Oscar De La Hoya took a massive beating at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in 2008, it was enough to put Oscar out of boxing as he clearly couldn’t compete at the top anymore. So if anyone has the ability to speak about what Pacquiao brings to the table, it’s him.
Pacquiao Vs. Marquez: Oscar De La Hoya Claims Bigger Fights As Manny’s Advantage
Still, it’s difficult for me to get on board with Oscar’s reasoning for why Manny is so far beyond Saturday opponent Juan Manuel Marquez after he stopped by Wild Card Gym:
“Manny is on a whole different level,” the 38-year-old former boxing poster boy said. “Manny has been fighting [the likes of] Shane Mosley, myself [and] Miguel Cotto. Marquez has been fighting ordinary fighters [and] that could be the difference.”
For starters, Marquez fought Pacquiao in their rematch in 2008, the same year that saw Manny step in the ring with Oscar. In that same year Marquez took the Ring Magazine lightweight championship from Joel Casamayor in a great battle. In 2009 (the year Manny fought Cotto), Marquez fought Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who one would not exactly call an “ordinary fighter.”
A trip back through Marquez’s career shows no shortage of great fighters and great fights. If there is any factor that plays into the result of Marquez vs. Pacquiao it isn’t some sort of lack of big fights for Marquez.
Follow our coverage of Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3 here at MMA Nation and at our boxing blog Bad Left Hook.
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