A lot of armchair boxing tacticians have been debating the question of who the better fighter is between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Oscar “Golden Boy” De La Hoya after word got out of their projected superfight on December 6. Today’s Inquirer headline screamed: $100-M fight: Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya.

The tale of the tape doesn’t say it all, and reveals only the more superficial aspects of this much-anticipated clash of titans.

De La Hoya

Ht. – 5’10.5”
Wt. – 150 lb.
Reach – 73”
Age – 35

Pacquiao

Ht. – 5’6.5”
Wt. – 135 lb.
Reach – 67”
Age – 29

Manny is clearly the underdog, as the size differential is dramatic. Aside from heft, ODLH has significantly longer reach. Manny may have an edge, age-wise, but that advantage is easily offset by Oscar’s wiliness and years of experience. It seems obvious that Pacman will be pummeled if he goes toe-to-toe against the Golden Boy. Read the rest of this entry »

The blockbuster fight between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya will push through on December 6, according to reports.

The official announcement is set to be made in a few hours for what is estimated to be one of the richest purses in boxing history, to top U.S. $ 100 million. Pacquiao will most likely receive a lesser share of what the Golden Boy will get, but not that much smaller,and certainly more than Manny ever earned before, or will hope to earn in the near future. My guess is he will eventually cash in in the U.S. $ 30 million range, depending on the pay-for-view receipts. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo credit from foxsports.com

It wasn’t nearly as lopsided as the final score would seem to indicate. The Spaniards fought gallantly, and kept apace of the Americans with every basket and rebound, and the game went down the wire. This wasn’t a replay of the earlier blowout suffered by Spain in the hands of the U.S. during the eliminations. The Americans reached the finals with a 7-0 card and won by an average of 30 points. This was supposed to be a walk in the park. It wasn’t. Read the rest of this entry »