De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

[Pants]

Anyone as excited about this as me?

My head says De La Hoya's size advantage is too great and he'll stop Manny in the 6th or 7th; my heart says Pacquaio is an indestructible lunatic who will hammer away at the Golden Boy and win the fight on points.

Any predictions from you lot?

[wingco]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

I think the natural weight disparity between them will be telling. Pacquaio was only seven and a half stone at the start of his career. But the little feller will whale away, that's for sure.

[Pants]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Would you be particularly interested in De La Hoya vs. Ricky Hatton, wingco?

[wingco]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Sort of, but a lot of headliner event boxing seems to involve some pretty superannuated names. I mean, Calzaghe-Jones, good fight and all that but it felt like the equivalent of the tennis seniors tour they're currently putting on at the Albert Hall. Hatton isn't so old but I don't think he's a work in development any more. Ditto De La Hoya.

I really hope, and actually expect, that Lewis isn't daft enough to come out of retirement.

[Incandenza]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

I don't follow boxing closely at all, but the sense I get is that a lot of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Southern California--the people you would think would be De La Hoya's fan base--are sick of De La Hoya. I'm not sure how many of them were ever fans of his to begin with, though--he's always been seen as too willing to try to be Americanized and nonthreatening to whites. Posing in women's clothes didn't help things among a highly-machismo group of guys.

De La Hoya never had anywhere near the popularity of Julio Cesar Chavez, that's for sure.

[Pants]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

wingco - I found Calzaghe-Jones a it depressing. I was really pleased for Joe that he got the dosh and the PR, but Roy Jones was a sad shadow of the boxer he once was. The reason I found it depressing was that every now and then you'd see brief flashes of the amazing RJJ, then...nothing. I got the sense he was glad he got the cut because that gave him an excuse not to have to go all-out for a win. I REALLY hope Joe calls it a day.

Inca - that's interesting. I thought DLH was a mega star with Hispanic Americans. On top of his popularity as a boxer, his Golden Boy company promotes boxing events, releases albums, does TV shows, even has it's own bank (someone told me - is that true?) Regarding the cross-dressing pics, weren't they faked?

[Incandenza]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Pants wrote:

Inca - that's interesting. I thought DLH was a mega star with Hispanic Americans. On top of his popularity as a boxer, his Golden Boy company promotes boxing events, releases albums, does TV shows, even has it's own bank (someone told me - is that true?) Regarding the cross-dressing pics, weren't they faked?

Don't know about the pictures.

But I think your opinion of De La Hoya being a megastar is all from his marketing and publicity. He's definitely popular with women and girls, but among a lot of Mexican-American men (rather than "Latino"...Guatemalans/Salvadorans/etc. don't really care about a Mexican-American fighter) De La Hoya is seen as a sellout to white culture, and worst of all, a "pretty boy" (a.k.a.--fag). This article from the International Journal of the History of Sport (warning: academic language) points out that while revered Mexican/Latino boxers like Julio Cesar Chavez would take a beating before hitting back, De La Hoya is evasive and doesn't like to get hit. He doesn't fit their ideal of what a boxer should be.

And FYI, De La Hoya is part owner of the Houston Dynamo in MLS.

[Pants]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Cheers Inca, it's interesting to compare the perception I get of the Golden Boy machine from over here with the reality over there.

On the cross-dressing pictures, it really reminded me of Ian McEwan's 'Amsterdam'. Have you read it? (Slight spoiler if not). I wanted Oscar DLH to front it out with his missus like Julian Garmony does in the book (rather than saying they were fake).

[Tony C]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

To respond to your initail post, Pants, I'm actually more intrigued than excited about this.

But I will be rivetted.

[Tactical Genius]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

I came on here looking for this thread and seen some great stuff already.

Regarding the fight, I think De la Hoya's experience and size advantage will be too much for his opponent who will have to gain a stone from his last fight at lightweight.

As for Dela Hoya v Hatton, Ricky will be battered worse than when he fought the skilled but ultra cautious Mayweather.
Hatton, could not put away the obviously injured malinaggi and got caught a fair few times (the fact that malinaggi hits as hard as my 9 your old girl should not disguise this).

I like the comparisons of the JonesCalzaghe, HopkinsCalzaghe fights to the masters tennis games.

All fighters were obviously past thier best and the fights were at least 5 years too late. Those fights 10 years ago would have been dynamite as Hopkins and Jones were quicker and stronger then and Calzaghe's hands were not as messed up as they are now.

Interesting in what Inc says about De la Hoya, i always found it strange hearing in the UK about his popularity amongst the hispanic fight fans.

He seems like the opposit of the qualities they like in a fighter, he respect his opponent in the ring, he likes to keep opponents away with his impressive jab and defence, rather than aggressively persue his opponents around the ring and engage in some toe-to -toe action and he comes across as a bit shy and somewhat camp. There is little of the so-called hispanic Machismo about him like you get with Barrera, Morales or Chavez.

[Pants]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Fair points there, TG. On the subject of weight, I read something with Freddy Roach today saying that it would be easier for Pacquaio to move up in weight than for De la Hoya to move down in weight. Interesting, eh?

I know you're not a Hatton fan but, come on - he'd have a decent chance against the ageing De La Hoya. I think he looked good against Malinaggi, but yeah, Malinaggi was pants. I saw his previous fight (the one where the twat had a haircut mid-fight) and actually fancied my own chances against him.

On the subject of De La Hoya, I always thought that after his victories over Chavez in the 90s, the Hispanics saw him as Chavez's successor as a Hispanic boxing legend.

[Incandenza]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

A point of usage--there are many nationalities within the group "Hispanics" (or, as I prefer, Latinos), and while someone that isn't Latino may see them as one group, for the people within the group, they identify with their nationalities and in most cases probably don't see themselves as having a lot in common with Latinos of a different nationality, even if they're living in the same city or area (possibly especially if they're living next to each other). A Cuban in Miami probably doesn't give a flying you-know-what how a Mexican-American boxer like De La Hoya does. For someone like a Guatemalan living in Southern California--as the writer Gustavo Arellano puts it, as Mexicans are to the white United States, Guatemalans are the Mexicans of Mexico--they might want to see De La Hoya lose to anyone.

[Pants]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Wow. Well, I didn't see that coming. Really excited about Pacquaio-Hatton now.

The Froch fight was great, too, eh?

Did anyone see Audrey Harrison get beaten by that fat Irish bare-knuckle fighter who'd only ever boxed 13 rounds?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

It would have been odd, somehow, watching Hatton fight De La Hoya in a fight where De La Hoya was not only boxing but was the promoter, as well. It's hard enough for professional boxing to respond to the challenge that it's all as fixed as the WWE without one of the fighters being the bloke responsible for ensuring that it's an "entertaining" fight.

[wingco]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Well, I called that wrong (Pacquaoi-De La Hoya) but I think it does point up the whole "masters" thing. The weight/height difference was clearly far less of a factor than the age thing. De La Hoya thought he was creating an effective handicap in matching himself against a smaller fighter but a brilliant fighter in his prime was always going to be too much for a once brilliant fighter well past his prime, even giving away that amount of weight.

[Guest]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Slightly strange picture of De La Hoya on the BBC website, as if the head and one or two of the limbs were photoshopped on.

[wingco]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

That's a very good picture, actually - the head and the body at odds with one another, which is kind of what the fight was all about, I suppose.

[Incandenza]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

wingco wrote:

The weight/height difference was clearly far less of a factor than the age thing.

I read that at the start of the fight, Pacquiao was actually heavier than De La Hoya.

[wingco]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Oh yes, sure, but I was thinking of their natural weights.

[EIM]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

I love these threads. I am far more interested in the discussion around boxing than I am in the fights themselves.

[Guest]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Pacquiao's surname is getting a right mangling on this thread.

I see his Wikipedia entry has been locked after being vandalised by angry De La Hoya fans.

[Tony C]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

"I love these threads. I am far more interested in the discussion around boxing than I am in the fights themselves".

Something you have in common with Norman Mailer.

Being Skyless I didn't get to see Pacquiao - de la Hoya and I don't suppose I ever will now.

Saw the Floch fight on ITV and it was very entertaining in a 'go forward' way but not much science on show. Floch is now asking for Calzaghe but he's way overreaching.

As for Harrison, I mean how amany times do you need to be reminded you're not good enough before you realise you're not good enough? He's not an unintelligent man but he's clearly not big on introspection. I can't work out if he's got the biggest ego I've ever come across in sport or the smallest.

[Tony C]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

A rather interesting extract here from 'Ring' magazine's post-fight coverage:

"There are no shortage of attractive and lucrative fights waiting for Pacquiao, with 140-pound world champion Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez in the forefront. But a bit of post-fight banter was revealing.

“I can’t make 147, so don’t ask” said Bernard Hopkins, who was holding down the Golden Boy fort while De La Hoya, accompanied by GBP CEO Richard Schaefer, was at the hospital getting checked out.

“Pacquiao can make 170,” shot back Pac Man’s promoter, Bob Arum, almost giddy over the victory.

While the absurdity of a Hopkins-Pacquiao match raised laughter, it was hard to forget that the first mention of Pacquiao-De La Hoya was greeted the same way."
Surely they can't be serious this time?

[Guest]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

It would be very funny if Pacquiao faced Hopkins and knocked him out or something.

There was a movie made about Pac-Man's life a few years ago, but apparently it bombed at the box office so quickly it didn't even leave any cinders. It only made the equivalent of US$99,000 in the Philippines, even though they are not exactly up to their eyes in internationally well-known sporting heroes.

It must have been one of the worst films ever made.

[Incandenza]

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio

Hieronymus of Hesselink wrote:

Pacquiao's surname is getting a right mangling on this thread.

Can't be worse than the many different pronunciations I've heard. On ESPN Friday, it was all "pack-ee-ow" or "pack-ee-oh." Is it really that hard to say "pack-yow"?