‘Pacquiao is out of De la Hoya’s league’

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino veteran sports analyst on Sunday predicted that the Philippines’ Manny Pacquiao will lose in his much-touted bout Mexican boxer Oscar de la Hoya. In an interview on dzBB radio, Al Mendoza added to the snowballing perception that the Pacquiao-De la Hoya tiff is a “mismatch” and said there are tall odds that Pacquiao will win. “Ang pitaka ko [ay] naka’y De la Hoya. Idol natin talaga [si Pacquiao] pero this time, ang pinipili kong manalo ay si de la Hoya. Hindi ka-liga ni Pacquiao si de la Hoya. (I’m placing my bet on De la Hoya. Manny Pacquiao is really my idol but this time, I’m predicting that De la Hoya will win. Pacquiao is out of de la Hoya’s league),” Mendoza said. The welterweight bout between Pacquiao – who is going up in weight for a second consecutive match – and the naturally bigger De la Hoya has been dubbed as a “mismatch” instead of a Dream Match by sports analysts. Citing weight issues, Mendoza said the 142-pound Pacquiao will have a hard time slugging it out with the 145-pound De la Hoya. He added that De la Hoya’s age will not be a determining factor in his tiff with Pacquiao. ”Yung sa age factor, ‘di ko kino-konsider na factor yun. minor na minor lang yun (I don’t consider De la Hoya’s age as a major factor),” Mendoza said. Earlier during the day, former Philippine Sports Commission chairman Philip Juico likewise expressed worry that de la Hoya would easily "manhandle"Pacquiao inside the ring. Although acknowledging that Pacquiao is a great fighter, Juico said the difference between their weights says a lot about the Golden Boy’s capability to beat the world's best pound-for-pound fighter. - GMANews.TV