By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Its seems that day by day new problems crop up in the effort to move forward on a planned showdown between Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on December 6.
The Team Pacquiao request that he be allowed to wear eight-ounce gloves while De La Hoya is made to wear ten-ounce gloves will not be sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer informed insidesports.ph, Viva Sports and Manila Standard Today that at the proposed weight of 147 pounds “both boxers would wear 10 oz gloves unless both boxers agree to wear 8 oz. gloves.”
World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman said the proposal for a difference in the size of the gloves was “completely against the rules. That cannot be done.”
Sulaiman, in an overseas telephone conversation with insidesports.ph from his home in Mexico City clarified his comments calling the fight a fraud.
Sulaiman said the weight, the height and the reach were all “not very little bit very much” prompting him to criticize the planned bout.
At the same time Sulaiman said “if Pacquiao thinks he is going to make a lot of money and continue, I have my doubts because if he loses he will never be the same.”
While stating that he cannot deny the fact that De La Hoya has been “one of the greatest fighters with regard to public acceptance, very charismatic. But he belongs to money, nothing else but money. He has nothing to lose because he’s making money.
