Truemors
4 days to go...
THE DREAM MATCH
AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA, LAS VEGAS
SATURDAY, 6 P.M., HBO PPV
PPV CARD
Welterweight --- Oscar De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs) of East L.A. vs. Manny Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) of General Santos City, Philippines
NABO super-lightweight championship --- Victor Ortiz (22-1-1, 17 KOs) of Oxnard vs. Jeffrey Resto (22-2, 13 KOs) of Bronx, N.Y.
WBO super-bantamweight championship --- Juan Manuel Lopez (23-0, 21 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico, vs. Sergio Manuel Medina (33-1, 18 KOs) of Salta, Argentina
UNDERCARD
Welterweight --- Danny Garcia (9-0, 7 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pa., vs. Francisco Rios Gil (13-8, 9 KOs) of Phoenix, Ariz.
Super-middleweight --- Daniel Jacobs (12-0, 11 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y., vs. Victor Lares (14-3, 3 KOs) of Corpus Christi, Tex.
Flyweight --- Richie Mepranum (14-2-1, 3 KOs) of Maasim, Philippines, vs. Cesar Lopez (20-6, 4 KOs) of El Paso, Tex.
Super-bantamweight --- Robert Marroquin (4-0, 3 KOs) of Dallas, Tex., vs. Isaac Hidalago (2-2) Tucson, Ariz.
Lightweight --- Adrien Broner (4-0, 3 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio, vs. TBA
LOS ANGELES — Oscar de la Hoya saw a statue of his likeness unveiled in front of Staples Center arena yesterday, while Manny Pacquiao kept a relatively low profile as both boxers prepared to head to Las Vegas for their "Dream Match" megafight on Sunday.
De la Hoya was scheduled to fly later Monday to Las Vegas, for the the final build-up to his fight against Filipino hero Pacquiao — the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion and acknowledged top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
The 'Pacman' Manny Pacquiao maintained his fearless stance against six-division world champion Oscar de la Hoya as he remained unfazed by his opponent’s decision to hire renowned trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain. In an interview at New York City’s Park Meridien Hotel, Pacquiao told Diane Castillejo of ABS-CBN News that De la Hoya's latest move to hire Beristain won't affect his upcoming fight.Beristain also trained Pacquaio’s old nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, who lost his WBC super featherweight title to the Filipino in a controversial match in Las Vegas last March.“I think that's good for me because never naman nanalo sa akin si Marquez. Siguro kinuha niya (De la Hoya) ang trainer ni Marquez para matalo din siya,” joked Pacquiao.
Pacquiao will, in contrast, be moving up to welterweight for the first time.
Pacquiao will enter the ring 47-3 with two drawn and 35 knockouts, while De la Hoya brings a record of 39-5 with 30 knockouts.
Trainer Freddie Roach insists Pacquiao’s speed will help make up for what he gives away in size, and the fighter himself said the support of his legion of Filipino fans will lift him.
"I feel their strength behind me," Pacquiao says. "Whenever I fight, I fight for my country."
The blockbuster bout between the sport’s marquee names is expected to generate a total purse of some $100 million, with 65% going to De la Hoya and 35% to Pacquiao.
The 16,000 tickets — most with a face value of $1,500 — sold out within two hours of going on sale.
The intriguing 12-round, non-title bout will be contested at the 147 welterweight limit.
De la Hoya, who has won world titles in six different weight classes, hasn’t fought at as low a weight as 147 pounds in seven years.
To be continued...
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