De La Hoya has a second chance to 'save' boxing
De La Hoya has a second chance to 'save' boxing
Story by Mariano A. Agmi
Oscar De la Hoya spoke to the New York media at Liberty Island on Wednesday to announce his “Dream Match” against Filipino idol Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao on December 6th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The 12-round welterweight non-title bout is really a cross-divisional match-up between the naturally bigger De la Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs) and the lightning-quick punching machine Pacquiao (47-3-1, 35 KOs).
“What’s great about this fight is that everyone has a different prediction,” De la Hoya explained. “A lot of people think I’m gonna get knocked out, and many people say that I’ll knock him out.”
The stature and popularity of the fighters all but ensures that this event will be a commercial hit. In fact, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, announced that tickets to the fight sold out in just a few hours.
HBO will do its part in spreading the word about this mega-bout when it produces another installment of “24/7,” the exceptional documentary-style look at each fighter’s training camp, beginning on November 16th.
Most importantly, “The Dream Match” presents De la Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions with a second chance to show the world what a captivating sport boxing can be when it is at its best.
‘THE WORLD AWAITS’
Their first opportunity came on May 5, 2007, when over 2 million people ordered “The World Awaits” on pay-per-view. The main event featured Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s challenge for Oscar De la Hoya’s WBC jr. middleweight title.
Many experts viewed the record-breaking bout as an opportunity for Golden Boy Promotions to make good on their stated promise to “save” boxing by producing a spectacular card that would leave the casual fan thirsting for more.
Instead, fans witnessed a less than scintillating affair that night, as Mayweather Jr. used his speed, reflexes and elusiveness to outpoint the “Golden Boy” via split decision.
The undercard wasn’t much better as jr. lightweight contender Rocky Juarez won a lackluster decision against Jose Hernandez and super bantamweight prospect Rey Bautista struggled to a unanimous decision victory over the unheralded Sergio Medina.
The overall quality of the card left many hardcore fans wondering what would have been if a strong undercard was on display for millions of people to witness.
A SECOND OPPORTUNITY
There are many reasons why “The Dream Match” has the potential to surpass its predecessor in quality. The bout once again pits boxing’s current pound-for-pound champion (Pacquiao) against the generation’s most popular fighter (De la Hoya).
However, unlike Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao is an offense-first fighter who visibly enjoys exchanging power punches with his opponents. In the 30-year-old Pacquiao, De la Hoya faces a younger opponent whose blend of speed and power has resulted in impressive victories over many of the era’s best Mexican fighters, including Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez.
“I’m concerned about youth, his power and especially his speed,” said the 35-year-old De la Hoya. “Also, I haven’t faced a southpaw since ‘Macho’ Camacho.”
However, De la Hoya is aware that his height and reach advantages require that Pacquiao open himself up to counters by forcing him to weave in-and-out of De la Hoya’s punching range to land his lethal left hand.
“The difference is that Manny will be right in front of me, which is better for me because it means we’ll engage in a great fight.”
Another reason why this event may turn out to be a critical success in addition to a commercial one is because the co-promoters of the event, Golden Boy and Top Rank, are committed to putting together a strong undercard featuring some of their best young fighters.
"A strong undercard will really help the sport,” stated Bob Arum of Top Rank. “They have two televised fights and we have one. We’re going to go with Juan Manuel Lopez in a real big fight, because he’s an all action fighter with great skills.”
De la Hoya agrees that a strong undercard will go a long way in introducing fans to the future talents of the sport: “It’s extremely important. We’re putting together a great card. I told Richard Schaefer and my matchmakers, ‘I want to spend the money to put on the next talents of the world, like Victor Ortiz and Danny Jacobs, and put them in some tough challenges so that the world can see who the next superstars in boxing are.’”
In fact, when asked who he envisions taking his place as the “next Golden Boy,” De la Hoya answered without hesitation. “Who will be the next Oscar de la Hoya? I think it’s going to be Victor Ortiz.”
Although the participants of the undercard are not set in stone, fighters of this caliber engaged in competitive bouts are what boxing needs to satisfy its most ardent fans.
CAN BOXING FANS AFFORD “THE DREAM”?
Throughout the press conference for this event, Richard Schaefer and Oscar De la Hoya made references to the fact that they are aware of the economic crisis facing the country today.
Richard Schaefer announced that to help alleviate the financial burden placed on fans who will order the bout for $54.95, he has enlisted corporate sponsor Tecate beer, which has agreed to offer $20 mail-in rebates to fans who purchase certain packages of its beer.
“I think anyone who puts together a pay-per-view event in these times would be ignorant not to worry about the economy,” said Schaefer. “That’s why we looked into the rebates.”
Oscar hopes the fight will offer fans an opportunity to get together to enjoy a night of boxing that will take their minds away from the economy, at least for a few hours.
“I hope this fight with Manny Pacquiao can distract us from the economy and our problems where we can enjoy it with friends and family and for that period of time watch a great fight,” said De la Hoya.
For boxing’s sake, the fans also hope that this fight and its undercard live up to the event’s hype and attention, as Golden Boy and Top Rank have a tremendous opportunity to properly bring boxing back to the forefront of the casual sports fan’s mind.
Oscar insists that this is his intent. “The bottom line is that it is going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a clash, because I’m not going anywhere – I’ll be right in front of him. And I know that Manny isn’t going anywhere.”
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