By Mark Vester

If the fight with Manny Pacquiao does not end with a knockout, Oscar De La Hoya will call it a total disaster. De La Hoya does not want a decision, he wants to knock the Filipino champion out. Since Pacquiao, who began at 106-pounds, is moving up from 135 to the welterweight limit of 147, just going the distance with De La Hoya would be a feather in his cap.

"We will put boxing back on the worldwide stage. I beat a young lion like Manny Pacquiao to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, it helps me prove I can do this and move on and still be successful.

In his last few fights, De La Hoya has faded in the late rounds. He doesn't know how his body will react when he steps in the ring on December 6.

"I feel very comfortable with welterweight. I don't think we're sacrificing any power. We're punching harder than ever. I don't know how my body is going to react come fight night. Conditioning is my primary concern," De La Hoya said.

Every week, the reasons why De La Hoya wants revenge on Pacquiao changes. This week, he says one of the main reasons is to pay Pacquiao is back for turning down a deal to join Golden Boy Promotions and instead hooking up with Top Rank. Pacquiao agreed to joing Golden Boy in September 2006 and two months later he changed his mind, returned his bonus money and went over to Bob Arum.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would fight Manny Pacquiao. That's one of the reasons this fight is so personal to me. We signed the deal and he turned his back on me and he's going to have to pay on December 6," De La Hoya said. "That moment is what makes it personal. I don't want him to talk about how he honors honor. He didn't honor me. I'm not going to honor him."

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