By Manuel Perez: For most people, the thought of Manny Pacquiao, currently the WBC lightweight champion, every fighting a fighter as big as welterweight Oscar De La Hoya, seemed laughable due to the huge size differences between the two fighters. Indeed, most boxing fans that dared mention such a match up in boxing forums on the internet were quickly ridiculed and laughed off the board.
However, things may have changed with De La Hoya, 35, planning on fighting for the final time in his career in December, and with Pacquiao’s recent move up in weight to defeat WBC lightweight champion David Diaz in a 9th round TKO in June. Now, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is reportedly in meetings with Golden Boy Chief executive officer Richard Schaefer about a December 6th bout between Pacquiao and De La Hoya. For Pacquiao, 29, this fight would work out perfectly, because he’s got an open date around that time with no scheduled opponents. He had been hoping to fight Ricky Hatton at that time, but Hatton isn’t interested instead in fighting IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi in November.
I have no problem with Pacquiao making a lot of money, because he certainly deserves it for showing that he’s the head of the class in the super featherweight division, but that’s where it ends. He’s not the top guy in the lightweight division, even though he holds one of the titles, and I would fully expect for him to get taken out if he were to fight a better lightweight than Diaz, someone like Nate Campbell or Amir Khan, both of whom I see as being tougher and stronger than Pacquiao. The fight would be a risky mistake on the part of Pacquiao, who not only would likely get beat, but he might end up being beaten badly by De La Hoya, erasing any possibility for a subsequent bout between Pacquiao and Hatton.
I think Pacquiao needs not to be greedy by going for both fights against De La Hoya and Hatton, and focus on a bout that he knows he has a good chance at winning - the Hatton fight. If the De La Hoya fight is bigger in terms of money, then, yes, I’d be all for that fight, but I doubt seriously that De La Hoya-Pacquiao bout would be as big a money maker as a fight against Hatton, which pits two fighters at the top of their game, roughly the same size as each other.
If De La Hoya wants to go out of the game, let it be against a fighter his own size, someone like welterweight champion Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito. At least with that fight, we’d be seeing something much fairer and sporting rather than a hopeless mismatch like we’d probably be seeing with De La Hoya fighting the much smaller Pacquiao.

July 21st, 2008 at 4:23 am
A couple of things, I’m British, so I like Amir Khan, but there is no way he is ready to fight someone as good as Pac. Also I don’t see a big difference beetween Pac fighting ODLH or Hatton, both fighters should be big enough and strong enough to win fairly easily.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:58 am
I agree completely! That is absolute BS. Oscar and Pacquiao, I mean. That would be the least respectable move Oscar could make right now. I didn’t even like the idea of Oscar facing Hatton for the same reasons but MANNY?
I’m a fan of Oscar and it’s been hard several times for several years and we all know why, probably. But, I’m still a fan. I don’t know if I would be if he made a Pacquiao fight and messed him up, ruined his career. I would be really interested in Oscar going out on a Cotto or Margarito fight. Or even Paul Williams could be interesting…
July 21st, 2008 at 9:15 am
campbell or amir khan? hahahah this is a joke right? and for your information we filipinos like our opponents BIG! ^_^ fighting someone we know we can defeat is not an accomplishment for us ^^, one more thing pacquiao is the TOP DOG in the lightweight division, wake up man…
July 21st, 2008 at 8:39 pm
YO DELAHOYA!THE WINNER OF COTTO-MARGARITO SHOULD BE YOURE NEXT FIGHT.GO OUT LIKE A CHAMP NOT LIKE A BULLY.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:01 pm
DLH shouldn’t fight at 147 because he looks too weak at that weight. He should make Winky come down to 154 (hopefully weakening Winky) and go out beating the man who dominated Trinidad.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:08 am
Nah! your reasoning is crap! Manny can beat Oscar, and it’ll be fun to watch a small guy beating a big guy like Oscar. I know how Oscar can beat Manny he can wear his fishnet again on the ring for luck!
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:18 am
Oscar vs. Winky at 154. This would be the matchup, Because Winky and Oscar beating Trindad and don’t no body wants to see Trindad vs. Oscar 2. The World wants to see the two best lightmiddle weights go headup. Oscar de la Hoya vs. Winky Wright now this is a Fight the World wants to see on PPV. This is a BIG MONEY FIGHT AND A CLASSIC that the world can see.
July 27th, 2008 at 4:43 am
i think this fight is not only for the money.it is winable fight for pacman…odlh getting dehydrated to the weight of 147 lbs the tendency for this is to weaken the body of odlh…just like what happened to morales in their 3rd fight…besides odlh is not getting any younger he is totally mismatch to speed of pacman….to all fight fans out there let’s give this fight a chance to happen…this match is the most exiting and most awaited match of the year….Go PAC you can do it…
July 28th, 2008 at 2:21 am
no way manny can beat oscar
August 1st, 2008 at 12:32 am
i would really interested fight pacman against oskee because this two boxer are great manny is no.1 p4p, oskee is a legend.. if this fight happen, this is one fight of the century… matt ur right , whos amir khan is? whos his beat great boxer anayway? all his beat are bum boxer not great. so sad to say amir khan is a bumbum boxer…. im sorry mr. perez your such a bumbum boxing writer
August 28th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
diaz was the WBC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION when he fought pacman but ended up KO’d like a flyweight,after the fight ,diaz said manny is a TRUCK..PACMAN WILL KO ODLH
September 7th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
LOL! De La Hoya is washe dup man. been disappointed in his last matches. manny is a badass, and hes taking him down
September 11th, 2008 at 8:12 am
You give too much credit to Khan and De La Hoya, and nowhere near enough to Hatton and Pacquiao.
Can we bear in mind, Hatton stood up against mayweather really well, as did De La Hoya, so to claim that De La Hoya is out of range and Hatton isn’t is unfair on Hatton.
And the last fighter to beat Pacquiao was Morales, who isn’t as worn out as De La Hoya. Since then he’s beaten morales twice, barrera, marquez, diaz, vazquez, loads of quality fighters.
I think pacquiao has what it takes to beat De La Hoya. It would be a good fight, but Pacquiao could take it. He’s still in his prime, De La Hoya’s way over the hill. As for Khan, I want the fight to happen, because I want the press to shut up about Khan, and being slaughtered by Pacquiao would probably do just that, especially after the 54 second KO he suffered against Prescott.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:16 am
If pacquiao does fight De La Hoya, and win, I would love to see him fight Breidis Prescott before Khan. Would Khan fight pacquiao if he KO’d Prescott? It would give him a chance to redeem himself, but would also make it blatantly clear from the start who would win.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Oscar De La Hoya will K.O. pacquiao.
September 17th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
campbell or amir khan? hahahah this is a joke right? and for your information we filipinos like our opponents BIG! ^_^ fighting someone we know we can defeat is not an accomplishment for us ^^, one more thing pacquiao is the TOP DOG in the lightweight division, wake up man…
Jas Is Right Manny IS THE TOP DOG…and i think that Oscar made the Best choice…
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Oscar de la hoya fights like a girl he just runs all over the ring. He has to move down a class because he cant hang with the big dogs! But still the PACMAN is the bomb he is droping those granades on de la hoya. hahaha ill be laughing when he does. PACMAN is going to win by dicision or by ko in round 10.