Size is factor but Manny picked for edge vs Oscar dela Hoya

By ROY MEDINA
abs-cbnNEWS.com

The Philippines' Manny Pacquiao may end up as the fighter with the edge against Oscar de la Hoya when they collide in boxing's biggest date yet -- December 6 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, an online analyst said Monday.

Paul Strauss, in his column in Eastsideboxing.com, counted three big points for the World Boxing Council lightweight champion. These include Pacquiao being the best pound-for-pound figther at present, his improvement as a complete fighter with his right jabs and left hooks and of course, the speed.

"If Manny wins, it will be one of the biggest wins in boxing history, involving someone who started out as a flyweight, successfully moving up all the way to welterweight," Strauss said.

However, not all is lost for the "Golden Boy" of boxing since he enjoys advantage in height against Pacquiao.

De la Hoya stands 5' 10 1/2" as against the Filipino boxing icon's 5' 6 1/2". The Golden Boy also has a longer reach at 73" while Pacquiao only has 67".

"Fighters tend to run into reality problems when moving up in weight. In other words, the old saying about a good big man will always beat a good little man (physics) comes into play," Strauss said in his analysis.

He added that the smaller fighter often finds out that his punches "aren't as effective, and regrettably for him the reverse is also true."

"The little man's skeletal and muscular structure cannot withstand the larger man's punches as well as he did in the past when he weathered the hard punches of men his own size," he added.

But then again, Strauss said, de la Hoya's faded away in some of his fights.

"Oscar is not perfect. He has faded in fights.....i.e. against Tito, against Shane and against Pretty Boy. It seems as though his biggest weakness might be his mindset. When asked why he quit throwing his jab against Floyd, he couldn't supply a reason!"

Best P4P

Pacquiao has also improved through the years of demolishing Mexican fighters and his climb in weight divisions, said Strauss.

"Most observers would have to say that Manny has much improved over the years, and continues to do so. Not surprisingly, he is more of a complete fighter now. He isn't just a fast, relentless big left-handed puncher. Now, his foot work is better, and he has an excellent jab and right hook," he said.

In addition, the WBC lightweight champ also has his accuracy as another great asset.

"When rushed, he can throw short, powerful punches that have all of his body behind them, landing with tremendous effect right on the button. Just ask (Juan Manuel) Marquez or (David) Diaz."

Strauss mentioned de la Hoya's good jab. But this, he immediately explained, has not been used often and could be taken advantage of by the quicker Pacquiao.

"Oscar's got a very good jab as well, but as previously mentioned, he doesn't always use it, so that will obviously be a key to this fight. Since he is a natural left hander, it follows he has a very good left hook, a punch Manny could easily run into when attempting one of those rushes I mentioned. Speed will be the difference when it comes to this strategy. Edge Manny," said Strauss.

In the end, the analyst laid down several possibilities.

"What if the expected occurs, and the Golden Boy is victorious? What has he really accomplished, other than to beat a much smaller man and earn a big payday? Will it add to his legacy as a great fighter? Maybe, but it will depend on how he wins," he said.

As for Pacquiao, he had this to say: "On the other hand, if Manny loses, does it really diminish his status as a great P4P fighter? The answer is probably not. If he wins, boxing will be talking about him for a long, long time! Winner Manny."