DE LA HOYA-PACQUIAO TRILOGY 'FEARED'
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 18 Sep 2008
Some avid boxing observers in Iloilo City have aired their suspicion that promoters of both Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya are actually cooking up a re-make of the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy "in the guise of a dream match" to pave the way for a De La Hoya-Pacquiao trilogy "for business purposes."
But there were also those who believed that Pacquiao and De La Hoya, regardless of their weight, age and height differences, "are destined to meet each other as ultimate test to boxing's reputation as sweet science."
"I foresee the making of another trilogy here," remarked prominent realtor and sports patron Art Araneta. "The promoters, whoever they are, may be cooking up something for money purposes."
He added: "I think they have a modus vevindi that should Pacquiao beats De La Hoya, there will be an automatic rematch; and that, if De La Hoya will avenge the defeat, a third meeting will be held. That's business."
Araneta said a Pacquiao-De La Hoya trilogy "isn't far-fetched" because of the multi-million contracts involved in the deal. "Remember, this is professional boxing," he pointed out.
Lawyer Daniel Cartagena, a dyed-in-the-wool Pacquiao supporter, disputed Araneta. He said the time for both ring superstars to fight is "imminent" saying "there would be no need for a trilogy. Whoever will win, I think that's the end of it."
"But I strongly believe that Pacquiao is faster and stronger and will beat De La Hoya who is already slower and older," Cartagena, a former private prosecutor in the impeachment case of former President Joseph Estrada, said.
Cartagena added that when promoters agreed to match Pacquiao and De La Hoya, "they were actually thinking of a dream match although we can not anymore expect the two boxers to perform a high quality fight similar to what we saw five to 10 years ago as they have already aged."
Pacquiao (47-3, 35 Kos, 2 draws) will turn 30 on December 17, 2008 while De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs), lightweight gold medalist in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, is turning 36 on February 4, 2009.
"If Gabby Concepcion and Sharon Cuneta will make love, their fans are not excited anymore because their romance belongs to the 80's. That's how I compare the fight between Pacquiao and De La Hoya," stressed Cartagena, who is also host of a weekly cable TV show.
Meanwhile, former Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Guimaras chapter president Edeljulio Romero dismissed the Pacquiao-De La Hoya setto as "very unusual."
"It's like a fight between David and Goliath!" he thundered. "This is the first time in the history of boxing that a heavier boxer is paired against a small boxer. I can't see any entertainment value when you pit a boxer who has already fought in the middleweight class against a lightweight boxer in the welterweight class."
Romero said "even in cockfighting, nobody has entertained this absurd idea. It's like asking Muhammad Ali to fight Roberto Duran. And they expect us to be entertained?"
Boxing manager and Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFR) regional director Porferio Clavel said, from the start, he was already disappointed when media started to play up the possibility of Pacquiao fighting De La Hoya.
"Oh, c'mon. He is too big for Pacquiao. Sobra naman sila (This is already too much)," Clavel, who confessed to be a De La Hoya fan, mused.
Pacquiao's former business manager Rod Nazario, meanwhile, had warned that Freddie Roach "may have discovered something in De La Hoya's weakness" when he trained the Golden Boy for his ill-fated bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Roach, 48, a Hall of Fame awardee, was among the first members of Team Pacquiao who painstakingly pushed for the match now billed as "It's Personal" to be held on December 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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