Nothing terribly interesting, but it's nice that ESPN is bothering to talk boxing, and another feather in Oscar's cap, as he's apparently the only guy that can actually get himself on the network for more than a 10-second blip.

In case you're new to the sport and drawn in by the curiosity of this Saturday's big pay-per-view matchup, or if you just want to relive some of the finer moments in the careers of Manny Pacquiao and Oscar de la Hoya, HBO has made available via YouTube their "Greatest Hits" features on both fighters.

If you've been here a while, you know I started off against this fight. Many here did, many around the glove did. As its drawn closer, I've accepted it as a reality and as a great attraction, one boxing needs to close out 2008. And now that we're in fight week, it has really hit me: Manny Pacquiao is going to fight Oscar de la Hoya on Saturday night, and it's a big deal. Consider me having done a 150º, if not a total 180º. I'm pretty stoked to see it play out.

We've also got a new poll up on the right sidebar, because the time is here. Pick the winner, gang. You have until Saturday at 9:45 ET.

Pacquiao's Greatest Hits:

Can't argue with the lineup, though I do find it somewhat humorous and applaudable that HBO was able to and decided to boil down Pacquiao-Barrera II into mostly the moments where Barrera decided to trade. Those moments were few and far between and mostly contained within the first six rounds, after which he barely touched Pacquiao save for a cheapshot. Of 2007 fights, that one was really high on the list of most disappointing.

De la Hoya's Greatest Hits:

This one's a little more oddly compiled. Really, the Steve Forbes win? It's rough enough to show him going 3-3 in these clips, and then you realize he beat Fernando Vargas, Ricardo Mayorga and Forbes, and the losses came to top fighters Tito Trinidad, Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.

I guess you don't want to go all the way back to 1997 against Sweet Pea Whitaker, which is irrelevant at this point, and neither of the Chavez wins ever sat right with a whole lot of people, whether that's unfair or not. No point in showing the Hopkins loss, either, since 160 pounds is irrelevant, too. So I suppose if you decide to start with Trinidad...yeah, this is about as good as it gets. But still, Steve Forbes? Could've shown the dismantling of the ever-popular Gatti, or edited the Sturm win down to make it look like Oscar won even on an off-night. Hey, they made Pacquiao-Barrera II look good...

This is all just a sampling, of course. Both have had other big fights, big wins, and big moments. But for whetting your appetite for this big money showdown, hard to argue.

When I went over to the new and improved Ring Magazine web site (a long time overdue on "new and improved," by the way), I noticed that Freddie Roach "has a blog" for them now, starting with his first "entry."

I don't think I'll cause The Ring to crap too hard by reprinting the entire entry here:

At first, I thought putting this fight together would be impossible because Manny and Oscar were in different weight classes. Then I started thinking about it. After I trained Oscar, I realized he had trouble with smaller guys and southpaws. Oscar sparred with Ivan Calderon, the former 105-pound champion, when I trained him for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight because I wanted someone real quick. Calderon slapped Oscar around like it was unbelievable. I said between rounds one time, "Oscar, I want you to hit him one shot to show him who’s boss." He couldn’t do it. I got mad at him. I told him the same thing another time; we used Calderon for a couple of days. I said, "Go ahead and hit that little mother." Again, he couldn’t do it. Calderon was too quick and had a southpaw stance, like Manny does. That’s when I thought of Manny. I knew then it was a winnable fight.

I love to take little pot shots at Oscar as much as the next guy. I don't hate him, but I do think he's about fake as they come. I appreciate his attempts to go over the top, since I don't think showmanship hurts. He just stinks at it.

Freddie Roach's act of revealing "the real" Oscar that can't do anything right anymore is getting just as tired, though. Ivan Calderon? The five-foot tall, 105- and 108-pound champion? No. I'm sorry. I'm really just not buying it. If Oscar didn't land a big shot on Calderon in practice -- giving this credit for it having happened -- it might've been more because Oscar didn't feel like hitting a man he's nearly a foot taller than (Oscar is 5'10 1/2") and outweighed by 40 or 50 pounds. Manny Pacquiao, at 5'6 1/2", is a monster next to Ivan Calderon. Calderon is f---ing tiny, to put it bluntly.

And this is Freddie Roach we're talking about, the man who thinks every fighter should retire after every fight for which he trains them. I can't see him demanding that Oscar hammerfist down on to the top of "that little mother's" head.

I know it's hype, I know they're just trying to sell, but this is a lame, lame attempt at selling a fight.

There have been more important fights. Chances are good that there will have been a boatload of better fights. But no fight in 2008 is bigger than the rapidly-approaching December 6 fight between boxing's chief moneymaker, Oscar de la Hoya, and the newest pound-for-pound favorite, Manny Pacquiao.

Though the press talk and the one-liners and the back-and-forth sniping featuring Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, have been constant since the fight was first signed (before it, actually), the true hype begins tomorrow night, when HBO's "24/7" returns, dedicated to the big showdown.

Oscar-Manny is a fight that has overshadowed the big fights around it. The back-to-back financial freefalls of the Pavlik-Hopkins and Calzaghe-Jones pay-per-views can be marginally wiped out if this one hits its target, and no doubt the target is at least a million buys.

But can it be done? These is tight times, my friends, and Oscar-Manny has not yet really won over the diehard boxing audience. Many are still firmly opposed to the fight, citing the size difference, the pointlessness, the fact that we could instead be watching Pacquiao-Marquez III or Oscar-Margarito, or any other anti-these dudes scrappin' sentiment that's out there.

A million buys is a lot. Golden Boy and Top Rank are no doubt counting on Oscar's proven ability to reach outside of the boxing landscape to draw in viewers. But Oscar's 35 years old now. He is not "The Golden Boy" anymore in most ways, either. He has long since passed through being just a good-to-great fighter and become a showman, in some aspects, and a businessman in all aspects.

He fights for reasons still. When he fought Hopkins, it was to come back against a dangerous, bigger man and try to get the Sturm backwash out of everyone's mouths. When he fought Mayorga, it's because Mayorga can sell fights and Oscar needed a comeback opponent. When he fought Floyd, they broke a lot of records, and Oscar was trying to supplant the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. When he fought Stevie Forbes, it was because he needed a riskless, easy tune-up for a Mayweather rematch, and he sold it under the guise of "giving back to the fans."

Mayweather has retired, and Oscar broke his promise of fighting three times in 2008, as almost everybody expected he would. In the search for a December opponent, he couldn't come to a weight agreement with Tito Trinidad, Sergio Mora got smoked by Vernon Forrest, and Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto put on a war that would have resulted, I suspect, in neither of them getting the shot, no matter who won. Too tough, too mean, too young. Ricky Hatton still needed to give the Mayweather loss some distance, and was dealing with a trainer fallout anyway.

Enter Manny Pacquiao, a boxing phenomenon and Filipino cultural icon. And that's where we stand today.

Pacquiao proved in June, though, that despite being a big star, he needs help carrying a pay-per-view. The buys for his fight with David Diaz were hardly exciting, though not bad considering the expectations weren't great with a no-name like Diaz (no offense to David Diaz). Pacquiao can be an A-side, but he needs a strong B-side as far as sales go.

This fight is so compelling in so many ways that even three weeks of Oscar de la Hoya putting on his typically terrible acting performances on "24/7" can't hurt the positives. It is a huge fight, and for Pacquiao, a chance to do something truly amazing. No matter Oscar's age, the size gap is very big, Oscar can still fight, and Manny and his always-thrilling style will be seen by more people than have ever seen him before.

People that have never heard of Manny Pacquiao will order this fight. Chances are good they're going to be impressed, no matter the result.

For Pacquiao, it's a no-lose gamble. Though he hasn't said that outright, I think this is one of the things Freddie Roach knows for sure. Roach, who is one of sixty million guys to train Oscar, says that he knows a lot about Oscar, and has a lot of reasons to believe his man can beat him. We'll see about that.

What's interesting for me is that I don't like the fight. But I understand every reason it's happening, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see it unfold. The air of unpredictability is unique. You don't get it that often anymore. Usually one man is a big favorite, and the other guy ain't. There aren't that many high-level shockers in boxing. This one has the potential to play out like a movie. That's not a bad thing.

As you can tell, I'm getting caught up in it myself. I can't help it. I'll sit through Oscar's painful attempts to convince me he's a fighter's fighter and he's coming for blood! and honor!, at least as long as a camera is pointed at him and he's sweating juuuust the right amount. I'll do it because the man can sell a fight.

For the good of the sport, let's hope this one actually does sell. Right now, boxing needs a big commercial hit. Powder your face and get some Vaseline on those chompers, Oscar -- we need you.

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reports that Oscar de la Hoya has inked famed trainer Angelo Dundee as a "special consultant" for Oscar's December 6 mega money showdown with pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao.

Dundee, who most famously was corner man for Ali and Leonard, will aid Oscar and head trainer Nacho Beristain in their attempt to combat Pacquiao's speed. Dundee, essentially, will serve as an extra set of eyes, and let Oscar and Nacho know what he's thinking.

It can never hurt to have someone as important and intelligent as Angelo Dundee in your corner. Angelo is still sharp as a tack, too; this is no stereotypical 87-year old man. He's still got the mind for the game, and was one of those that called Hopkins over Pavlik before that fight happened.

It might not be the biggest deal in the world, but it's very, very cool if you take a moment to consider it. Here is Mr. Dundee, at 87, working with, as he puts it, the most important fighter of this era. He has spanned so many eras of this sport, and worked with so many world champions. For him to come back to the sport now, even in a smaller role, is just a gift.

Speaking with Primera Hora, welterweight star Miguel Cotto has joined the outspoken team in the boxing community that has come out against the December 6 money showdown between Oscar de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.

My Spanish is not so great, so if I'm way off then forgive me (and help me out!), but Cotto says:

"This fight is an example where people realize how far boxing has fallen. The sport is where it is right now because of fights like this, because of fighters like de la Hoya."

...

"(Oscar) avoids the fighters that could be dangerous for him and prefers to fight Pacquiao..."

...

"When Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler, and Sugar Ray Leonard faced each other, those were glorious years for boxing..."

Alright, stop. Hammer Time.

We've now got both Cotto and Margarito against this fight, perhaps because neither of them are fighting Oscar for big bucks instead. In both cases, it smacks of some amount of jealousy that it's Manny Pacquiao making the huge money in December.

Listen, I'd rather see Oscar-Margarito than Oscar-Manny, but we all know the same money isn't there. Oscar-Cotto would even be a preferable fight; we all know, again, that the money is not the same as it is for a fight with Pacquiao.

The Hearns/Hagler/Leonard (and you can include Duran, too) era WAS great. It's also over. Modern boxers have got to let the 1980s go. I wasn't old enough to care in 1987 (I was five), when Leonard returned from three years off to move up 13 pounds and fight Hagler, but do these guys forget or just not know that a LOT of people were concerned that Leonard was going to get seriously hurt by Hagler? Didn't happen, of course.

It's not quite the same as Oscar-Pacquiao. For one thing, both are active fighters, and for another thing, this size differential is bigger. Oscar's a lot taller than Manny, while Hagler was actually shorter than Leonard, and was far shorter than the 6'1" Hearns.

I don't really have a point, just that fighters speaking out against the biggest money fight in the sport right now may be "keeping it real," but they also aren't helping. Money will make the world go 'round -- it made Hagler-Leonard, you realize.

I don't love the fight, and I've yet to fully warm to it. What I have warmed to, however, is the fact that it's happening. No amount of kvetching and hootin' and hollerin' is going to take it off the calendar. So why keep on nagging? It is what it is, a spectacle to close the year. Big fights do help boxing. This is one of 'em.

Source: Manila Standard Today

Rumors out of training camp are that Golden Boy 140-pounder Victor Ortiz (22-1-1, 17 KO) "beat up" Oscar de la Hoya while helping Oscar prepare for his December 6 bout with Manny Pacquiao.

Hey, take it with a grain of salt, but it's interesting for a few reasons. One, Ortiz is a heck of a prospect, and in the long run, this sparring with Oscar will be good for him.

For another, if the 140-pound, fresh-legged Ortiz is really beating up on de la Hoya, that could be trouble for Oscar. Ortiz can punch and he's definitely bigger than Manny (Ortiz is about 5'9" with a sturdy frame that's easily carried 140 as a pro), but Manny has a lot more speed than Ortiz.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, though, has said that Manny has had some trouble dealing with 154-pound sparring partner Rashad Holloway, so it's all in the name of the game.

Really, it's more something to gab about than anything truly important, but it's decent gab fare.

Source: BoxingScene.com (Ronnie Nathanielsz)

WBO bantamweight titlist "Fearless" Gerry Penalosa says he'd like to fight 122-pound titleholder Juan Manuel Lopez on the undercard to De la Hoya-Pacquiao on December 6, reports Ronnie Nathanielsz.

Penalosa (53-6-2, 36 KO) has fought just once this year, successfully defending his title with an eighth round TKO of Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in April. He won the title with a stunning body shot KO of Jhonny Gonzalez last August.

The last time Penalosa fought at 122, he lost a good fight against heavily-favored Daniel Ponce de Leon, the same man that Lopez blew out inside of one round to gain worldwide attention earlier this year. Lopez scored a two-punch KO of Cesar Figueroa in his first defense on October 4, and his scheduled to appear on the big December 6 undercard in a featured position.

I like the fight. Penalosa's camp says they're going to talk to Bob Arum to try to make it happen. It would put a Filipino in a position of prominence on Pacquiao's undercard, and it would be a nice test for Juanma, one of the most exciting young fighters on the planet. Penalosa can scrap, and he's very smart. He's also tough.

Nothing wrong with the idea as far as I can see. Whether or not it happens is another story, but it would be a fine addition to the card.

"Are you kidding?" you may ask.

"No," I would reply.

Congressman Rufus Rodriguez of the Games and Amusement Board in Pacquiao's home country has pleaded with the lawmakers in his country to freeze Pacquiao's boxing license, preventing him from taking part in his December 6 showdown with Oscar de la Hoya.

Rodriguez said that Oscar "will kill the smaller and lighter Manny," and that "We have to protect him. He is a national treasure."

This is some s**t that I can't even fathom taking place in this country, to be honest with you.

Yes, there's a size differential, and I think it's substantial enough that Oscar should be considered a heavy favorite. But to try to "save" Manny from Oscar? Come on.

Spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo sent out a message for the Filipino President, Gloria Arroyo, urging lawmakers to leave the decision to Pacquiao, saying, "A defeat does not diminish his glory or the honor he has won for our nation. He will always remain a modern-day hero for his courage and bold daring."

Ronnie Nathanielsz reports further on the story, and spoke with WBC security general Rudy Salud, who noted, of course, that since Pacquiao is fighting in Nevada, his license falls under their control. Salud also mentioned fights between Joe Louis and Primo Carnera, and Roy Jones and John Ruiz, pointing out the size differences in those battles, won by the smaller men.

I mostly just find this whole thing very interesting. We in America cannot really comprehend a single sports star being this important to our nation. Even Ricky Hatton or Tito Trinidad or Miguel Cotto or whomever -- nothing close, I don't think.

Anyway, fear not. This fight will go on.

Top Rank's Bob Arum and Golden Boy chief Oscar de la Hoya, two very happy men.
(via cache.daylife.com)

Source: ESPN.com

Organizers announced that all of the approximately 16,000 tickets to "The Dream Match" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (HBO PPV) sold out for a gate of almost $17 million.

The total makes De La Hoya-Pacquiao the second-biggest gate in boxing history, surpassed only by the $18,419,200 worth of tickets sold for De La Hoya's fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5, 2007.

The total surpasses the $16,860,300 generated by the 1999 heavyweight championship rematch in Las Vegas between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, promoters said.

It means De La Hoya will be a part of four of the top 10 gates in Nevada history; his bouts with Felix Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins are also in the top 10.

Not bad, huh?

Oscar remains a force of nature when it comes to selling a fight and capturing public interest, and Pacquiao proves to be a worthy advesary, at least at the box office.

The closer this fight gets, the less concern I have about how uncompetitive I think it could be, and the more I find myself bending to the fact that it is an interesting fight, and it's absolutely an event. In short, I'm failing to not get swept up in the anticipation. The crowd will be rocking, the atmosphere will be electric, and Manny Pacquiao has a chance to do something very, very special.

That should be enough, I guess. Consider me a flip-flopper on this one.