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De La Hoya - Pacquaio a
Mismatch
Manny Pacquiao
vs Oscar de la Hoya
Photo credit:
Sumio Yamada
Manny Pacquiao
vs Oscar de la Hoya
Photo credit:
Sumio Yamada
Manny Pacquiao
vs Oscar de la Hoya
Photo credit:
Sumio Yamada
Manny Pacquiao
vs Oscar de la Hoya
Photo credit:
Sumio Yamada
Channels that show live boxing bouts when available:
This was confirmed by Freddie Roach who explained that De La
Hoya started to deteriorate in the second round after he felt
Pacquiao's power while being bombarded with body shots in the
opening round.
Sun.Star online covers 'Dream Match'
"The body punches killed De La Hoya," quipped the 48-year-old
Roach. "I knew it because he started to slow down in the third
and fourth after he felt Manny's power."
Roach said the whole plan to tire out the taller De La Hoya
worked effectively as early in the fourth round when De La
Hoya could no longer avoid Pacquiao's dizzying body shots.
In the fourth round, the good-looking 10-time world champion
had an ugly gash in the lower left eye courtesy of the
Filipino buzzsaw's powerful jabs that flickered like
howitzers.
The slower De La Hoya, 35, did not answer the bell in the
ninth round thus the bout, touted as the biggest
fight transaction
in 2008, went down as an eight round technical knockout (TKO) defeat for
the man known as Golden Boy who once conquered Hollywood with his good
looks aside from winning the United States' lone gold medal in boxing in
the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Nacho Beristain, De La Hoya's Mexican trainer, admitted he had
to halt the fight "because that was the right thing to do, De
La hoya being a prominent personality in boxing."
He did not go down from Pacquiao's avalanche of body punches
but De La Hoya was brought to the hospital "as a precautionary
move" although he wasn't hurt, confirmed De La Hoya's
childhood friend Eric Gomez who presented a grim face during
the post-fight press conference.
De La Hoya's second TKO loss in a checkered career impaired
his record to 39-6, 30 KOs. He had been busted by middleweight
champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins who joined him in
the ring and had predicted "De La Hoya will send Pacquiao to
school."
Pacquiao was comfortably ahead on the scorecards of judges
Stanley Christodoulou (79-72), Adalaide Byrd (80-71) and Dave
Moretti (80-71) at the time of the stoppage.
Referee Tony Weeks admitted he didn't expect the fight to last
in the eighth round but said he was prepared to pull the plug
if De La Hoya was hurt and wouldn't fall because he was
protected by the ropes.
Pacquiao, who improved to 48-3-2, 36 KOs, outpunched De La
Hoya, 585 402. Pacquiao connected 224 as against De La Hoya's
83.
De La Hoya, who owns the Golden Boy Promotion that co-promoted
the pay-per-view show, did not show up on the post fight press
conference. He submitted only 51 power punches against
Pacquiao's 195. De La Hoya, however, connected 32 of his 238
jabs as against Pacquiao's 29 of the 252 thrown.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said the press people were right when
they reported earlier that the fight would be a mismatch for
De La Hoya.
"They are right, it was a mismatch," he said.
Several Mexican fans cried when De La Hoya's hand was raised
by Weeks.
Filipino fans who were outnumbered by De La Hoya's supporters
inside the arena, bursted in jubilation when it was confirmed
their idol, the underdog, had scored a big upset.
"De La Hoya is my idol. He is still my idol. It so happened
that there are lots of Mexicans in my division. I am not
really a Mexican killer. I love the Mexicans," declared
Pacquiao who was unmarked and could have fought De La Hoya for
20 rounds.
The post fight press conference extended for two hours after
more than 500 journalists, who came from different countries,
obliged the ring superstar for autographs and photo-ops.
Filipino politicians led by environmental secretary Joselit
Atienza and Ilocos Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson did not
leave Pacquiao's side from start to end of the press
conference. (Sunnex)
as seen
on www.sunstar.com |
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