The beautiful autumn day stood in stark contrast to the foul mood Chicago sports fans were in following the Los Angeles Dodgers smackdown of our beloved Cubbies. Another LA native looking to administer a beatdown, East LA's Oscar De La Hoya arrived in the Windy City yesterday, along with his December 6th opponent Manny Pacquiao, and FightHype was on hand.
With the backdrop of Chicago's North Side and the Magnificent Mile, Pacman and the Golden Boy took the stage on the 103rd floor of Chicago's landmark building, the Sears Tower. The first thing one can't help but notice is the size difference between the two pay-per-view champs. Oscar is a full head taller and considerably wider than his Filipino counterpart.
That fact wasn't missed by Manny's promoter, Bob Arum, who likened the matchup to David versus Goliath. The promoter sees two possible fights: "when two equally talented fighters meet in the ring, a big man and a smaller man, the big man wins." The second axiom, and his fighter's strategy: "speed kills."
Throughout the presser, the demeanors of the two fighters were as different as their sizes. Manny is a serious man who occasionally cracks a smile. Whether Arum was entertaining the audience with Philippine WWII history lessons and betting tips or listening to the fight's sponsors tout everything from tequila to tools, Pacquiao sat still as a mouse with his hands folded on his lap. Oscar, conversely, was fidgeting with his hands, swinging his legs back and forth, adjusting his clothes and upon recognizing a face in the crowd, acknowledging the person with a smile and a wave.
One thing the two men have in common is Pacquiao's long time trainer Freddie Roach. As fight fans remember, Freddie trained Oscar for his loss to Floyd Mayweather. We were hoping he would share some of his insights as to why his current fighter had an edge on the larger man. "La Cucaracha" was brief in his remarks, saying, "Oscar is a great worker, but Manny is a machine." Roach believes his pupil will be sharper and vanquish yet another Mexican opponent because the Philippine born fighter has squared up four times this year. While Oscar has entered the ring only five times since 2004.
When it was his turn at the podium, the Pacman was equally as short as his trainer. After the usual shout outs to his team, sponsors and media, the current WBC lightweight champion promised an exciting fight, saying he is putting his pound-for-pound title on the line for history and to win glory and honor for his country.
For his part, De La Hoya expects his MGM Grand opponent to carry the hopes of a nation into the ring. "You have to look out for the quiet ones," he said. "I know he is going to come and fight. I know that! And I am going to stand there and fight."
And fight they will to what promises to be a record pay-per-view event.