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SAN FRANCISCO - Amid applause and chants of “Oscar” and “Manny” from their respective fans, boxing champs Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao stormed through Upper Fort Mason in San Francisco, each vowing to fight to the last breath when they take on each other at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on December 6.
Billed as “The Dream Match,” both De La Hoya and Pacquiao bring impressive credentials to the non-tile bout which is set at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
De La Hoya, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist for the United States, is the only man to win titles in six different weight divisions, the last one being the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Welterweight Title he won against Ricardo Mayorga in Las Vegas. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is the first Asian —and first Filipino—boxer to win four world titles in different weight categories, and is Ring Magazine’s pound for pound number one ranked boxer since June 9 of this year. Pacquiao is the current WBC Lightweight Champion.
According to the fight organizers, due to the amazing demand for this non-title fight the MGM Grand has made available closed circuit seats at $60 per person. They are also anticipating some 4,000 Filipinos will arrive in Las Vegas from the Philippines to watch the fight, where the odds are currently in De La Hoya’s favor, 2-1.Both Pacquiao and De La Hoya addressed the crowd that gathered in the hot afternoon sun, and engaged in some good-natured ribbing.
“Magandang hapon sa inyong lahat, lalo na sa mga Pilipino (Good afternoon to everyone, especially to my fellow Filipinos). Oscar said in San Antonio, ‘Remember the Alamo.’ Well, I don’t know the story of the Alamo,” Manny said, to which his supporters hooted and applauded. “Thank you to everyone for coming,” he continued. And then addressing the audience in Pilipino, “Si Manny Pacquiao, hindi susuko hanggang may hininga. Hanggang nakatayo pa ako sa dalawang paa, lalaban ako. Asahan ninyo, kahit buhay ko itataya ko para sa karangalan ng ating bansa. (I will never surrender until I breathe. As long as I can stand on my own two feet, I will fight. Be assured, I will stake even my own life for the honor of our country).”
For his part, De La Hoya said that, “This is the dream fight... As Americans, we get the chance to live our dreams. I am living my dream. Who would have thought that I would get to fight Manny?” Then, looking Manny straight in the eye, he stated: “On December 6, be ready like you always are, fight very hard, but don’t say (smiling, and in a sing-song voice) ‘I left my heart in San Francisco...”
Even the trainers of both fighters got into the act. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, produced a wooden toy gun and said, “I found this toy gun but I can’t pull the trigger. It must be yours.”
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