Pacquiao, dela Hoya encounter in UNLV track oval

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/03/2008 6:35 PM

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Manny Pacquiao and Oscar de la Hoya accidentally “met” during separate morning jogs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) track oval.

However in this accidental meeting, both fighters did not talk to each other.

Pacquiao had just completed more than ten rounds of jogging around the track oval and was nearing the end of his shadow-boxing session when de la Hoya’s team arrived.

De la Hoya went ahead to jog while Pacquiao was doing his crunches.

“Okey lang, sanay na ako iyong nakikita ko iyong kalaban ko,” said the Filipino.

The Golden Boy, meanwhile, seemed also unaffected by Pacquiao’s presence.

ABS-CBN correspondent Dyan Castillejo asked de la Hoya: “Was this meeting planned?”

“No... I'm pleasantly surprised,” was de la Hoya’s reply.

Clearing the air?
Although both boxers were relatively quiet, their respective teams were doing the noises.

Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach engaged de la Hoya’s brother Joel in a light trash talking.

The tension went up when de la Hoya’s mentor Nacho Beristain approached Roach.

The two trainers had a bad history, both of them exchanging heated statements en route to the Dream Match.

Beristain, however, wanted to clear up the air with Roach. He made peace with the American trainer, as he denied saying some of the harsh words published by the media.

Pacquiao’s coach acknowledged the gesture, although his hate on de la Hoya remained.

“I don't care how Oscar looks... he jogs like a girl,” said Roach.

De la Hoya claimed Roach’s behavior could be showing hints of nervousness about the coming fight.

“I think Freddie's nervous... that’s why he's talking, talking,” he said.

De la Hoya said he is in very good condition and could go for a full 12 rounds. He also claimed weighing 147 pounds, the exact weight limit for their welterweight fight.

Pacquiao the underdog
Pacquiao, who has fought in Vegas eight times over the last seven years, was again tagged as the underdog.

The last time he was called the underdog was against Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001 and against Erik Morales in March of 2005.

In Vegas, Pacquiao has won six times, beating Ledwaba in his debut. He defeated Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera twice, Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz once.

He has only lost once in Las Vegas against Morales in 2005, and drew against Marquez a few months earlier.

Against de la Hoya, Pacquiao is a plus 155 underdog, meaning a wager of $100 wins $155. Dela Hoya is at minus 185, meaning you need $185 to win a hundred bucks.

When this fight was sealed on Aug. 29, the opening odds were even higher in favor of the Golden Boy. With a report from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

as of 12/04/2008 1:22 AM