Words By Jason Hortillas

In an era where boxing has suffered under the greed of promoters, the buzz around a super bout is a scarcity. This past Saturday, the contest labeled as “The Dream Match” attempted to revive the hype of a sport once placed in high regard. In a sport where the once honored division of heavyweight is considered a joke, lighter and faster fighters have prevailed to become the cash cows. One of the faces of this movement for the past decade, Oscar De La Hoya once again steps into the ring to bring home the bacon but you must question if the veteran strapped on the gloves solely for the purse.

In the past year, his opponent, Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao, has emerged as the new face of the sport. Embodying “nothing to something” the Filipino fighter came from poverty in the third world to become the most notable figure in a sport as well as his native country. Although the main draw was the De La Hoya name, Manny bulking up to the higher weight class was scary – dude got diesel.

Prior to the match, all bets were going Manny’s way but all logic would suggest that the taller and experienced De La Hoya shouldn’t be underestimated. But this is not the Oscar of old. As each round began, you can see the mobility of Pacquiao and the calculated execution of each punch, while De La Hoya showed his age. If you ever played the video game Fight Night, Oscar looked like he was pressing R2, the power punch button in desperation. Those power punches were unsuccessfully as the speedy Manny dodged the golden boy with ease.

De Le Hoya’s left eye was shut, symbolically to the demise of his career. You commend the man as a former world champ in six different weight classes but simply giving up before the start of the 9th round was straight up for the lack of another phrase, “a bitch move.” The fire must be gone because no warrior would just kowtow to the opposition unless he knew he had nothing. The lack of movement in the ring by De La Hoya proved it was a wrap.

Clearly, I’m a Manny Pacquiao fan. But this match in many ways was not about Manny’s victory – it was too easy for the star known as “The Mex-ecutioner.” The real story however is the end of a career for a fighter who we all knew should have thrown in the towel years ago. With his company Golden Boy Promotions making millions off of other key fighters such as “Sugar” Shane Mosely and Bernard Hopkins, there will be no tears shed for Oscar De La Hoya. Those who think otherwise should remember that the next client in his list, the same fighter who just pounded his dome to ground beef, happens to be – Manny Paquiao.

Previously Posted — The Best Pound For Pound…Is Filipino Muthaf*$ka!

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