Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao!! Dec 6th!!

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

Sources: De La Hoya, Pacquiao agree to Dec. 6 fight in Vegas
By Dan Rafael

 De La Hoya To Announce Fight With PacquiaoOscar De La Hoya, boxing's biggest star, will announce Thursday that he will meet pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6, two sources close to the fight told ESPN.com.

Top Rank's Bob Arum, whose company promotes Pacquiao, would not confirm a deal was in place for what would be the year's biggest fight, but he did tell ESPN.com that De La Hoya would host a media teleconference at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday to announce his opponent.

"We'll know who is he is fighting tomorrow," Arum said Wednesday from Youngstown, Ohio, where he was attending a promotional event for the Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins fight that he is co-promoting with De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. "I made a commitment that I wouldn't say anything and that tomorrow there would be an announcement. I'm not allowed to make any comments. Everything will be clear on Thursday."

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer would not confirm the deal, either, but sounded positive when asked about it.

"Last week the deal was 90 percent dead, but we were able to revive it. The fact that it has been so quiet is a good sign," Schaefer said from Mexico, where he was traveling on business with De La Hoya. "It's been a lot of back and forth and skillful negotiating and to try to get each side to soften their stance. If the fight was Arum versus Schaefer, it would have been made awhile ago."

Schaefer dismissed reports this week that welterweight titleholder Paul Williams was under serious consideration to meet De La Hoya. Schaefer said that although Williams' name was thrown out during an internal meeting, it was quickly dismissed, and no contact was ever made between the De La Hoya and Williams camps. Williams promoter Dan Goossen confirmed that as well.

De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs), who has repeatedly said the December fight would be the last bout of his storied career in which he's won world titles in six weight divisions, has been in talks with Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) for weeks. But negotiations got bogged down when the sides could not come to an agreement on how to split the revenue, which is expected to exceed more than $100 million.

De La Hoya stood firm for weeks on a 70-30 split in his favor; Pacquiao was demanding a 40 percent slice of the pie.

The rest of the major issues, from the maximum weight to the size of the gloves, were agreed upon, with Pacquiao getting his way on a 147-pound weight limit and 8-ounce gloves.

The percentage split that De La Hoya and Pacquiao have apparently agreed to is unclear.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer and one of De La Hoya's former trainers, has been an outspoken advocate of the fight, going so far as to say he would train Pacquiao for free because he was so confident he would win.

Roach told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Pacquiao, whom he hadn't spoken to much recently, left him two voice mails at about 7 a.m. ET.

"He left me the messages and at the end of one of them, he said, 'Thanks for all your help.' I read that as the fight is done," Roach said.

Pacquiao, a lightweight titleholder who has won belts in five weight classes and is a national icon in the Philippines, would move up to welterweight for the showdown with De La Hoya.

The fight is expected to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where De La Hoya has fought five of his past six bouts and seven of his past 10.


http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3555960

[Don Jacob]

cooooo

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

I'm disappointed. Why not a fight with Margarito?

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

I dunno how i feel about this shit. De La Hoya is going into the ring with a much smaller opponent. Obviously, this fight will generate a ton of revenue. But I think its ridiculous. Pacquiao right now is the obviously the better fighter, but in a different weight class. De La Hoya could fight somebody his size, like Margarito. But then he'd probably get KO'd and not really have any Mexicans cheering him on.

[Styles1]

I can see why he's doing it, it being the last fight and all. It's a mega-match that will generate lots of $$$... a hell of a lot more than a Margarito fight. Thats the business sense talking though. The boxing fan would like to see De La Hoya vs. Margarito.

Antonio needs to also find a way to get Williams back in the ring and try to avenge that loss.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

I can see why he's doing it, it being the last fight and all. It's a mega-match that will generate lots of $$$... a hell of a lot more than a Margarito fight. Thats the business sense talking though. The boxing fan would like to see De La Hoya vs. Margarito.

Antonio needs to also find a way to get Williams back in the ring and try to avenge that loss.

De La Hoya will call every fight he fights from here on out....his "last fight". Its marketing. He's not fighting Margarito for three reasons. One, it wont make the money that this fight will. Two, Margarito will probably beat him. Three, most true Mexican fans will cheer for Margarito. Pacquiao is the Mexicutioner. Mexican boxing fans will love ANY Mexican fighter that beats him. De La Hoya would love to be that guy....and with Pacquiao being so much smaller, Oscar knows he has a chance. On the flip side of this. What happens to De La Hoya should he lose to a smaller opponent like this? It wouldnt be shocking for Pacquiao to be 10-15 lbs lighter then De La Hoya on fightnight. He would get more respect in a loss to Margarito (in his same weight class), then in a loss to Pacquiao.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

De La Hoya is past his prime...

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

I can see why he's doing it, it being the last fight and all. It's a mega-match that will generate lots of $$$... a hell of a lot more than a Margarito fight. Thats the business sense talking though. The boxing fan would like to see De La Hoya vs. Margarito.

Antonio needs to also find a way to get Williams back in the ring and try to avenge that loss.

De La Hoya will call every fight he fights from here on out....his "last fight". Its marketing. He's not fighting Margarito for three reasons. One, it wont make the money that this fight will. Two, Margarito will probably beat him. Three, most true Mexican fans will cheer for Margarito. Pacquiao is the Mexicutioner. Mexican boxing fans will love ANY Mexican fighter that beats him. De La Hoya would love to be that guy....and with Pacquiao being so much smaller, Oscar knows he has a chance. On the flip side of this. What happens to De La Hoya should he lose to a smaller opponent like this? It wouldnt be shocking for Pacquiao to be 10-15 lbs lighter then De La Hoya on fightnight. He would get more respect in a loss to Margarito (in his same weight class), then in a loss to Pacquiao.

He would get more respect in a loss to Margarito than in a win against Pacquiao.

[Tay]

De La Hoya has already said that he doesn't want to fight a Mexican fighter, so that's an easy out for him. Margarito isn't a great choice for him anyway, he is so tough to knock out, and keeps coming, so it would be a tough fight. He honestly should have just gone out after beating Mayorga. It's good to see Pacquiao getting this opportunity, I think he will look to box and dance like Mayweather, and take the fight.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

I can see why he's doing it, it being the last fight and all. It's a mega-match that will generate lots of $$$... a hell of a lot more than a Margarito fight. Thats the business sense talking though. The boxing fan would like to see De La Hoya vs. Margarito.

Antonio needs to also find a way to get Williams back in the ring and try to avenge that loss.

De La Hoya will call every fight he fights from here on out....his "last fight". Its marketing. He's not fighting Margarito for three reasons. One, it wont make the money that this fight will. Two, Margarito will probably beat him. Three, most true Mexican fans will cheer for Margarito. Pacquiao is the Mexicutioner. Mexican boxing fans will love ANY Mexican fighter that beats him. De La Hoya would love to be that guy....and with Pacquiao being so much smaller, Oscar knows he has a chance. On the flip side of this. What happens to De La Hoya should he lose to a smaller opponent like this? It wouldnt be shocking for Pacquiao to be 10-15 lbs lighter then De La Hoya on fightnight. He would get more respect in a loss to Margarito (in his same weight class), then in a loss to Pacquiao.

He would get more respect in a loss to Margarito than in a win against Pacquiao.

Yeah. I mean, pound for pound Pacquiao > Margarito. But the size thing. Plus, right now Oscar is cementing himself as more of a businessman then a boxer.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

I think he will look to box and dance like Mayweather, and take the fight.

It makes the most sense. But Manny likes to go to war alot. Kind of the same mentallity as Holyfield back in his title years, fighting against the bigger heavyweights. Not always the smartest strategy, but that was how he faught.

[Styles1]

I can see why he's doing it, it being the last fight and all. It's a mega-match that will generate lots of $$$... a hell of a lot more than a Margarito fight. Thats the business sense talking though. The boxing fan would like to see De La Hoya vs. Margarito.

Antonio needs to also find a way to get Williams back in the ring and try to avenge that loss.

De La Hoya will call every fight he fights from here on out....his "last fight". Its marketing. He's not fighting Margarito for three reasons. One, it wont make the money that this fight will. Two, Margarito will probably beat him. Three, most true Mexican fans will cheer for Margarito. Pacquiao is the Mexicutioner. Mexican boxing fans will love ANY Mexican fighter that beats him. De La Hoya would love to be that guy....and with Pacquiao being so much smaller, Oscar knows he has a chance. On the flip side of this. What happens to De La Hoya should he lose to a smaller opponent like this? It wouldnt be shocking for Pacquiao to be 10-15 lbs lighter then De La Hoya on fightnight. He would get more respect in a loss to Margarito (in his same weight class), then in a loss to Pacquiao.

Maybe so.... only time will tell if this is his truly his last fight or not. I'm only going on the basis of his word. Pac is that type of a mega fight to finish the career off, in the way he says he wants to go out at least. Sergio Mora or Margarito is not the mega-final type of match (at least not yet).  

I do think that Antonio has unfinished business with Williams though. Oscar is the big pay day for him, but Williams is the blemish on his career.  

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

I can see why he's doing it, it being the last fight and all. It's a mega-match that will generate lots of $$$... a hell of a lot more than a Margarito fight. Thats the business sense talking though. The boxing fan would like to see De La Hoya vs. Margarito.

Antonio needs to also find a way to get Williams back in the ring and try to avenge that loss.

De La Hoya will call every fight he fights from here on out....his "last fight". Its marketing. He's not fighting Margarito for three reasons. One, it wont make the money that this fight will. Two, Margarito will probably beat him. Three, most true Mexican fans will cheer for Margarito. Pacquiao is the Mexicutioner. Mexican boxing fans will love ANY Mexican fighter that beats him. De La Hoya would love to be that guy....and with Pacquiao being so much smaller, Oscar knows he has a chance. On the flip side of this. What happens to De La Hoya should he lose to a smaller opponent like this? It wouldnt be shocking for Pacquiao to be 10-15 lbs lighter then De La Hoya on fightnight. He would get more respect in a loss to Margarito (in his same weight class), then in a loss to Pacquiao.

Maybe so.... only time will tell if this is his truly his last fight or not. I'm only going on the basis of his word. Pac is that type of a mega fight to finish the career off, in the way he says he wants to go out at least. Sergio Mora or Margarito is not the mega-final type of match (at least not yet).  

I do think that Antonio has unfinished business with Williams though. Oscar is the big pay day for him, but Williams is the blemish on his career.  

yeah, Williams handled him. That would be a sick rematch.

[Tay]

I think he will look to box and dance like Mayweather, and take the fight.

It makes the most sense. But Manny likes to go to war alot. Kind of the same mentallity as Holyfield back in his title years, fighting against the bigger heavyweights. Not always the smartest strategy, but that was how he faught.

Very true. It will be tough for Manny to fight that way, but smart. If his trainer gets him to stick to that style, I think he will take it. A slugfest would be entertaining, but unless his speed overwhelms De La Hoya more than expected, I don't see him coming out on top. Oscar is a tough fighter to knock out, especially for a smaller guy like Manny.

[eS El Duque]

this is what you call a mega fight...even non boxing fans would love to see this shit.