BetUS Boxing Picks – Golden Boy, Pac Man, Put it all on the Line
Saturday night’s ‘mega-bout’ between Manny Pacquiao (47-3-2, 36 KOs) and Oscar De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs) figures to be a thrilling matchup between two of the best fighters on the face of the planet today.
BetUS boxing Sports betting enthusiasts that plan on wagering on either fighter, have some solid reasons to stand behind either boxer.
This article will take a look at the pros and cons for each fighter and the conventional ‘old-school’ boxing wisdom on why either fighter could come out victorious.
Size
Pacquiao is a shade over 5-feet-6 inches and began his boxing career fighting at just 106 pounds, while De La Hoya stands 5-10 and has fought mostly in the neighborhood of 147 pounds and recently, at 154 pounds.
Pacquiao is moving up to 147 pounds for the first time in his career but could see his size disadvantage nullified as De La Hoya is fighting at 147 for the first time since 2001 and could be sapped of some of his normal power as he honestly admitted recently.
“Coming down in weight is a big issue because I don’t know how my body’s going to react come fight night,” De La Hoya said. “I felt great in training camp, but come fight night, it’s a whole different story. My conditioning has been a big issue for a lot of people over the years. And that’s my primary concern.”
Speed
While De La Hoya has always been quick with his hands, Pacquiao looks like he has an advantage here being naturally lighter than De La Hoya.
“By fight time, I think Oscar will probably weigh about 160 pounds and Manny will be about 150 pounds,” Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said recently. “So 10 pounds, I’m not really worried about that because I feel that speed wins this fight – not size.”
Power
Both fighters have excellent power for their respective weights, but it is Pacquiao that is more of a ‘knockout’ puncher and De La Hoya seemed to admit as much at the fight’s Media Day gathering, saying “The problems I see that will be heralds for me are that Manny Pacquiao is a southpaw with amazing speed. He is also young and powerful.”
Stamina
I think this area of the fight is dead-even as both fighters could have issues with stamina if it reaches the later rounds.
Putting on weight could make the 29-year-old Pacquiao’s legs heavy and tired in the later rounds while losing so much weight could make the 35-year-old De La Hoya’s legs weary and wobbly.
Readiness vs. Rust
If you think the ‘rest versus rust’ will be a factor, consider that Pacquiao has had two bouts this year alone, winning each time, including a June 28 bout in which he beat David Diaz on a ninth-round TKO in Las Vegas.
De La Hoy on the other hand, has only has three bouts in the last four years combined and has not fought since beating Steve Forbes by decision in March of this year in a bout in which he wasn’t all that impressive against a mediocre opponent.
Add in the fact that De La Hoy is six years older than his opponent and has alternated wins and losses in each of his last seven fights and is coming off a win the last time out and you get the idea that the gifted Pacquiao could make minced meat out of the former world champion.
Bad Blood
Way back in 2006, De La Hoya’s company, Golden Boy Promotions, tried to sign Pacquiao to a long-term deal and the Filipino boxer initially accepted a $250,000 payment from De La Hoya before turning around and giving back the money in order to take a $1 million bonus from Bob Arum and Top Rank promotions.
Name calling – and lawsuits ensued before an out-of-court settlement was reached in June 2007, with Top Rank claiming Pacquiao’s services and infuriating De La Hoya who claims he’s going to take out his anger on Pacquiao’s face.
“That’s one of the reasons why this fight is so personal to me, because of that night when we signed that deal,” De La Hoya said. “He turned his back on me. He’s going to have to pay come Dec. 6.”
No matter which fighter prevails Saturday night, one thing is for sure, BetUS boxing enthusiasts will almost assuredly get an entertaining bout between the two and not some clutching-filled bout between two un-athletic behemoths.
“That is what makes this fight so intriguing. The timing, the pace and the rhythm of the fight is the great unknown. How we will match-up in the ring that night and who will get to execute their game plan the best? It’s a very interesting fight and I think it is going to be a great night of boxing.”
Boxing Lines
De La Hoya -180
Pacquiao +150
Draw +2000
