As the mega-fight between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya is upon us, many of us are still pondering who would actually win. The small windmill that is Pacquiao, or the calculated boxer that is De La Hoya? 15rounds.com’s very own Joon Lee and Arben Paloka break down four key factors that will play a big role in the fight, and pick sides as to who will overcome. Joon Lee has sided with De La Hoya, while Arben Paloka has sided with Pacquiao.
This intense breakdown of what to expect will most definitely make you the center of your fight party, and might also help you decide on a winner as well!
Boxing Ability
Oscar De La Hoya
Seven or eight world titles and an Olympic Gold Medal pretty much says it all. This guy can box. Oscar De La Hoya’s boxing ability has never really been questioned. As a natural lefty with an orthodox stance, De La Hoya throws a powerful jab if there ever was one and has a frightening hook that surprised Ricardo Mayorga in the first round. Above all, he has competed against the very best and has been for a long time. If anything, it was his stamina and consistency which raised question marks, but mostly against guys who would heavily be favored to beat-down Manny Pacquiao.
By the time De La Hoya had faced Genero Hernandez at 135 pounds, Hernandez, a much accomplished 130 pounder probably was the best fighter the Golden Boy had ever faced. Not that it really mattered. Jesse James Leija wasn’t much of test, neither were guys like Jorge Paez or even Rafael Rueles. Why? Because De La Hoya held a distinctive natural size advantage. Yes, that was about a decade ago, but the size disparity today is just too great.
If comparing two fighters individually, Pacquiao is much fresher, throws better combinations, faster, and probably much more versatile. But then again, that’s akin to comparing Joe Calzaghe and Wladimir Klitschko. My conclusion is this – De La Hoya has enough boxing ability to overwhelm a much better yet smaller foe like Pacquiao. Case closed.
Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao has a unique style in that it is extremely basic, yet highly effective. There are many different factors involved in regards to this particular fight. For starters, he is a left handed fighter. Oscar De La Hoya has stated throughout his career that he tries to avoid “southpaws” if he can. This is partly the reason why De La Hoya has never faced “Winky” Wright.
Another factor to take into consideration is that Pacquiao is an aggressive southpaw. He generally stays just outside of his opponent’s punching range, and then leaps in with a combination of a straight left hand and a right hook; two punches synonymous with left handed boxers. Before his opponent could retaliate, he leaps back and out of range.
After his loss to Erik Morales in their first fight, Pacquiao incorporated more counter punching to his repertoire. This has proved disastrous to his opponents, as every knockdown since that fight has come as a result of counter punching.
Defense
Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is an accomplished veteran, yet well preserved. Note that his style has always been technically reliable, which in part, attributed to him enjoying the longevity he has thus far. In that regard, he’s only exciting in spurts, yet proved of being dull in some of his mega fights.
Granted, he’s not as skilled or versatile has Juan Manuel Marquez, but then he again, he could probably break Marquez in half if the two were to get in the ring.
Having Floyd Mayweather Sr. in his corner supposedly gave him elusiveness, which may have served him well in the Fernando Vargas fight. At the same time, having Marquez’s trainer Nacho Beristein could perhaps tighten his upper-body defense, which already has been stellar throughout.
How many world class lightweights, jr. welterweights, welterweights, and jr. middleweights have De La Hoya fought? Even against the best of them, De La Hoya ‘s defense wasn’t really the key factor, but it was more so on his ability to survive against all (except for Bernard Hopkins). Could Manny Pacquiao dish-out a Shane Mosley-like damage to a decent lightweight not named David Diaz? That has yet to be proven.
In last May, De La Hoya was all but elusive, but in spurts, he was able to make Mayweather miss. He wasn’t able to counter the ultra-defensive Mayweather, but his best defense was his utilization of pushing forward against the much smaller fighter and forcing powerful clinches on the inside to drain his elusive target.
Pacquiao’s southpaw style won’t be much of a threat. His relentlessness and array of punches might cause some facial damage, but De La Hoya has shown to have one of the better chins in the game.
If in fact, De La Hoya holds even the slightest edge in defense, Pacquiao’s chance of winning this bout goes from zero to negative.
Manny Pacquiao
Pacquaio is not very known for his defense. In essence, his offense is his defense. His southpaw stance will cause problems for De La Hoya. It provides unique angles and positioning that right handed, or orthodox, fighters are not accustomed to. Pacquaio will make it difficult for De La Hoya to measure his jab, and will often counter a jab with a right hook.
Counter punching is another offense turned defense technique that Pacquiao will have to take advantage of. De La Hoya is bigger and slower, and Pacquaio will be able to see his opponent’s punches in advance and adjust accordingly.
Lastly, Pacquiao’s footwork will play a big factor in this fight. Manny Paquiao, while notorious for poor balance, has excellent ring movement that he uses to keep his opponents guessing as to where he will move to next, and whether or not he will leap in for an attack. Pacquiao will make De La Hoya over think his strategy, which leads to mistakes.
Physical Strength
Oscar De La Hoya
Maybe Manny Pacquiao is one of those men who bloomed after the age of 21, but does so to a much greater extent than others. For his size, he really is a freak of a specimen. At 122 and especially at 126, boy, he deemed indestructible. But not without any foibles. Juan Manuel Marquez not arguably, but in fact, won majority of the rounds in their first fight. Against Erik Morales, Pacquiao was moving up in weight for the first time, took on the man who most folks tabbed as a spent bullet. Reasonably so, Morales had many life-shortening wars, three of them coming against Marco Antonio Barrera. In his very next fight after losing to Barrera for the second time, Morales somehow bullied the younger, faster and at the time, naturally smaller Pacquiao and won a clear-cut decision. If there were any indications of how much Morales had left, an unheralded Zahir Raheem sure showed us all.
Oscar De La Hoya, like Pacquaio is a multi-division champion, but even so, started at a weight class in which Pacquiao only entered in the later stages of his career.
For those who’s seen the Steve Forbes bout, De La Hoya won that fight in that fashion because Forbes, who was a big lightweight himself, has actually competed against guys who were jr. middleweights and middleweights. And by that standards, De La Hoya is one of those jr. middleweights. Here’s another example – Arturo Gatti, who had difficulty making 140 pounds, took a severe drubbing when he moved up against De La Hoya.
Pound for pound, shmound for shmound, when it comes to strength and power, if the greater amount deems too overwhelming, it’s simply a no-contest. As if we haven’t seen already, De La Hoya, like his earlier days of fighting Julio Cesar Chavez, is back at it again, against a great but weaker fighter.
Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao faces many shortcomings in this department. He started his career fighting at 106lbs, and will step on the scales 41lbs heavier at 147lbs. His opponent, meanwhile, has been above 147lbs for almost eight years. Despite the fact that he has consistently moved up and faced bigger fighters throughout his career, Pacquiao has always been the more imposing figure in the ring. He may not physically push his fighters around the ring, but his presence and sometimes even his muscular figure is enough to make the difference.
Sure, De La Hoya is the naturally bigger fighter in the ring, but it will be his inability to impose that size that will be a factor. Pacquiao might not have faced a fighter that possesses the same physical gifts as De La Hoya, but has consistently been perceived as the smaller fighter in the ring. He has been there and done that, and will not let it be a factor on Saturday night.
Finally, Pacquaio has shown that he could fight twelve hard rounds and maintain his strength, while De La Hoya is notorious for fading late.
Punching Power
Oscar De La Hoya
Like physical strength and power, there’s a significant disparity in punching power between the two.
Watching Juan Lazcano clip Ricky Hatton earlier this year reminded me that Pacquiao would not only gets beaten by Ricky Hatton himself, but a fringe contender like Lazcano would knock him out as well. It only reaffirmed by suspicion when I saw Pacquiao get momentarily stunned by a jab from David Diaz.
Oscar, as we all have known, was a devastating puncher at 135 and 140. At 147, he was still a very good puncher, and at 154, he was a formidable puncher to say the least.
Pacquiao himself is a tremendous puncher at 122 and 126 pounds, but he’s no longer the sharp-shooting one-punch knockout artist at higher weights. Punch for punch, it’s no contest although I can’t rule out the sequences of Pacquiao’s straight left doing some damage to Oscar’s facial tissues. Unfortunately for Pacquiao, one De La Hoya left-hook could mean nighty night.
Manny Pacquiao
They say that a combination of speed, power, and accuracy are what equates to a knockout punch. At 106lbs, Manny Pacquaio had knockout ability. When people questioned his knockout power at 126lbs, he proved them wrong by stopping Marco Antonio Barrera and blitzing Juan Manuel Marquez. When he took a risk and moved up to 135lbs, his highest weight to date, he took on the tough Oscar Diaz, and battered him until stopping him with one punch late in their encounter.
Maybe at 147lbs Pacquaio does not possess the power he did at lower weights, but he will possess a considerable speed and accuracy advantage of the likes that he has never experienced before. Oscar De La Hoya might be able to throw a stronger punch, but what matters most is if it lands. Pacquiao, being smaller, will be faster and more capable of landing his punches.
Intangibles
Oscar De La Hoya
Both have been in under the bright lights of Las Vegas. Both have enjoyed their awesome and tumultuous fan-base.
If you’re backing Manny Pacquaio, he seems to have a number on his Mexican or Mexican-based opponents. Just ask Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and David Diaz.
The consensus says that Pacquiao is the best figther in the world pound for pound. Sure, why not?
But come this Saturday, Manny Pacquaio is taking on a heavyweight-like challenge. However, the way he fights, the passion he brings just won’t cut it. We’ve seen Manny’s vulnerability outside the ring. He’s probably a likable guy, let’s face it, he isn’t the smartest guy when it comes to business.
For De La Hoya and the Golden Boy Team, it’s business as usual. The business-minded De La Hoya mostly took chances when there were greater rewards.
At the same time, De La Hoya has always been a prideful fighter. If he wanted a guaranteed ‘L’ before he retires, all he had to do was signed the dot against Antonio Margarito.
A perfect case scenario this is, and I, like many others, won’t be duped to believe that this will be a competitive fight.
Anticipation continues to grow as we wind down to this Saturday night in Las Vegas. In ’88, plenty of excitement surrounded Tyson-Spinks. At least enjoy the anticipation for what it’s worth.
Manny Pacquiao
Yes, “The Golden Boy,” Oscar De La Hoya is the world’s most popular boxer, but below 140lbs, it is Manny Pacquiao that is the Golden Boy. In his native Philipines, Manny Pacquaio is Oscar De La Hoya, Elvis, and Barack Obama all rolled up into one. Even parts of Mexico have embraced him as one of their own due to his warrior fighting spirit.
Oscar De La Hoya might have more fans cheering for him on Saturday night, but they won’t live and die with him. In Pacquiao-land, Pacquiao is everything. De La Hoya fights for his fan’s entertainment.
Pacquiao just simply fights for his fans.
Another intangible is also money; the most important factor in putting this fight together. Manny Pacquaio has never dreamed of fighting for the millions that he will earn on Saturday night. For De La Hoya, it is just another night’s work. Pacquiao will be the hungrier fighter between those ropes.