At this point, it would seem that Ricky Hatton of England will have Oscar de la Hoya for his next blockbuster boxing match.
It appears certain at this time that de la Hoya will win against the popular Manny Pacquiao when they collide at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on December 6, 2008. Boxing aficionados are of the opinion that the Pacquiao-de la Hoya boxing fight is a mismatch, owing to the superior physical advantage of de la Hoya.
Another point to consider is the recent news alert from the camp of Manny Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood which mentioned the discovery of the much talked about plyometric system being administered on Pacquiao to firm up his muscles. The report says that it is not working in his favor. Freddie Roach had to discontinue its use upon suggestion of Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri, Roach assistant trainers.
While Pacquiao was on heightened training exercise and jogging, the trainers noticed a marked slowdown in his movements. It was discovered later after the discontinuance of the plyometric application that Pacquiao’s movements have improved. He could jog and run faster again. After a few days of routine exercise, he was back to his deadly fighting form.
It could not be ascertained at this time how the plyometric system affected Pacquiao’s endurance and speed. The short period of time that he has till fight time on December 6th may not be enough to recoup his wasted time on a system that did not work for him in the first place.
In the meantime, Ricky Hatton, the hottest boxer in the United Kingdom is waiting to hear a word from either de la Hoya or Pacquiao to accept his challenge. Hatton has just defeated Paulie Malignaggi in the 11th round TKO to retain his world welterweight title. From his brief comments after the fight, he seemed to be training his eye on Manny Pacquiao rather than de la Hoya. He said that “a bout with the pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao would be interesting”.
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