I've kept my mouth shut the past month, reading up on all things Pacquiao and de la Hoya.And now, I'm ready to make my prediction.
Pacquiao by split decision or late KO.
Pacquiao has gotten bigger, stronger and more chiseled without seemingly losing any of his trademark speed.
He's also acutely aware that the eyes of an entire nation is glued on his every move and that his legacy can be cemented by this one fight.
De La Hoya, on the other hand, had to reinvent himself to prepare for this fight. He's doing things he's never done before in an effort to counter what he perceives to be Pacquiao's strength, including doing a Rocky 4 (moving to austere conditions where he pitted himself against the elements, so to speak).
But will it be enough? I don't think so. I think de la Hoya will make the mistake of thinking he's still the same dominant fighter he was 5 years ago. By trying to dominate Pacquiao from the get-go, de la Hoya will lose steam and become vulnerable in the latter rounds.
What Pacquiao has to do is refuse to play along and dance away in the first 4 rounds. De la Hoya made a prediction that he will knock Pacquaio out by the 4th round and he will use up energy to do so. By dancing away, Pacquiao can frustrate de la Hoya and cause him to expend his energy.
So that's the way I see it. Pacquiao by split decision or late KO.
To the Pambansang Kamao, mabuhay ka!
No comments:
Post a Comment