De la Hoya Destroyed: Pacquiao TKOs De La Hoya

Who would have ever thought that Manny Pacquiao could defeat Oscar De La Hoya in such dominating fashion? As the pre-fight pageantry was going on I found myself actually wondering if this was really going on. I don’t have a, Xbox or anything, so it wasn’t a video game so this really must be the dream match it was supposed to be. But if you were expecting two great fighters to come out and give it their all you were disappointed, only one did.

As the first round began I was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been for a Pacquiao fight. Oscar de la Hoya towered over Manny Pacquiao and it looked like “Pacman” had a long night ahead of him trying to figure out how to get close enough to strike. But then, Bam! A straight left to Oscar’s face. I thought to myself and Pacquiao probably did, “Hey, it isn’t so tough after all.” He made it through the 1st round and it was a relief to everyone watch because at least he was still standing.

For the next seven rounds however, one of the fighters was being shown a boxing clinic, and it wasn’t Manny Pacquiao. Famed trainer said before the match that De la Hoya was too smart and savvy for Pacquiao, that he had the smarts and style to find a way to beat the Pacman. But after the third round it was evident that De la Hoya had no answerd for Pacquiao’s awkward and aggressive attack. De la Hoya was being pummeled round after round and it the 7th round it looked as if he would go down when he was cornered and Pacquiao was relentless in his striking.

Was this really happening? It seemed too easy. The shorter man taking the fight to the taller more experienced man. Oscar’s legendary weapons, his jab and left hook were nowhere to be found. And Pacquiao looked like he couldn’t miss. Then in the 8th round Pacquiao utterly devastated De la Hoya with punches in bunches. He looked, ironically, like a young De la Hoya with crisp and concise punching in 3 and 4 punch combinations. I was in awe. The round ended and the fight ended also. The doctor and De la Hoya’s trainer advised him to stop fighting, that it wasn’t worth it. Oscar was dazed and confused but when he was asked one last time he wanted to end the fight he ultimately had to agree.

And so the pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao retained his crown, this adding to his legacy that he will fight anyone. What’s next for each fighter? Maybe retirement for De la Hoya? Maybe Mayweather for Pacquiao? Who knows, but what we do know for sure is that Both fighters are great. De la Hoya’s career is in its waining days and Pacquiao’s rise to the top just keeps getting higher.

Pacquiao vs De La Hoya: Fight of the Year

Rarely ever does a fight become labeled the Fight of the Year before it even begins but this Saturday’s match between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya is all but guaranteed to be the most exciting fight of the year. And if it does turnout to be a flameout, there’s no denying the fire in each of the fighters’ eyes as they inch toward their unbelievable bout. A year ago a tilt between these two men was virtually impossible to dream of because of the vast weight difference. But now, as the “Dream Match” is being billed, Pacquiao and De La Hoya are both nearing the weight limit of 147 pounds(welterweight) ready to face each other.

Manny Pacquiao is coming up three weight divisions while Oscar De La Hoya is coming down weight divisions. De La Hoya hasn’t fought at welterweight since he fought Arturo Gatti in 2001 and has fought as high as 160 pounds. Pacquiao is coming off a victory where he defeated David Diaz at lightweight(135 lbs.) and is jumping two more weight classes to fight De La Hoya. Pacquiao gives up six inches in reach and four inches in height and most boxing enthusiasts are skeptical as to how Pacquiao can pull off the upset. He started at a near 2-1 underdog but days from the fight the odds Pacquiao finds himself at +135 according to Sportsbook.com, meaning a wager of $100 will net you 135 dollars. Obviously, this means that there is a good amount of money being placed on Pacquiao.

Whether you believe that Oscar De La Hoya still has his Golden Boy magic and can land his devastating left hook on Pacquiao’s chin or whether Manny Pacquiao can use his superior speed to get in and out to confuse De La Hoya, it will be an outstanding fight. Filipinos around the world, like my family, will be huddled around our TV watching and hoping Pacquiao will win and shock the world. But even if he can’t he’ll still be the champion of his people and his homeland, the Philippines.