Pacquiao confirms he'll fight De la Hoya
Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, August 30, 2008
The biggest boxing bout of 2008 is on.
Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao confirmed Thursday that he will indeed fight boxing superstar Oscar de la Hoya on December 6 at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. "Tuloy na tuloy na. Confirmed na, agree na kami sa laban," said the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight Champion. It is a welcome development for boxing fans since they consider the Pacquiao-De la Hoya tiff one for the ages. Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs), however, refused to disclose how much he will be getting when he faces the heavier De la Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs). De La Hoya, who has repeatedly said that the December 6 fight would be his last bout, had been in talks with Pacquiao for weeks.
Negotiations broke down since both side could not reach an agreement on how to split the revenue, which is expected to exceed more than $100 million. "Definitely not 70-30 [as de la Hoya proposed]. Hindi ko na sasabihin ang details ng contract. Basta tuloy na," he said. Pacquiao, who started out years ago fighting as a flyweight, said the fight will be the most important bout of his career, and he will thus be preparing thoroughly. "This is the biggest fight of my career, paghahandaan ko ito," he said.
Formal announcement
Reports earlier said that de la Hoya will formally announce the fight Thursday (Friday in Manila). The match will cap his illustrious boxing career. News about the official announcement was reported by Los Angeles-based ABC Channel 7. Rob Fukuzaki, ABC Channel 7's sports anchor reported that official announcements will be forthcoming August 28 before noon in Los Angeles. Top Rank's Bob Arum, whose company promotes Pacquiao, would not confirm to ESPN.com that a deal was already in place for what would be the year's biggest fight. He, however, confirmed that de La Hoya would host a media teleconference on Thursday to announce his opponent.
"We'll know who he is fighting tomorrow," Arum told ESPN.com. "I made a commitment that I wouldn't say anything and that tomorrow there would be an announcement. I'm not allowed to make any comments. Everything will be clear on Thursday."Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer would also not confirm the deal but reportedly sounded positive when asked about it.
| Posted in »
5 comments: Responses to “ Pacquiao confirms he'll fight De la Hoya ”
By Anonymous on August 30, 2008 at 4:23 AM
Nikky,
Fren, I've been anticipating this fight. I even told na matutuloy ang fight ni pacquiao at de la hoya sa december, pati sya na-excite tuloy. :-)
By Ms. Confuse on August 30, 2008 at 1:32 PM
i don't know what is the final weight pa. Maganda kung c de la hoya ang mgpababa ng timbang not pacquiao
By Angel on August 30, 2008 at 7:50 PM
I think this is not the fight of the year but also the fight of the decade.
I am not a sports analyst but I want to share some of my views. This fight is like the Tyson-Foreman fight.
Dela Hoya is much bigger than our very own Pacman so we can call that David vs Goliath. But Manny is very much younger and faster.
Manny must gain weight which may make him slower and Oscar must reduce weight which is a big disadvantage for him, considering his age.
I think that although this is non-title bout, this is not just about money for Manny. It is more of pride and honor as Oscar is known to be one of the greatest fighters during his time.
For me, Oscar will not fight for honor and fame as he already have it. He said that this will be last fight and boy, what a good way to retire!
He will be filthy rich!
So who will win? Well, I think it is the big gamblers and you know who they are. lol!
Just my 2 cents.
By Angel on August 30, 2008 at 8:02 PM
Hi,
I think I lost my comment so here it is again.
I think that this is not just the fight of the year but also the fight of the decade.
I am not a sports analyst but I want to share my views.
This is like David and Goliath with Manny of course, the smaller guy.
Manny will have to gain more weight but I think this will not really affect his speed. Oscar is much older and he must reduce his weight. So you could just imagine the scenario.
I think that Manny accepted the offer not just because of money but because of honor, considering that Oscar is one of the best fighters during his prime.
For me, Oscar do not need to prove anything more since he has already proven himself. Since he said that this will be his last fight, I think this is the best way to retire and to be remembered.
He will be filthy rich, win or loose! What a way to end a career!
So who will win? Who else but the big gamblers and you know who they are! lol!
Thanks!
By Ms. Confuse on August 31, 2008 at 1:57 AM
i just read De la Hoya will pay $3M/lb if he fails to make weight.
here is the link for further reading:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=129765