De La Hoya Vs. Pacquiao: Cashing In Their Popularity

             No boxer, or plainly no one, in the Philippines comes close to contest the adulation being enjoyed by Manny Pacquiao, a walking and breathing demigod in a country of 90 million people, about a 10^th of which are all over the world as engineers, nurses, and skilled workers.

            “He’s invincible,” said Nez Castañeda, a non-boxing fan, but nonetheless deeply enamored by the boxer’s unbelievable fight record and wealth.   In her eyes, he could probably fight former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and still win, an exaggeration of course given their disparity in weight classes.

            Against Oscar de la Hoya, 35, a former Olympic gold medalist and holder of six world titles in six different weight divisions in pro boxing, Pacquiao’s avid fans in the Philippines are undaunted.  “Oscar is too old for Manny,” they believe.

            At 29, Manny has fought the best fighters in four weight divisions and won.   He takes on anyone who comes his way and offers a challenge.  His latest conquest was against David Diaz, from whom he wrested the World Boxing Council (WBC) junior lightweight (130 lbs.) crown.  Against a bigger, bulkier, and taller de la Hoya, Manny is undaunted by the challenge, if offered the right prize money, not at a ridiculous 30-70 pay-per-view sharing, to fight in the 147-pound division.   

The right price – according to him – is a 40% share of the pay-per-view revenue which is expected to go beyond $100 million given the two boxers’ popularity.  If de la Hoya wants to bow out of boxing with a bang, there’s no reason for him not to accept the counteroffer and add millions more to his remarkable professional boxing chest and growing business empire in the United States.   

Contrary to press pronouncements, obviously churned out by de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions outfit, it is not Pacquiao who should rush to ink the deal.  At 35, de la Hoya should really be considering retirement.  In the bloody and brutal world of boxing, a 36-year-old fighter is already entitled to a “retirement” haven in the company of his loved ones, not with another prizefighter on top of the ring with a mission to force him into compulsory rest, literally and figuratively.  

If the GBP top honcho does not fight Pacquiao in December, the latter would just have to defend his title in his division, probably against World Boxing Association (WBA) super featherweight champion Edwin Valero of Valenzuela or World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion Humberto Soto of Mexico. and wait for megabuck clash against Ring Magazine light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton of England.

Unfortunately, de la Hoya does not enjoy the same advantage.  His value as a prizefighter diminishes each passing day and, unless he makes up his mind now and engage Pacquiao in a battle royale, he may be holding a big, empty bag in the end.  

For sure, de la Hoya is too battle-scarred not have to have realized this. But it looks like the entrepreneur iis taking the better of side of the boxer at this point.  After all, boxing is not about getting hurt in the ring or being forced into mandatory retirement.

It is about the prize pot, the motivation – in cash and in fame -- at stake.