Sports Blog Philippines

Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao forced Oscar dela Hoya to submission on the night of their match tagged as “The Dream Match” on what could be considered as boxing’s one of classic fights.

Oscar dela Hoya opted not to continue the fight in the ninth round rather than face a humiliating defeat from Pacquiao. Pacquiao dominated almost all the rounds, from round 1 to 8 giving the Golden Boy a surprised pugilistic strategy which was not anticipated in his camp. Pacquiao played smart during the fight and exuded with enthusiasm that he can defeat the Golden Boy of boxing. All the three judges scored the fight in favor of Pacquiao prior to the decision of dela Hoya to call it a day and concede to the moment’s swing. Oscar dela Hoya suffered a cut in his left eye which bears the mark of a signatured Pacquiao punch. The key to Pacquiao’s victory is speed and power. He kept dela Hoya off balance most of the times and confused him of the punches he was throwing in different angles. It is small wonder that Oscar was not able to capitalize on his height and reach advantage because Pacquiao kept on moving around making it hard for dela Hoya to figure out where the next punches are coming. Like a buzzing saw, Pacquiao released some of his best shots in rounds 6-8. During these rounds, Pacquiao dominated the game and dictated the outcome of the fight. Some good combinations from Pacquiao almost sent the weary dela Hoya in the canvass as he was not able to answer Pacquiao’s punches in the late seventh and eighth rounds. Referee Tony Weeks warned dela Hoya to release some punches midway of seventh round otherwise the fight will be stopped. In the eighth round, dela Hoya tried to box Pacquiao and get a good angle for his punches but Pacquiao is just too quick, causing dela Hoya’s punches miss their target. The last forty seconds of the fight proved too much for dela Hoya as Pacquiao released a barrage of punches that put the Golden Boy to the corner as a mere target shot and was hit by torpedo-like punches that you know not where they are coming. Oscar was just lucky to have been saved by the bell. Before the ninth round, Oscar’s corner were at a mess, confused whether or not to continue the fight. Nacho Beristain, dela Hoya’s coach, asked his boxer if he could still stand another round, dela Hoya chose the better path for virtue. He expressed a sign of submission and approached Pacquiao to give him an embrace, a mark of respect for a foe who has beaten him.

Several months prior this fight, many regarded it as a mismatch. Ironically, it was. The mismatch was tilted no against Pacquiao but for dela Hoya who has been to several battles in the ring and the wear and tear is just too much for a fighter who “could no longer pull the trigger” as Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, will tell all non-believers. But the defeat did not diminish Oscar’s stature. His legacy to boxing is something which cannot be denied. As Pacquiao himself would acknowledge that he (dela Hoya) remains “his idol.” But age had betrayed the Golden Boy and gave it to Pacquiao. Pacquiao was just the better fighter that night. The Dream Match was a dream came true to the fighting pride of the Philippines.

LAS VEGAS – It was a performance worthy of an Oscar.

Behind unbelievable hand speed and a well-executed game plan, Manny Pacquiao pounded Oscar de la Hoya to submission Saturday evening (yesterday in Manila), and lived up to his billing as the greatest and most exciting fighter in the planet today.

Pacquiao was all over his taller, longer and favored opponent right from the start of their scheduled 12-round non-title bout at 147 pounds.

A crowd of more than 15,000 packed the MGM Grand Arena to see the biggest fight of the year dubbed the Dream Match but turned out to be a shocking mismatch.

The Filipino superstar who said he never dreamed of fighting De la Hoya before made boxing’s Golden Boy an easy target, turning him into a 5-foot-10 punching bag and forcing his corner to call for a stoppage at the end of the eighth round.

“I was able to foil his jab. I was connecting with everything. He was connecting with nothing. Speed was the key to this fight. I was only surprised when my trainer picked the correct round that I would win,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao fans in the star-studded crowd cheered each time Pacquiao landed a big punch, and that meant most of the time. When the referee signaled the end of the bout before the bell to start the ninth round, they just exploded.

Pacquiao was getting ready to answer the bell for the ninth round when De la Hoya’s corner gave it up. De la Hoya was gracious in defeat, crossing the ring to congratulate Pacquiao. By this time, MGM’s roof looked ready to blow away.

Pacquiao, who has plans of vacating the WBC lightweight (135 lbs) crown he won from David Diaz only last June, was ahead on all three scorecards when the fight was stopped. Two of the judges gave him all eight rounds.

Pacquiao showed up at the post-fight press conference in his tailored suit then talked about the fight that was called a mismatch by many. Indeed it was a mismatch, but one favoring the smaller fighter, the underdog.

Freddie Roach, his trainer, said Pacquiao would knock out De la Hoya in the ninth round, and was short of his prediction by just a few seconds.

Pacquiao said up next could be Ricky Hatton, the British hit man fighting in the 140-lb division.

“I can fight him anywhere they want to make a deal with us. I would be happy to fight him, but not until I have a long vacation. I am happy to contribute honor to my country with this victory,” he added.

“The game plan was perfect. That’s how we fought in the gym. Taking Oscar’s left hand away was the key and we took that left hand away. And the fight was over,” said Roach, who trained De la Hoya in his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year.

Up in the ring, De la Hoya was interviewed by HBO commentator Larry Merchant, the man who brought up this fight, and got some harsh reactions from the crowd. On his way out of the venue, some sections booed and jeered him away.

“Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter and he fought a great fight. He was a better man tonight and he deserves all he has accomplished in his career. I am not shocked because at this stage, when you face someone like Manny Pacquiao you know you are going to be in a fight,” said De la Hoya.

“I worked and trained really hard for this fight, but as I have told everyone, it is a totally different story when you get in the ring. My style is to go forward, but he was boxing on all his toes all night and waiting for me to make my mistake.

“I just didn’t have the strength to stop him and my body did not respond,” said De la Hoya who said he’ll “see what happens” when asked about retirement from the ring.

Nacho Beristain, who trained De la Hoya for this “Dream Match,” was the one who called a halt to the fight.

“I stopped the fight because I didn’t want him (De la Hoya) to leave his greatness in the ring. Oscar was in good condition. But he couldn’t control Manny’s southpaw stance or style. He wasn’t able to stop him. He just didn’t have the strength tonight.

De la Hoya did not show up at the post-fight conference because he had to be brought to the hospital for a precautionary check-up.

Pacquiao landed the first big punch of the fight, a lead left right on De la Hoya’s nose. The Filipino seemed to be in control and landed two more of those punches the rest of the round.

De la Hoya tried to steal the round in the eyes of the judges but missed with his flurry.

De la Hoya’s face, particularly around nose, was red at the start of the second round, and not long after he took another left straight and a right hook from Pacquiao who also landed two good shots to the body.

It was Pacquiao, not De la Hoya, who worked his jab in the second round, landing a double-jab that was followed by a left straight to the body.

By the end of the second round, De la Hoya looked confused and surprised by Pacquiao’s power. His face had a big marking on the bridge of his nose that seemed ready to pop.

De la Hoya landed a heavy right to the side of Pacquiao’s head early in the third, and tried hard to take control of the fight. But the younger, quicker Pacquiao kept hitting him with his left.

They traded hooks early in the fourth round, but that was all De la Hoya could give. Instead, he took jarring lefts to the head, one of them shaking him and making him look like he’s ready to go.

The fifth round started slow until Pacquiao connected with a right hook that was later followed by three body punches. Again, De la Hoya tried to steal the round, which would have been his first, but like in the first four, he failed.

In the sixth round, De la Hoya’s left eye was beginning to close, making it very difficult for him to see the punches coming from Pacquiao, who had piled up the points by this time.

The seventh round gave a big hint of things to come.

Pacquiao pinned De la Hoya on the ropes and rained punches on the hapless former Olympic champion. He continued to show unbelievable hand speed, hitting his foe on the body and the face so hard that the referee could have stopped the fight right there.

Twice in the seventh round, De la Hoya held on to the ropes, and in his stool after the round his left eye looked badly swollen. All De la Hoya had by the end of the round was his guts and his pride.

In the eighth round, Pacquiao played a little cocky, allowing De la Hoya to hit him with a combination to the body. But when he turned serious, in the closing seconds, he pinned De la Hoya on the ropes once more and landed another flurry of hard punches.

Nothing changed in what proved to be the final bout of the round, and it was just a matter of time when De la Hoya would go down. Referee Tony Weeks called a halt to the bout before the bell for the ninth round sounded.

Pacquiao came out of his dressing room smiling and bouncing, entering the arena to the booming sound of “We Will Rock You!” He wore a red-white-and-blue robe that looked like a Philippine flag.

Pacquiao pumped his fists at the crowd looking every inch a happy, confident fighter. He was almost running toward the steps that led to the square ring, then he went to his corner to face the crowd.

De la Hoya’s entrance was met by loud cheers from the overflow crowd. He was in maroon, hooded all the way up. He looked more serious though, chewing gum and his face shining with Vaseline.

Before leaving his suite at Mandalay Bay, Pacquiao prayed the rosary. He and his entourage made it to the MGM at exactly 6:15 p.m., smiling and exchanging high fives with some fans.

Inside the dressing room, he was met by his trainers. Miguel Diaz, the cutman, gave Pacquiao a hug as Roach, and his two Pinoy assistants, Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri, looked on.

Human traffic inside the MGM was heavy at least two hours before the main bout. The playing area was full, tables loaded, and the bars were jumping with the most gorgeous people in town.

Filipino Richie Mepranum shone under the bright lights of Vegas when he defeated Cesar Lopez of El Paso, Texas via a unanimous decision.

It was the first time that Mepranum, from Maasim, Sarangani, fought outside of the Philippines, and he didn’t waste his time travelling thousands of miles.

Judge Al Lefkowitz scored the six-round bout 58-56, Ricardo Ocasio 59-55 and Glenn Townbridge 60-54 all in favor of the Filipino, now 15-2-1.

Lopez also lost via unanimous decision to Fil-Amerian Brian Viloria last February, and dropped to 20-7 with four knockouts.

It was a star-studded evening, and among the audience were boxing heroes Thomas Hearns, Mike Tyson, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Bernard Hopkins.

Also in attendance were NBA superstars Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson, and Hollywood giants Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Walhberg and Russell Crowe.

source: http://www.philstar.com

Three of De la Hoya’s five losses came at the MGM: against Mayweather last year, Bernard Hopkins in 2004, and Shane Mosley in 2003, but he said it’s a thing of the past. But it’s also where he beat Ricardo Mayorga, Arturo Gatti, Felix Strum and Javier Castillejo.

“We’ve had a lot of good memories and a lot of bad memories but at the end of the day we’ve had a lot of fun here at the MGM. This is gonna be a fight everything everybody has wished for. It’s gonna be fun, have a good time that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

He said Pacquiao won’t have as much difficulty with his new weight as some people think.

“Manny Pacquiao can handle the weight gain because of his power and his speed. He’s not the slowest fighter out there. He’s probably the fastest fighter out there. A Manny Pacquiao who’s going to jump up 10 pounds, 20 pounds or 30 pounds is still a fast Manny Pacquiao so I think it’s not going to affect him that much the way it affected me because I jumped up six weight classes and by the sixth one, it was tough.”

On the other side of the fence, Roach is being pitted against Nacho Beristain, the trainer of Marquez, and the legendary Angelo Dundee who trained fighters like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.

The 87-year-old Dundee came in as a last-minute addition to Team De la Hoya.

“I didn’t know these two guys but I enjoyed watching them,” he said of Pacquiao and De la Hoya. “But I’ve been doing some homework. I have a good angle on Pacquiao now but I’ve a better angle on De la Hoya,” he said.

“I didn’t know this guy works so hard. He gets a big kick out of the gym when fighters don’t want to go there because they know they’re gonna work. But Oscar loves it.

“But I told him, ‘Please do me a favor. Don’t leave all the work in the gymnasium we have to save it for the night of the fight,” he added.

“No doubt Oscar de la Hoya is a great fighter and he’s a hundred percent. He’s got an unbreakable face, unbreakable discipline. That made him ready for this fight,” said Beristain, still searching for his first win over Pacquiao.

source: http://www.philstar.com

“Manny can win by applying constant pressure, staying inside and wearing Oscar down. Oscar does have a tendency to fade in the late rounds. If they get to fight into the late rounds and it’s competitive, then Manny has a chance.” — Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press.

The fight that started as a dream becomes a reality Saturday evening (Sunday noon in Manila) when Manny Pacquiao goes up against the bigger, older and more experienced Oscar de la Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

It’s the fight that’s been much talked about this year, one that’s been labeled a mismatch or a farce. But soon all the talking stops because the fight people want to see may be remembered in history as the greatest one pitting two superstars at least two weight classes apart.

The scheduled 12-round bout will be contested in the welterweight division, but surprisingly both fighters weighed in under the 147-pound limit, with De La Hoya tipping the scales at 145 and Pacquiao at 142.

For Pacquiao, who began his career as a 106-pound junior flyweight and has never fought above 135 pounds, it could bode well for him that he didn’t try to gain more weight than his diminutive 5-foot-6 frame could carry. The extra pounds could have risked losing the foot speed that many think will be his only clear-cut advantage.

source: http://www.philstar.com

LOS ANGELES – Freddie Roach will make sure he keeps an eye on Oscar dela Hoya’s hands when they are taped and wrapped for Saturday’s “Dream Match” at the MGM Grand.

“There are a couple of issues I have,” he said Friday, referring to the manner by which the Golden Boy’s deadly hands are taped for a fight, this time under master cutman Joe Chavez.

“Joe Chavez is a friend of mine,” said Roach.

Of course he is, because Chavez has worked a number of fights with Pacquiao, including his most recent fight against David Diaz for the WBC lightweight crown last June at Mandalay Bay.

He didn’t say if Chavez used the same technique while he worked for Pacquiao.

Roach said Chavez does something special when he wraps a fighter’s hands, and the two-time Trainer of the Year will make sure it is not used against Pacquiao, the underdog against Dela Hoya.

“He uses the strapping tape which is not supposed to be used but porous tape only. Between the knuckles they use what Joe calls the fake ligaments and they make it like rope,” he explained.

“And they put it between the fingers,” added Pacquiao’s trainer.

The tape, when it dries up, is almost like cement, and what Roach is saying is that the “fake ligament” might give a boxer a certain advantage.

Roach said as trainer, it’s his job to make sure that his boxer is not at a disadvantage. He does the wrapping for Pacquiao.

“Anything I can do to throw Oscar I will do. That’s my job. So, I want to see it. It’s not personal. But I want to see it. Rules are rules and we have to go by it,” he added.

When Pacquiao faced Marco Antonio Barrera in their rematch in October last year, Roach also raised an issue about the wrapping.

He claimed then that Barrera’s handlers taped his hands so thick and so hard that the padding on the knuckle area is more than an inch thick.

“His hands get so big that in one fight, his handlers had to cut his gloves with a scissor just to make his hands fit in,” Roach said days before the Barrera fight.

Roach said he’d inform the Nevada State Athletic Commission under Keith Keizer about the issue once he sets foot in Vegas on Monday.

“I know the rules and I expect them to be upheld. That’s all I ask. We’ll work with what’s allowed and what’s not and we’ll go from there,” he said.

Roach said he’d make sure that everything’s fine before Dela Hoya leaves his dressing room. If possible, the trainer himself will be there to watch the procedure.

“Most likely it will be me but it depends on the time issue,” he said.

Otherwise, he’d send Eric Brown, one of Pacquiao’s trainers, over at Dela Hoya’s locker room to see what’s being done.

It’s official!

The dream fight between the boxing’s golden boy and the pound for pound king has turned into a reality. On the day of December 06, 2008, another mega fight event in the world of boxing will unfold— a great history in the making.

Pound for pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao was chosen to be the dancing partner in the ring by Oscar “the Golden Boy” Dela Hoya on what is to be considered to be one of the greatest fights of the millennium.

The much-talked about fight between the two most popular fighters in the world today will happen at the welterweight class (147 pounds). Currently considered as the best fighter in the planet, Pacquiao, a lightweight slugger, will be expected to gain at least 15 pounds comes fight night while dela Hoya is expected to go down in weight by at least 20 pounds from its usual junior middleweight division.

The clash of the two boxers will surely catch the attention of the boxing community as it promises to be a fight of two true-blooded warriors in the ring. Pacquiao, a holder of five championship belts, started in the ring as a flyweight and last fought as a lightweight when he inflicted a brutal knockout in round 9 again David Diaz to wrest the WBC lightweight belt; whereas dela Hoya, a six-time world champion last fought as a superwelterweight against Steve Forbes on what is to be regarded as a not-so-exciting bout of the boxing’s most charismatic figure.

Freddie Roach, Pacman’s trainer, and the rest of the camp of Pacquiao are confident that the Filipino sensation can defeat dela Hoya. As for dela Hoya, the fight for him has a become a personal thing, saying in one of the interviews that he is going to avenge the defeats suffered by the best of the Mexican boxers against the hands of Pacquiao.

This is the bout the world is waiting for. Should Pacquiao succeed, he would attain the feat achieved by Armstrong, a famous boxer some decades ago.

So let’s get it on!

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