'LIGHTER' DE LA HOYA NO MATCH TO PACQUIAO, SAYS GAB EXEC
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 15 Nov 2008
Now that Oscar De La Hoya has weighed down to only 145 lbs, it will be easier for Manny Pacquiao to knock him out when they square off on December 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This was the observation made yesterday (November 14) by Games and Amusement Board (GAB) commissioner Angel Bautista who believed that ?a thinner and lighter Oscar De La Hoya will be no match to Manny Pacquiao.?
?Wala na. Payat na payat na si De La Hoya. Kaya na siyang pabagsakin ni Manny,? Bautista said.
The GAB official from Cavite added that ?Pacquiao will be a hunger tiger on December 6 and he knows that his win over the legendary De La Hoya would make him the first billionaire boxer in Asia.?
Bautista said he was not impressed when De La Hoya, a 10-time world champion, displayed his thin frame before the press recently in a public workout in his training camp in Big Bear, California.
?It showed that he has reduced tremendously and this will definitely affect him in his fight with Manny,? Bautista said.
The commissioner said ?it was a different story when De La Hoya did not reduce that much.?
?Kinabahan ako noon dahil ang laki at tangkad ni De La Hoya,? he added. ?Pero noong nakita ko siya sa TV na payat na payat na, sabi ko kayang kaya na sia ni Manny na pabagsakin.?
He said unlike Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight kingpin, who does not stop training, De La Hoya's training was off and on these past months. ?This explains why when he reduced his weight, he looked anemic and this will give Pacquiao a chance to knock him out.?
De La Hoya's camp revealed that his weight is now 145 lbs, two pounds down from the required 147 lbs. De La Hoya himself admitted that ?weight will not be a problem? for him saying he loves what he is doing when he trains together with his sparring partners.
De La Hoya said he was confident of beating Pacquiao in his division (welterweight) where he once reigned as undisputed world champion.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Ali's ageless trainer Angelo Dundee, hired by De La Hoya's camp to supervise the superstar's training, declared: ?I feel that Oscar is a better boxer than Pacquiao. Style wise and conditioning wise, I am confident Oscar will beat him.?
Bautista said he will be at ringside at the MGM Grand ?to witness history unfolds.?
Top photo: Oscar de la Hoya (L) plays with actor George Lopez during a mock sparring session at De La Hoya's training camp in Big Bear, CA Wednesday afternoon.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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