t have taken this long. Both guys are going to bask in the result because this is going to be, in my opinion, the biggest fight of all-time from a revenue standpoint."
Initial estimates put the figure at $100 million gross with Pacquiao standing to earn around $20 million not counting Philippine television and other ancillary rights which Gacal confirmed belong to Pacquiao in the agreement for the De La Hoya fight and that the fighter had an existing obligation to Solar Sports which telecasts the Pacquiao fights over GMA 7.
This may somehow complicate matters since arch rivals ABS-CBN which previously carried the Pacquiao fights and bankrolled his fight against Oscar Larios at the Araneta Coliseum reportedly to the tune of $4million has an agreement with Golden Boy Promotions for De La Hoya?s fights.
Arum recalled that when De La Hoya fought Floyd Mayweather Jr "it was a huge fight but it was more or less an American fight. This is a global event because Pacquiao is the Asian standard bearer and De La Hoya of Mexican descent from the United States. People all over the world are going to be talking about this fight and that?s what makes it as big as it is."
Asked about the advantage of De La Hoya in terms of size alone Arum replied "Ronnie, I would put into evidence one tape that I would hope that you would watch. That was Oscar?s fight with Pernell Whittaker. Remember, this was Oscar at the peak of his career and Whittaker who was fading. And if Whittaker hadn?t give up the last round, for whatever reason I don?t know, he would have won the fight." It was a welterweight title fight in April 1997 and De La Hoya won what some thought was a controversial decision.
Arum noted, "Oscar De La Hoya always has difficulty fighting speed and always has difficulty fighting a southpaw. Manny Pacquiao has both of those qualities in abundance. So Freddie Roach really believes and knows what he was talking about when he said that he likes his guy?s chances in the fight."
Roach had told us on Dennis Prinicipe?s "Sports Chat" show over dzSR Sports Radio weeks ago that De La Hoya was aging, too slow, couldn?t pull the trigger and Pacquiao would knock him out which obviously upset De La Hoya whom Roach trained for the Mayweather fight. De La Hoya?s answer was a cut "we?ll see on December 6" even as he spoke of his desire to avenge the loss of a roster of Mexicans including legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales who had been mauled by Pacquiao.
Arum said the Whittaker-De La Hoya fight showed "from a technical standpoint" what Roach and some other people have been talking about. Arum stressed "that?s the speed that kills you and Oscar doesn?t handle southpaws." Besides
Arum agreed that Pacquiao appeared to have "a burning desire within him."
Arguing against some people who feel the fight is a mismatch because of De La Hoya?s size, Arum cited one of the proofs that it was not. He said "the smartest people in the world are those who set up betting lines and those big punters who bet on the fights. They are not talking from the standpoint of any kind of sentiment or emotion. This fight opened up at 8 to 5. That?s less than 2 to 1. There hasn?t been a big fight all year where odds have been so close."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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