Pacquiao looks back on de la Hoya as Dec. 6 clash looms
By ROY MEDINA, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 09/01/2008 12:35 AM
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Manny Pacquiao turned nostalgic Sunday as he bared his feelings on the December 6 fight in Las Vegas against Oscar de la Hoya, a man he had admired and continues to look up to.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think and imagine that I will be fighting the same man who was then a superstar and is still the sport's biggest draw. But I believe that after seven years of fighting, I have grown better, more mature and wiser as a fighter and as a person," Pacquiao said in his online column, "Kumbinasyon."
Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion, will battle 10-time world champion de la Hoya, at the MGM Grand Arena Hotel, the same venue where he first fought as a 122-lb warrior on June 22, 2001 in an undercard match. The main event of that fight? No one else but de la Hoya who would be crowned 154-lb champion.
"Nakakatuwang isipin na pito at kalahating taon ang makakalipas, kaming dalawa ni Ginoong Dela Hoya ang magkakaharap ulit para sa main event ng pinakamalaking laban ng 2008, sa parehong hotel sa Las Vegas, Nevada," the Filipino boxing icon said.
The southpaw admitted that de la Hoya has the speed and wisdom in the ring -- traits of the "Golden Boy" that he has admired most.
However, the four-time world champion and the world's top pound-for-pound boxer at present, had this to say of his idol: "I also know that I have the capability of scoring an upset over my boyhood idol."
"Para tayo ay magwagi dito sa laban na ito, importante para sa akin ang maging mapagkumbaba at ang pagbalik-tanaw sa aking nakaraan, gaya noong araw ng aking unang laban sa US at sa pay-per-view. Ang taong hindi marunong tumanaw sa pinanggalingan, hindi makakarating sa paroroonan. Naniniwala po ako diyan," Pacquiao said.
He added that the December 6 clash, once thought of as just a dream, will become one of the hallmarks of his career as a boxer.
"Ito ang isa sa mga magiging batayan at marka ng aking boxing career at gaya ng dati, hihingin ko po ulit ang tulong at dasal ng bawat isa sa inyo upang sa huli, lahat tayo pa rin ang magwawagi," he said.
'In my head'
Meanwhile, de la Hoya faced American media on Saturday and confirmed plans December 6 and admitted that the thought of fighting Pacquiao has been lingering in his head since last year.
"To me, when a certain person in the boxing industry who is an expert mentioned the possibility last year of fighting Manny Pacquiao, it stuck to my head and it kept on lingering in my head and I kept on thinking about it over the months. And to this day I say to myself, can I really fight Manny Pacquiao and beat the pound-for-pound champion of the world?"
De la Hoya said indeed, he is older and much bigger and Pacquiao is younger and considered the best fighter today.
"But when people starting saying, oh, well, Manny can beat you, Manny can knock you out, and especially when Freddie Roach started saying, Oscar can't pull the trigger or Manny Pacquiao, the fighter I trained, can beat you, it started to become a challenge to me," he said.
"And now it is very personal, especially when Manny Pacquiao beat all the legendary Mexican fighters from Mexico," he added.
Speaking via the video conference call, Pacquiao, meanwhile, had this to say: "Some people say that it's a very easy fight for Oscar, but you know what? I always do my job in the ring and I've done my best to give a good fight and to win this fight."
"I think that the point is my speed is going to be a big favor in this fight, but I think that Oscar de la Hoya is -- he has an advantage by the height and he's bigger in height. He's taller than me, but I believe that I am stronger than him. So it's going to be a great fight," Pacquiao added.
The 29-year-old Pacquiao is fresh from his June 28 triumph against David Diaz for the WBC lightweight belt. Prior to that, he also demolished Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC super featherweight crown on March 15.
Pacquiao has a record of 47-3-2 with 35 wins via knockout.
De la Hoya, on the other hand, is said to be fighting the final of his career at age 35. He holds a win-loss-draw record of 39-5 with 30 wins by KO.
Pacquiao has also said that he plans to retire by 2009. He even hinted at joining politics again in the 2010 elections following his loss as a congressional candidate in May 2007.
