Saturday, August 30, 2008 Size disparity worries Pacquiao confidant
WITH the super fight of two of the biggest names of boxing, “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, already sealed for Dec. 6 Three of the most prominent names in boxing are worried about the huge size difference of both fighters.
The six-division world champion has a clear height advantage; he is 5 feet and 11 inches tall while Pacquiao stands in at 5’6 ½.
“I’m a little scared of this fight because of Manny’s disadvantage in size,” Manny’s confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
“It’s a dream fight. Manny is at his peak right now. We will see the best of Manny in this fight. The only problem for Manny is the size difference, Oscar has the advantage of size but Manny has the speed,” said ALA Promotions President Michael Aldeguer.
“I think De La Hoya has the edge over Pacquiao because of the size,” said Sammy Gello-ani of SGG Promotions.
However, Sulud believes that if Pacquiao will be victorious against a legend like De La Hoya he will be recognized as a great boxer worldwide.
“If Manny wins he will be known by all the people in the world. He is not that famous in the US,” he said.
The 29-year old world champion told Salud that he will bring out his best in this fight.
“Manny is very excited this is a fight that he really wanted. Manny told me a few days before this fight was announced that for this fight with Oscar he will bring back his performance in the first Barrera fight,” said Salud.
Pacquiao, who was an unknown fighter at that time, suddenly became a star after beating Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003 in a stunning 11th round TKO.
On the other hand, Gello-ani thinks that both of them have something to prove. De La Hoya, that he can still pull the trigger and Manny, that he can go up two divisions and beat up a bigger guy.
In this fight both fighters will prove to all the people who is the better fighter,” said Gello-ani.
Meanwhile, Aldeguer believes that Pacquiao did the right decision by accepting the dream fight because an opponent of this caliber comes only once.
“This is a very good decision by Manny and it will be good for the Philippines.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to fight a legend.” (EKA)
