By Rick Reeno

Later tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao (47-3, 35KOs), with a entire country on his back, will meet Oscar De La Hoya (39-5, 30KOs) at the contracted weight of 147-pounds. Almost everyone has labeled the fight with a "size matters" theme. Pacquiao is a decent underdog in almost every circle outside of the Philippines. He began his career at 106-pounds and has fought as high as 135-pounds, once. He rises by two full weight divisions, making the welterweight leap against a fighter who fought the likes of Felix Sturm and Bernard Hopkins at the middleweight limit of 160. Many, inside and outside of boxing, have called the fight a mismatch due to the size and strenght advantage of De La Hoya. In reality, De La Hoya has little to gain and everything to lose. Pacquiao has already reached rock star status in the Philippines. If he beats De La Hoya, he will become a rock star in every boxing corner of the world.

The staff of BoxingScene.com comes together to voice their opinions, strategies and predictions for the big fight.

Robert Morales - I just dont think Manny Pacquiao can hurt Oscar De La Hoya and since Pacquiao has never been known as great defense fighter, Oscar will catch him with that left hook and stop him.

Dave Sholler - Oscar De La Hoya by TKO in nine. I don't tend to believe much that comes out of Oscar's mouth, but I see a swagger in "The Golden Boy" that I haven't seen in a long time. He's going to make a statement against Manny Pacquiao via a ninth-round stoppage victory. And let's not forget that Manny wanted this fight as much as Oscar did. Manny made his bed. De La Hoya will tuck him in.

David P. Greisman - Size matters, but speed kills. Bernard Hopkins had faster hands and faster feet than Kelly Pavlik. Joe Calzaghe had faster hands and faster reflexes than Roy Jones. Chad Dawson had faster hands and more stamina than Antonio Tarver.

Manny Pacquiao will be bigger than ever, but he still will be faster than Oscar De La Hoya. Though the Golden Boy is of a higher class (and at a higher weight class) than David Diaz, look for Pacquiao to do the same as he had in his lightweight debut, to make De La Hoya miss and to respond with effective combinations. Pacquiao via decision if Oscar still has the will to take the punishment. If the Golden Boy has corroded even further, then a surprising mercy stoppage is possible.

Jake Donovan - Manny Pacquiao by decision. If my prediction were completely based on hope, then it would include Oscar laid out atop The Ring logo painted on the canvas, in similar fashion to Hasim Rahman wearing the Don King crown in the Lennox Lewis rematch. For the sake of including some form of logic - long gone are the days where Oscar can close the show, or even effectively fight for more than eight rounds. If the fight is any sort of close through eight (assuming Pacquiao is still around to that point), then it becomes a four-round fight, at which point size has less to do with the outcome than the full-time fighter prevailing over the part-timer.

Cliff Rold - The bottom line is, so far, De La Hoya has looked far from a shot fighter. Two fights ago, he was well in the fight with Floyd Mayweather. In his last fight, while he took quite a few shots from Forbes, it can be taken for granted De La Hoya knew Forbes couldn’t hurt him and he was highly active throughout. Saturday night, he’ll be at least ten-fifteen pounds heavier and still have the Oscar left hand for a jab or hook. If they were the same size, Pacquiao would have to be favored. They are not and unless Oscar is really far more past his best than realized so far, Oscar should win inside the distance anytime from the third round forward.

Mitch Abramson - Oscar De La Hoya by decision. What more can I say? I'd rather watch an episode of 24/7 than watch these two fight each other. I'd rather watch the trainers compete in the 100 yard dash together. Maybe that's not exactly true.

Patrick Kehoe - Sure, as in much of life, size matters, though not always. If Oscar De La Hoya has height, reach, strength of punch and big fight advantages, let us remember Manny Pacquiao has speed, endurance, and youthfulness on his side. Manny Pacquiao's in his prime, perhaps near the end of it, but, within his best years nevertheless and he's had Freddie Roach in his ear for months describing how Oscar De La Hoya is not the fighter he once was, no matter his jab or left hook. Confidence typically proves critical and that's Pacquiao's real advantage, if we wish to cancel out everything else. Oscar's getting used to losing big fights and Pacquiao's been used to winning them. Pacquiao by split-decision over De La Hoya.

CompuBox/Bob Cannobio - Oscar De La Hoya by decision. Morales totally controlled Manny with his jab in their first fight. Oscar will do the same. Yes, Manny's a better fighter now than he was then, but Oscar's size and strength advantage will negate that.

TK Stewart - Styles make fights and this fight will be no different. Pacquiao is a reckless, hyperactive, aggressive fighter who attacks with little regard for defense. On the other hand, De La Hoya is a patient, cautious, stand-up, orthodox fighter with an educated left jab and left hook. When I was a kid, my first boxing trainer drilled into my head that if you are going to come forward, it has to be behind a jab. And therein lies the problem for Manny in this fight. Pacquiao is at a four-inch height and six-inch reach disadvantage and he doesn’t come in behind the jab. In fact, Manny rarely even bothers with a jab. Because of that, I just don’t see how Manny gets inside on Oscar to attack the body. I spoke to Pacquiao sparring partners Rashad Holloway and Marvin Cordoba and both of them said the plan Freddie Roach has devised is for Manny to be super aggressive and to get inside and work Oscar’s body. However, I’ve also been told that Holloway, built similar to De La Hoya, more than held his own against Pacquiao and that he was actually able to nail him from the outside and control him with left jabs to the head.

My feeling then, is that Manny rarely gets inside to do anything meaningful and thus he becomes frustrated with his inability to reach Oscar. Even if he does, De La Hoya wears an odd, very high, thick, specially made body protector/cup (illegal?) that makes body shots ineffective. Oscar will control the fight and clinch any time they get in close as Oscar rarely fights on the inside. I don’t think a lot of punches will be thrown as Oscar will slow Manny’s pace down. I don’t believe that Manny can hurt Oscar and I know he can’t outbox him. Manny is relatively easy to hit and he keeps his right hand very low, which makes him very susceptible to Oscar’s cannon of a left hook. Oscar does well with shorter opponents (see Jorge Paez, Troy Dorsey, Jesse James Leija, Hector Camacho, Arturo Gatti).

With Oscar’s size and strength advantages, I think he’ll frustrate Manny and force him to make a mistake when he attempts to get inside. When Manny makes that mistake, Oscar will catch him. Somebody told me they thought this was a “cartoon fight” and I think it will end with a cartoon-like ending as Manny crashes to the floor in an animated fashion - and goes down and out sometime between the third and eighth round.

Lyle Fitzsimmons -- I didn't like the fight when it was announced, and, in spite of the 24/7 hype machine and the oh-so-compelling "Dream Match" commercials, I don't like it now. Unless Oscar has doubled in age since May, he's still too big and too strong for a guy who's never taken a punch from a foe heavier than David Diaz. It may be competitive for a while, but eventually the good big man punishes the good little man and wins going away. Who's next, Oscar, Vic Darchinyan? De La Hoya in 10.

Lem Satterfield - I’ll go with Oscar De La Hoya by decision. I’m not convinced that Pacquiao can hurt him.

Brent Matteo Alderson - First of all I can't believe some of the things I've heard this week about how the fight is going to be a classic and one for the history books. Give me a break! This is a money-making endeavor and thats it. Manny Pacquiao might hang tough and last the route, but he's not going to win this fight. If Oscar and Manny were the same size, the Pac-man would dominate, but thats not the case. I like Oscar De La Hoya in a convincing fashion. I wish the Golden Boy would have fought Margarito, I think he would have a legitamate chance of winning that fight, he'd just have to take some lumps to do it and he doesn't want to go to war at this point in his career.

Rey Danseco - Manny Pacquiao has enough power and speed in his hands to stop Oscar De La Hoya. Manny will try to emulate Mike Tyson by going inside with force. A stoppage by Manny in nine.

Michael Doss - I think that this fight will be pretty competitive early with Oscar De la Hoya having a hard time figuring out Manny's style. Oscar may get buzzed briefly but I think between round 7 to 9, I feel Oscar will drop Pacquaio with a body shot and he will not rise. Similar to how Hopkins took out De La Hoya, although I am rooting for Pacquaio since he is showing the heart by being so much smaller yet taking this fight.

Alphonso Costello - Ignore what the propaganda machines are saying about this fight. Oscar De La Hoya versus Manny Pacquiao is not a competitive fight, but it should be an entertaining circus act. In fact, the promotional work for this spectacle would make P.T. Barnum proud. De La Hoya should blow Pacquiao out of the water by the fourth round, but I doubt that will happen. Look for De La Hoya to go easy on the little guy by giving the paying public their money's worth. For the pay-per-view audience that should be $7.85 a round. In a sham of a fight enhanced by Jim Lampley's exciting fight call, Oscar De La Hoya kayos Manny Pacquiao in the seventh round. And in Bridgeport, Connecticut, P.T. Barnum will be smiling in his grave.

James Blears - This isn't a fair fight with the weight but especially considering size plus the reach disparity. Part of the attraction of boxing is matching two fighters as evenly as possible concerning weight, so the real test is who has the most ability and the greatest will to win. This so called contest makes an utter nonsense of that. It's all about money and little else.

Manny is going to have difficulty getting inside Oscar's much longer reach. Manny will be kept at bay with heavy left jabs followed by a left hook which will end it, between six and eight. I hope Tony Weeks will be alert enough to stop the fight before serious damage is done.

Jerry "JC" Casarez - Manny Pacquiao by decision. I know the old adage says that a good big man beats a good small man but I don't think they took age and recent performance into consideration. While many will argue that De La Hoya's size and power will be too much for the smaller Pacquiao who will be fighting at welterweight for the first time this Saturday, I tend to disagree. Manny has his own advantages in speed. Last May Oscar faced another former 130-pounds Champion in Steve Forbes and while winning a unanimous decision, his face showed the worse for ware. Look for Manny to attack the body early and get Oscar's respect. Oscar will be his strongest early but with the pace that Pacquiao sets I believe the second half of the fight will be where youth prevails. Oscar will fade in the late rounds and Manny will secure rounds while building towards a decision win.

Joe Harrison - This bout looks to be much more exciting than the De La Hoya-Mayweather match-up from last year. I doubt Pacquiao will dance away majority of the bout like Mayweather did against Oscar. Pacquiao will be moving forward. Unfortunately for Pacquiao, that is why he will lose. Manny has never faced a man with the power of a welterweight, and Oscar has faced men with middleweight power. With no tune-ups for Pacquiao at 140 or 147, the result against De La Hoya could be drastic. De La Hoya by stoppage.

Paul Gallegos - Every prediction I give backfires so here it goes - Manny Pacquiao by an upset victory via a punishing left hook in the 5th round. For the first time, DLH's chin will fail him.

Ronnie Nathanielsz - For us, predicting the outcome has unfortunately to be based on long distance assessments from people in both camps and knowledgeable individuals we trust. It seems Pacquiao has trained like never before and with his incredible fighting heart is certain to give Oscar a tough fight.



De La Hoya they tell me is having trouble with his left shoulder which he talked about after the Ricardo Mayorga fight. I have watched many of his previous fights and have seen enough to sense he does have a problem. Maybe that's what Freddie Roach meant when he said Oscar can't pull the trigger.

John Hively - I know, I know! This fight should be De La Hoya in a route; the good big man versus the good small guy, etc.... But how much has De La Hoya left given his years, and especially in coming down to welterweight? And how punch will move up with Manny? And will Manny's speed decline with the extra poundage? So many unknown variables! That being said, I'll guess that Manny will pull this one out by decision, especially if Oscar is really a welterweight again. One thing is likely certain: If Pacquiao wins, he's going to be the leading candidate for fighter of the decade. Like Oscar, he's fought everybody and ducked nobody. Unlike Hopkins, Jones, Calzaghe, Mayweather and others, you can't argue that Oscar and Manny have been carefully managed fighters to any degree at any time during their careers, whatsoever. They've followed in the footsteps of Greb, Walker, Robinson, Armstrong, Leonard, Ali and several other legendary fighters because they've fought any and everybody, and they've been largely successful. So give them both a lot of credit.

Larry Tornambe - Many factors blur the classic line of "a good big man beats a good little man" in the matchup. De La Hoya's skills have faded a bit since he's been a part-time fighter and he's always had the empty tank late in big fights (with the exception of his Ike Quartey bout). Pacquiao has just moved to 135-pounds for that one fight this summer, while Oscar has been facing 150 to 160 pound boxers.

I understand the agreed upon weight is 147-pounds. Oscar doesn't really have to lose that much weight, while Pacquiao will need to gain about 10-pounds. That kind of weight on a guy who has been less than 130 lbs for most of his career is just too much. Granted he doesn't have to come in at 147. Pacquiao's physique isn't showing the extra weight but when he faces a 150-pound world class boxer, in a real fight, it will wear on him. The wisest strategy for Pacquiao would be to force Oscar into the late rounds and hope the extra weight will provide him the energy and power for a late stoppage or a grueling inside fight down the stretch.

Oscar would be wise to pressure Manny early and counterpunch when Manny attempts to attack. De La Hoya will have the reach, height and weight advantage, if he uses them right he'll outpoint Manny. I've given you scenerios for each guy to win. I foresee Oscar building up an early lead through counterpunching and reach advantage; and resting off the jab and forward movement during the last thrid of the fight. Oscar by decision.

Ernest Gabion - My heart says Manny TKO late in the fight. My mind says Oscar by unanimous decision.

Don Colgan - De La Hoya by majority decision. Look for Oscar to perform at a level reminescent of his salad days, combining a sharp jab, strong left hook and solid counter punching to win by a shade. A grueling fight with Oscar possibly taking a short count during an early round. This is one De La Hoya won't let slip away and he heads into the sunset.

Carlos Irusta - Manny Pacquiao will be the winner, but it's very difficult for me to think about how the fight will end, especially because I have a feeling that the fight will have a strange ending... Thats only a perception, but it is what I think.

Rick Reeno - I've fallen prey to the logic of "a good big man will usually beat a good little man." Over the years De La Hoya has fought some very hard hitters, including Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins, Ricardo Mayorga and Fernando Vargas. There is no question that De La Hoya has an iron set of whiskers. I don't Pacquiao can really hurt him. The only way I can see Pacquiao winning this fight is by outhustling Oscar in the early rounds, being able to withstand the middle rounds and then picking up the pace when De La Hoya begins to fade in the late rounds. Pacquiao can come out a winner by simply lasting the distance. De La Hoya can't allow an opponent who barely pulled out a decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in March, at super featherweight, to last the distance. Because I don't think Pacquiao can hurt De La Hoya, I believe Oscar will be braver than we've seen him in the past and will take a few punches to land a few punches. I see De La Hoya knocking Pacquiao out before the tenth round.