If Hoya allows it, Pacquiao will win

By Al S. Mendoza

AFTER Jose Sulaiman, who else but the legends themselves is deciding to join the fun.

Sulaiman, the president of the World Boxing Council, has said the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight is a battle between a “pachyderm and a hobbit horse.”

You all know what a pachyderm is.

For the uninitiated, a pachyderm is an elephant. Another definition is, a pachyderm is a “thick-faced person.” In Tagalog, “makapalang mukha.”

Sulaiman, ever colorful, refers to De La Hoya as the pachyderm.

But, who else?

De La Hoya, despite his built-in advantage in height and heft over Pacquiao, never cringed one teeny-weeny bit when he baited Pacman to fight him.

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If only to make the match-up more palatable to the ever-gullible public, the Golden Boy even stooped too low as to say, “I will fight Pacquiao to avenge the defeat my fellow Mexicans suffered at the hands of Pacquiao.”

Pacquiao had beaten the best that Mexico could offer, including its three iconic fighters – Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez.

De La Hoya would be next in line?

Uh-oh.

From the very start, De La Hoya was never an avowed Mexican.

Born in East L.A., the notoriously ghetto-like district of Los Angeles, De La Hoya grew up thinking and moving about like a true-blue American.

He represented the U.S. in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and won a gold medal.

He proceeded to win six titles in different weight categories, even scaling more heights by becoming a 10-time world champion.

Who can top that?

Pacquiao is a four-belt world champion, but he began as a 106-pounder – and therein lies the supreme irony.

De La Hoya started as a lightweight (135) and moved up steadily up to middleweight (154-160).

Simple logic tells us he’s too tall (5-foot-11 to Pacquiao’s 5-foot-6) and too big (165 lbs) for Pacquiao (145 at the most).

Yes, they will fight at the catch-weight 147 lbs, but on fight night, De La Hoya, having gobbled up his carbo-loaded diet after the weigh-in a day before the fight, would be like a heavyweight battling a mere lightweight in Pacquiao.

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No doubt there is the natural brute power in Pacquiao’s punches. But when aimed at a much-bigger foe like De La Hoya, they’d merely feel like pats on the back, if not slaps on the wrist, for Oscar.

Pacquiao is quicker and faster because he is 29 and De La Hoya is 35.

But against De La Hoya’s 6-inch reach advantage, the chances of Pacquiao’s blows effectively hitting their mark would be as rare as Hitler’s smile during the reign of terror of the suicide-bound butcher of 6 million Jews.

De La Hoya can still dish it out, with his left jab sticking like a Meralco post against the face of Pacquiao.

That left jab will be as mobile as a buzzing bee that Pacquiao would be too frustrated he might eventually go careless and reckless and pay dearly for his indiscretion.

The living legends like Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran have joined the fun.

“De La Hoya will win because of his sheer size,” said Hearns.

I believe him.

“Pacquiao will win because of his speed and quickness,” said Duran.

I don’t believe him.

Pacquiao’s only chance of victory is, if De La Hoya allows him to win.

As the pachyderm, De La Hoya holds the script.

As the hobbit horse, Pacquiao merely follows his role to the letter.

or a billion bucks, no questions asked.

And, yes, aren’t all circuses supposed to be like that?

(Readers may reach columnist at also147@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/general-admission/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)

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