De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao Prediction

Its one of the most interesting match-ups in years "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya meets Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. A belt may not be on the line non the less millions PPV viewers across the globe will be watching as the two combatants battle it out for pride, glory and off course a hole heap of cash. Tickets were sold out within 2 hours. An incredible 17 million dollar gate is already in the coffers (the second largest gate in history) and thanks to a nationwide promotional tour PPV numbers should real record levels. This truly is one of the fights of the decade and one of epic sporting events of the year.

For what’s it worth here is my Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao Prediction.

Two all time greats will meet this Saturday. Its going to be a historic occasion and hence the pressure will be exceptionally high for both men. Often these occasions fail to deliver however these two fighters at the top game rarely disappoint. I expect a battle for the ages.

Pacquiao is the Vegas underdog despite being reconsigned by many as the best pound for pound boxer in the world. The 29 year old Filipino holds a 47-3-2 record. He is coming of two spectacular victories in 2008. He is moving up two weight classes to compete at the 147-pound welterweight limit. An incredible jump in weight rarely seen in modern boxing. As everyone has speculated it’s the key to fight and it’s the reason why this fight is so hard to pick. There is pretty strict rule I follow when in Vegas, never bet on the guy moving up in weight. Because nine of ten times he is the overrated one. And I suspect that may be the case here. Even though I have all the respect in the world for Pac-man his status amongst boxing die hards has become unrealistic.

Conditioning is by far the biggest concern for De La Hoya. His last two fights in many peoples eyes exposed a severe training problems. Its my biggest concern with picking De La Hoya. I cant see him being knocked out or out boxed however I can see him fading in the latter rounds as he limps to a decision. Non the less I expect a close decision to favour the veteran.