DeLaHoya/Pacquiao

[unclepaulie]

Well, personally I think Oscar threw the fight. From what I have heard and read he was just noncompetitive; I could be wrong and he could just be done, but his recent fights just didn't seem like it. Maybe it was just styles and maybe it was the weight, but guess who's promotion company promotes JM Marquez and Ricky Hatton? And, I believe, still has a piece of Mayweather... I'm just glad I didn't pay 55 bucks to see one of my favorites quit on his stool. Ad I am not trying to take anything away from Pacquiao in any way at all--another of my favorites, and has been since I started following boxing a few years ago--but man, something was fishy to me about this whole thing from the start.

Good for Pacquiao though, I agree with the poster who said it is a privilege to watch this guy in his prime. Bring on Hatton, Marquez and Mayweather!!

[unclepaulie]

Floyd won't fight Manny, too much risk.
I'd love to see it though.

Probably not, although I'd love to see it; Floyd's '0' is almost as protected as Calzaghe's.


Well, maybe not.

[Guest]

Threw the fight? Give me a break. He was outclassed.
Oscar really hasn't looked good in years. He had trouble against a B level fighter in Steve Forbes his last time in the ring. Every big fight he was in, he lost. He actually didn't quit on the stool, his corner stopped it, he would have gotten beat up until the 12th if he had to.
Golden Boy has nothing to do with Floyd, and never has.
De La Hoya is washed up and Manny is at the top of the sport, that's what happened.

[unclepaulie]

OK, couple of quick prefaces...

Preface 1. I like to consider myself a pretty reasonable and objective fan. I genuinely love boxing and go out of my way to try and give every fighter and fight the benefit of the doubt in any fight and to analyze and study the sport as much as possible, which is a lot since I work from home and spend a lot of time I should be working watching and reading about boxing. I really do try to give credit where it is due and not blindly follow or support a fighter.

Example: It is very easy for me to blindly root for Kelly Pavlik and seriously overrate him, as some were doing prior to the Hopkins fight. I have always said that, while an excellent, skilled and exciting fighter, he is eminently beatable and vulnerable to a slick boxer especially. I really do try my hardest to give props when due and not blindly follow the hype.

Anyways.

Preface 2. I am a big fan of both Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya is a familiar name to me; he is one of the first fighters I ever followed. He helped to introduce myself--along with many, many people in my generation--with boxing. His fights were ALWAYS events, even here in this old Rust Belt football town. I have seen a solid majority of De La Hoya's career and always have considered myself a fan.

Preface 3. I didn't watch the fight live. Had to find a link to it. It was my gf's birthday yesterday, which you have probably gleaned if you have been reading this thread and have n IQ higher than that of mayonaisse, and I had to go out and humor her for the night, racking up a sizable bar tab in the process. I'd get mad, but, hey, that's what women are for, right?

I also thought very strongly that if Oscar lost, it was because he threw the fight. For reasons that will become obvious as you read this, I no longer feel that way, and hereby officially say "I was wrong about that one."


Anyways.


OK. So all that being said, I think I may be becoming a Pactard. The reason I think this is twofold:

1. I think that Manny landed what might be the best non-knockout series of punches ever. It was in the 7th, naturally, and on the HBO broadcast they show a replay between rds 7 and 8, with about 20 seconds left until the start of the eighth. Manny lands a looping left, a sickly aimed right, a straight left that IMO is one of the best textbook punches I have ever seen and then a right 3/4 hook.

Intellectually, I know that there HAS to be a better combo, with more precision and worse intentions, thrown in all of boxing. I know this, but I can't convince myself that they REALLY were better than that wicked four piece from Pacman.

2. I am going to go ahead and say that I think the version of Pacquiao that showed up on Saturday would probably beat any version of De La Hoya. He was just WAY too elusive, too quick, and he had some serious sting on those shots. He put on a master class that makes Calzaghe-Lacy look like Ward-Gatti 1. I know DLH was quicker when he was younger, but he really looked like he just couldn't deal with Pacquiao's speed, stance and elusiveness, and I really think that he would have struggled with it at any point in his career. I have seen over half of the fights from Oscar's career, and have followed it since pre-Trinidad. I really think that the version of Manny we saw on Saturday (well, you saw on Saturday and I saw early Monday morning...) would have probably beaten any version of Oscar.