De La Hoya puts Pacquiao on a pedestal; Matthysse on the prowl
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Oscar De La Hoya paid homage to Manny Pacquiao on Thursday as the US boxing great praised the Filipino eight-division champion, senator, and one-time tormentor to high heavens for staging this Sunday’s talent-heavy show at the Axiata Arena.
Just hours after arriving from Los Angeles, De La Hoya, 45, who retired in 2008 after suffering a smackdown from Pacquiao, regaled the media at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur about Pacquiao’s advocacy.
“Manny’s building bridges between countries. He is giving hope and opportunity. He is doing it because he loves to give back,” said De La Hoya, who owns Golden Boy Promotions (GBP).
“I really feel that it was your destiny for what you are today. I salute you, and I admire you. It was a great pleasure to be with you here today,” said De La Hoya, who captured America’s hearts when he won a gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Pacquiao is attempting to snatch Lucas Matthysse’s World Boxing Association welterweight crown.
Matthysse is under De La Hoya’s Los Angeles-based GBP and he has repeatedly told the media congregation of his desire to return home with the WBA 147-lb belt still strapped around his waist.
GBP is working with Pacquiao’s MP Promotions in holding Malaysia’s first big slugfest in 43 years.
Tough Matthysse Matthysse also saluted Pacquiao, but vowed to beat the Filipino boxing legend when they square off on Sunday.
“He is a great champion but he still hasn’t faced ‘The Machine’,” Argentina’s Matthysse told reporters at a packed press conference in Kuala Lumpur ahead of their World Boxing Association (WBA) title clash.
“If he decides to retire after I beat him then that is his decision, I am here to defend my title.”
Veteran Pacquiao, who is chasing a 60th win of his long career, will turn 40 in December and has not fought since losing his WBO welterweight belt to Australia’s Jeff Horn in Brisbane a year ago.
Knock-out specialist Matthysse has finished 36 of his 39 wins inside the distance and won the vacant WBA belt after an eighth-round stoppage of Thailand’s Teerachai Sithmorseng in January.
Pacquiao unfazed
But it is Matthysse’s action-packed style, said Pacquiao, that was one of the reasons the fight attracted him.
“When I saw his fight against Teerachai it was a good fight,” said the Filipino, who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions in more than 20 years as a professional fighter. “I believe we can create good action in the ring so the fans will be happy.”
Pacquiao was thrown out of kilter by Horn’s rough-house tactics a year ago and the Filipino’s conditioning coach, Justin Fortune, said they had prepared for similar from the aggressive Argentine.
“This guy Matthysse is a lot better than Jeff Horn, he punches a lot harder,” Australian Fortune, a former heavyweight who once fought Lennox Lewis, told AFP.
“We are expecting the same sort of methods as Horn,” added Fortune, who said the appointment of experienced American referee Kenny Bayless would ensure Matthysse couldn’t get away with anything illegal.
“He’s a very fair ref and he won’t stand for any head butts, any elbows, anything like that,” said Fortune.
Undercard
Including Pacquiao’s shot at Matthysse’s title, there will be four world title fights on tap with fighters from Venezuela, Mexico, China, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, South Africa, India, Malaysia and the Philippines taking part.
De La Hoya is a six-division world champion and is best remembered for his battles with Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad and Julio Cesar Chavez.
After being stopped by Pacquiao in Las Vegas, De La Hoya retired with a 39-6 record with 30 KOs.