When I watched the primaries, (especially the Democratic side), I remember seeing Hillary Clinton's numbers in the polls, all of which showed how people either loved her, or they hated her. Clinton being a polarizing individual, had masses of loyal followers, and she had masses of detractors.
When the rumors were flying around about a possible dream match between lb for lb king Manny Pacquiao and future hall of fame, legend, Oscar De La Hoya, the polarization effect started. When people took a look at the size differential between the two combatants, the first thing that came to mind is, NO WAY, Oscar is WAY too big, and WAY too strong for the smaller Manny Pacquiao.
The sides were drawn, and the controversy began. Many writers throughout the boxing circles immediately jumped on the fight, saying that it's a circus act, a gimmick, a money making disgrace for the boxing wealthy, and a slap in the face for the true boxing fan. A minority of the writers think that this fight is wonderful for boxing, a fight that the sport sorely needs in order to keep pace with the big success of the UFC, and additional MMA organizations. Thousands of fans love the fight, and thousands of fans hate this fight.
When I asked Freddie Roach if he thought Oscar's size would be too much for Pacquiao, he quickly responded, “No, I think he's (Oscar) slower, he can't pull the trigger anymore. Manny's speed and how he uses his speed will be the key to his victory.”
Many believe that De La Hoya will knockout Pacquiao simply due to the noticeably larger, and stronger size differential between the two men. It's a hard belief to challenge, because if it happens to turn out that Pacquiao does get knocked out, everybody will say, “I told you so.”
So what happens if Manny shocks the world, and not only defeats De La Hoya, but knocks him out? Well, there will be a lot of people eating crow on Sunday morning. There are hundreds of thousands of people in Manila, General Santos City, Cebu, and surrounding cities and towns in The Philippines that will be smiling once again. They will be drinking their morning coffee reading about how once again, their idol, Manny Pacquiao just defeated another Mexican legend.
So what happens if Oscar De La Hoya not only defeats Manny Pacquiao, but he knocks him out? What will we say if Oscar not only knocks Manny out, but he hurts him, perhaps puts him in the hospital? Will Golden Boy and Top Rank take the beating? Will the athletic commission take a beating for sanctioning such a fight? Will the MMA allegiances say, “Boxing sucks, look at the circus act they put together in the De La Hoya/Pacquiao fight.” Will Freddie Roach take the beating for lobbying so hard for this fight to happen?
Let's look at the flip side of that. If the Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya fight turns out to be a thriller of a fight, will that electrify the boxing faithful again? Right now, it's still up in the air. Right now all we can do is sit back and wait until fight night.
The result of this fight will surely make one side smile, and the other side cringe. If Manny Pacquiao shocks the world and defeats Oscar De La Hoya, one side will say, “I told you so!” If Oscar De La Hoya defeats Manny Pacquiao, the other side will say, “I told you so!”
Polarization at its best, either you love this fight, or you hate it. Let's look at the stakes involved, and examine what a victory would do for Manny Pacquiao, If Pacman wins this fight, it will surely pump up a future bout against Ricky Hatton. Furthermore, a victory over De La Hoya in my humble opinion will get the juices flowing towards a pound for pound king battle between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. When I asked Manny Pacquiao himself about a possible fight between himself and Mayweather, he said, “It's a possibility. Floyd might want to come out of retirement and fight me.”
If De La Hoya beats Pacquiao, it's ho hum in my eyes. It really doesn't do anything for De La Hoya's career except says that he beat a guy a ton smaller than him. It's a win win fight for Pacquiao. If he wins, great, on to Hatton and Mayweather Jr. If Manny loses, great, he lost to a guy a ton bigger, and to a legend at that. Onward towards Hatton and ultimately Floyd Mayweather Jr.
