The Dream Fight

Last night, in what was called a "Dream Matchup" by sponsors, Manny Pacquiao met Oscar De La Hoya in the boxing ring at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. In order to make it a legal fight, Pacman (as Manny Pacquiao is known) had to gain weight to put him around the 147 lb. weightclass while the Golden Boy (De La Hoya) had to shed some pounds. When the two weighed in before the bout on Friday, Pacquiao was 142, De La Hoya was 145. Somehow, an unofficial weighin right before the fight put Pacman at 148.5 lbs and De La Hoya at only 147. Before I say what happened, it is important to know what they were fighting for.

Manny Pacquiao was raised in the Philippines and began boxing as a professional at a very young age. Today, he is an icon for Filipinos and is a hero to all. They people there look at him like a Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Barry Sanders, and Muhammed Ali all as one person. Recently, Pacman has been named the best pound for pound fighter. Oscar De La Hoya on the other hand is a Mexican-American boxer who is world reknowned. He won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, but if there's one thing everyone remembers about him is his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year.

So last night, the two faced off in what was supposed to be a 12-round fight, but ended up going only 8 full rounds. While the only way to see the fight in the U.S. was to purchase it on DirecTV, the fight was broadcast across the Philippines for free, so everyone there could cheer on their hero. For the first 8 rounds, the judges consistently scored Pacquiao at perfect 10's and De La Hoya a point or 2 below him. When the bell rang to begin the 9th round, De La Hoya didn't get up from his stool and forfeited the fight. He then got up to congratulate Pacquiao on his great victory.

Pacquiao's victory was celebrated world round. Even President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Phillipines called him after the fight to congratulate him. In this fight, it was clear that the bigger person won.