By Mark Vester

The title is not a misprint, the article that recently appeared in the Manila Bulletin was so unbelievable I was forced to read it twice to make sure I wasn't losing my mind.

Pinoy boxing scribe Nick Giongco spoke with Top Rank president Bob Arum, who told him that Oscar De La Hoya had interest in a bout with Manny Pacquiao at the welterweight limit of 147-pounds. In the dark, among writers, there has been some talk of a dream bout between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., at 140-pounds. Pacquiao came to ring weighing 142 for his rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera, Mayweather can still make the junior welterweight limit. That fight, logically, is possible, yet unlikely to take place.

But a bout between De La Hoya and Pacquiao would create a massive size advantage for the Golden Boy. Pacquiao's limit, as far as being effective, is probably 135-pounds. Keep in mind that Pacquiao began his career at 106-pounds.

"We’ll see, we’ll see," Arum told the Bulletin. "I was told that Oscar wants to fight Manny in his last fight. That’s what I have been told by (Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard) Schaefer.

Arum himself was in disbelief, telling the paper that Pacquiao facing De La Hoya at 147 would be "unbelievable," but he still made a historical case for the fight.

"Henry Armstrong was a lightweight who fought at welterweight and even middleweight," said Arum.

Giongco would contact Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach, who said there was no way a fight could ever happen between his fighter and De La Hoya, since Pacquiao could not fight at 147 and De La Hoya is unable to make weight for a division below like 140.

"At what weight are they going to fight?" asked Roach. "Manny’s going to look like a balloon ball (at welterweight)," said Roach. "That ain’t gonna happen. What if they meet at 140-pounds? Oscar can’t make 140."

This almost has shades of Mayweather-Winky Wright, when Mayweather, fighting at 140, tried to call out Wright, who was fighting at 160, for a catch-weight bout at 154-pounds. Not a single person expected the bout to ever come off, and of course it didn't.

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com