Is Oscar Dela Hoya Afraid of Pacquiao?

If talks bog down regarding the dream match between the PPV boss Dela Hoya and the P4P king Manny Pacquiao, it's not because of the discrepancies in height, weight or anything. It'd be because of "fear factor"  as the Golden Boy is now making lame excuses out boxing gloves, weight division and even money.

It's apparent that Oscar sees a mismatch if the fight is done at 147 and with Manny wearing eight-ounce gloves. So his camp is now insisting that it should be at 151 and with 10-ounce gloves. He's having nightmares figuring out how to cushion the impact of Pacquiao's punch so he starts throwing his weight around.

In his bid not to pursue the potential fight of the decade, he also threw in the 70-30 purse sharing which belittles Manny's reputation as the planet's best fighter. Of course, Oscar knew thatPacquiao deserves equal sharing but, obviously, it's part of his game plan to call the game off.

Although the deal is still in the negotiation table, boxing fans should now be more realistic. The mega-fight will most likely not take place after all.

It's actually a brilliant move on the part of Dela Hoya camp to say 'No deal'. The king of pay-per-view will secure his place in the sport as one of the most exciting fighters ever.

He could save himself from being beaten up in his farewell fight.

One sad thing though is the fact that Manny will have a patsy for his next fight. Humberto Sotto doesn't deserve being of the ring with the current No. 1 pound-for-pound.

On the part of Oscar, dodging Manny is one of his best career decisions ever. He needs another wise decision when it comes to choosing his last opponent before he hangs his 10-ounce gloves for good.

Boxing aficionados are still hoping that the Golden Boy would face his fear, though.