Pac-Man targets Golden Boy
by Mark Doyle, 25 July 2008
Manny Pacquiao has admitted that the prospect of fighting Oscar de la Hoya would motivate him like no other bout currently available to him.
The Filipino sensation claimed the WBC lightweight title with a mightily impressive stoppage of David Diaz last month and is now widely recognised as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
However, despite now having won world titles in four different weights, he is not about to rest on his laurels and is openly considering moving up weight once more.
There is the mouthwatering prospect of a light-welterweight showdown with Ricky Hatton but, for Pacquiao, there is only one ‘super-fight’ which really excites him.
"De La Hoya,” he exclaimed, when asked which fighter he would most likely to fight next. “He is a legend."
Indeed, Pacquiao believes that only De la Hoya could motivate him to train as hard as he did for the fight which made him a worldwide star: his technical knockout of Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003.
"I will need at least two-and-a-half months or ten weeks to train for somebody like De La Hoya," Pacquiao is quoted as saying by The Manila Times.
"My training for the first Barrera fight was the longest of my career because I trained for over two months so, even when the referee stopped the fight in the 11th round, I felt that it was just the first round.
"I could go on and on and on. I never felt tired and if the De La Hoya fight pushes through, I will do the same."
According to reports, De La Hoya’s team, Golden Boy Promotions, have offered Pacquiao $10million for the proposed bout but Pac-Man is said to be holding out for an equal share of the profits – or at least double that figure.