De La Hoya To Weigh Less Than Pacquiao On Dec. 6
Cointry -- Oscar de la Hoya weighed in at 154 pounds. when he fought Floyd Mayweather jr. last May 5, 2007
Oscar de la Hoya weighed in at 150 pounds when he fought Steve Forbes last May 3, 20008
Oscar will fight Manny Pacquiao at MGM Grand Arena on December 6, 2008 at a catch weight of 147 pounds, a weight he hasn't fought on since 2001
Freddie Roach thought Oscar could not make the weight that he insist that the Golden Boy pays a million dollar for every excess pound above the 147 lbs limit.
But Oscar de la Hoya has reduced his weight down to 145 pounds a month before the fight.
"Training camp is going well, I've been weighing 145 pounds now for the last three weeks," he said last week. "The weight is no problem - I feel strong.
"I did feel a little light-headed and weak, but now that I have gotten used to it and now that weeks have passed by, I feel fast and strong and comfortable at welterweight.
"And I'm even thinking of going back down to 140 after this fight. I've fought at 130 all the way up to 160. Now I'm going back down to 145. So in a couple of years I'll be hitting 135.
"My way of training and my way of eating has just been very strict, and therefore it's been easy for me to make this weight.
"It's very important for us since I haven't made 147 since I fought Arturo Gatti. I just want to make sure that I feel comfortable, that I feel strong, that I feel full of energy.
"I want to make my body adapt to this weight class. And, now that we've been on weight for several weeks now, I can eat whatever I want."
Why did Oscar took away his size advantage? He can gradually reduce his weight to 147 lbs at weigh-in then climb the ring at 155 lbs. without losing his power and speed.
But the Golden Boy will tip the scales at 145 pounds at weigh-in! Why? He is looking beyond Pacquiao. He wants a bout with Ricky Hatton. And Hatton will not fight him at 147 lbs but at 140 or maybe 145 lbs. For Oscar, the fight with Manny Pacquiao is only a tune up fight for a match at Wembley Stadium with Ricky. He sees more money here with the British crowd who will be watching their idol Hatton fight. Oscar is too confident he can defeat Pacquiao even if he weigh less than Manny. He believes he is too good for Pacquiao. He said he is scared of what he can do to Manny. But he must be scared of what he is doing to his body. He is already 36 years old and he had faced great boxers who in some way inflicted wear and tear on his body. The body can't simply sync with the mind as a boxer grows old. The feeling that he got more power and speed at Big Bear training even at the weight of 145 is a false hope. Especially when he started to get hit.
