lpinoy
12-02-2010, 04:21 PM
By;ABS-CBN
MANILA, Philippines – Former boxing great Oscar de la Hoya claimed the reason why Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao has been successful in his last fights is that he keeps on beating his opponents through the weighing scale.
De la Hoya, who was forced by Pacquiao to quit after an 8-round beating in 2008, made the claim while pushing again for a third fight between the Filipino boxer and Mexican champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
"For me, Juan Manuel won the first two fights and he's the only one who succeeded in creating problems for Pacquiao, a fighter who has always forced his opponents, including myself, to lose weight and leave everything on the scale," De la Hoya said in Boxing Scene.com.
De la Hoya, who owns majority of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP), claims Pacquiao has always forced his opponents to drop down to uncomfortable weights to make the fights.
In their 2008 fight, De la Hoya worked hard to make the 147-pound limit just to face Pacquiao. This, he claims, was the reason he lost the bout.
De la Hoya said Pacquiao should at least give way this time by giving Marquez the third fight somewhere between 142 to 144 pounds.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum earlier said that if Marquez really wants the fight, then it would have to be at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
"The weight is 147, that's clear. It's 147 because I'm sick and tired of the discussions on this weight stuff," the Top Rank promotions chief said in a report by ESPN.com.
Arum said the weight is possible for Marquez because it’s quite near his size in the Katsidis fight.
"Marquez went in the ring at 145 to fight Katsidis and Manny went in at 148 pounds when he fought Antonio Margarito, and that's the only weight that concerns me,” he said.
Arum earlier said a Pacquiao-Marquez rematch is a hard sell because the Mexican’s lack of marketability.
“He’s a wonderful fighter and a great young man, but the casual fan doesn’t know Juan Manuel Marquez from [World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion] Juan Manuel Lopez,” Arum said in a Yahoo! Sports report.
Arum cited Marquez’s recent bout with Katsidis as proof of the Mexican’s lack of marketability. Yahoo! Sports reported that only 4,920 people trooped to MGM Grand Garden Arena to watch the fight.
“The casual sports fan just doesn’t know Marquez, as witnessed by the attendance on Saturday (Sunday in Manila, Nov. 28),” he said.
MANILA, Philippines – Former boxing great Oscar de la Hoya claimed the reason why Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao has been successful in his last fights is that he keeps on beating his opponents through the weighing scale.
De la Hoya, who was forced by Pacquiao to quit after an 8-round beating in 2008, made the claim while pushing again for a third fight between the Filipino boxer and Mexican champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
"For me, Juan Manuel won the first two fights and he's the only one who succeeded in creating problems for Pacquiao, a fighter who has always forced his opponents, including myself, to lose weight and leave everything on the scale," De la Hoya said in Boxing Scene.com.
De la Hoya, who owns majority of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP), claims Pacquiao has always forced his opponents to drop down to uncomfortable weights to make the fights.
In their 2008 fight, De la Hoya worked hard to make the 147-pound limit just to face Pacquiao. This, he claims, was the reason he lost the bout.
De la Hoya said Pacquiao should at least give way this time by giving Marquez the third fight somewhere between 142 to 144 pounds.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum earlier said that if Marquez really wants the fight, then it would have to be at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
"The weight is 147, that's clear. It's 147 because I'm sick and tired of the discussions on this weight stuff," the Top Rank promotions chief said in a report by ESPN.com.
Arum said the weight is possible for Marquez because it’s quite near his size in the Katsidis fight.
"Marquez went in the ring at 145 to fight Katsidis and Manny went in at 148 pounds when he fought Antonio Margarito, and that's the only weight that concerns me,” he said.
Arum earlier said a Pacquiao-Marquez rematch is a hard sell because the Mexican’s lack of marketability.
“He’s a wonderful fighter and a great young man, but the casual fan doesn’t know Juan Manuel Marquez from [World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion] Juan Manuel Lopez,” Arum said in a Yahoo! Sports report.
Arum cited Marquez’s recent bout with Katsidis as proof of the Mexican’s lack of marketability. Yahoo! Sports reported that only 4,920 people trooped to MGM Grand Garden Arena to watch the fight.
“The casual sports fan just doesn’t know Marquez, as witnessed by the attendance on Saturday (Sunday in Manila, Nov. 28),” he said.