A z w e t h i n k w e i z

LAS VEGAS – It wasn't age that made Oscar de la Hoya look like an old man, slowed down by an arthritic condition in his arms and legs, as he was decisively thrashed by Manny Pacquiao in their "Dream Match" here Saturday night.

The fact is De la Hoya, 35, isn't an old man. Archie Moore and George Foreman were in their 40s when they reigned as world champions. Bernard Hopkins and Evander Holyfield are still active in their 40s. Surely, age can't be blamed for De la Hoya's inability to cope with Pacquiao's blinding speed.

It's also a fact that De la Hoya had fought more rounds than Pacquiao, 300-283, before their meeting and turned pro three years before the Filipino icon. And it's also a fact that Pacquiao had logged eight more bouts, 52-44.

For over three months, De la Hoya worked out to prepare himself physically for Pacquiao. From his walking weight of 160 pounds, he trimmed down to 145 – the lightest he's scaled since making 140 in decisioning Miguel Angel Gonzalez in 1997 (over 10 years ago). De la Hoya even brought in legendary trainers Nacho Beristain and Angelo Dundee to advise him on what to do strategically to beat Pacquiao.

Beristain was in Juan Manuel Marquez' corner for two fights against Pacquiao and no doubt, the Mexican counterpuncher has had the most success in engaging the Filipino in recent years. Marquez held Pacquiao to a draw and lost a close split devision. De la Hoya recruited Beristain to pick his brains and turn him into another Marquez.

But was it all for show? Was De la Hoya just fooling the public into thinking he could still hold his own inside the ring despite enjoying the good life?

Hunger makes a fighter risk things in the ring an ordinary human wouldn't ever dare. A hungry fighter throws caution to the wind and isn't frightened by the prospect of death.

De la Hoya has amassed a vast fortune as a fighter. In pay-per-view receipts alone, his fights have drawn over $600 Million. Today, he sits on top of a financial empire that has interests in real estate, media, sports and show business.

With several millions in his bank account, De la Hoya has learned to live like a king. He has five children, four with different women. There are at least three books about his life. He has cut an album of songs and showed the way for fighters to realize there is a meaningful life to be lived after boxing.

De la Hoya fell in love with life and got soft. In 2005, he didn't bother to fight. He fought only once in 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007. While it's a fact that he has faced some of the world's most dangerous men (like Julio Cesar Chavez, Arturo Gatti, Sugar Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas and Hopkins), De la Hoya deteriorated as a fighter more because of inactivity and lack of motivation than anything else.

Against Pacquiao, De la Hoya was just a shadow of his old self. He was reduced to a pitiful sight, unable to find his target and getting repeatedly outboxed and beaten to the punch by a fighter who moved up two weight classes to face the biggest challenge in his career.

When De la Hoya realized he couldn't match Pacquiao's speed, he tried to land one big punch in hoping to turn the tide. The problem was Pacquiao wouldn't oblige. Pacquiao charged in with guns blazing, firing 1-2 combinations then sliding away to the right to spin De la Hoya off balance. The constant motion threw off De la Hoya's rhythm. His feet got tangled up like a novice student of a dance instructor whenever Pacquiao twisted and shimmied.

De la Hoya's pals from the good life watched in horror at ringside. Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Eva Longoria and a horde of Hispanic beautiful people gasped as their hero was transformed into a human punching bag. Russell Crowe, who witnessed the demolition in De la Hoya's section, could hardly believe his eyes. Crowe was trained in Australia over a month by Dundee for the movie "Cinderella Man."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach knew what would happen all along. As a former fighter, he has the uncanny knack of recognizing the things to do to win a bout. It was Roach who broached the idea of Pacquiao fighting De la Hoya to The Star early this year and convinced Bob Arum to put it together. Only a few faithful believed Pacquiao could pull an upset despite De la Hoya's size advantage. Some doubters even feared for Pacquiao's life and called it a fool's dream.

As it turned out, the fool was De la Hoya and the dream became his worst nightmare.

De la Hoya had no legs, no arms and no power to threaten Pacquiao. The fire in the belly was gone. He thought he would feast on Pacquiao and send him to the cleaners. He was sadly mistaken. Pacquiao showed up with his heart on his sleeve, displaying the stuff he's made of. In contrast, De la Hoya was a poor excuse for an actor disguised as a fighter, hoping the klieg lights would save him from tragedy.

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Pacquiao demysti-fied De la Hoya and exposed him as nothing more than a fraud. Hiring Beristain and Dundee was a cheap trick made at the expense of Hall of Famers. De la Hoya probably never had in mind to listen to them because in his history as a boxer, he's just been too egotistic to bow down to anyone. That's why De la Hoya has collected over seven trainers in his career while Pacquiao has stuck to Roach exclusively since breaking into the US market in 2001. That's why when De la Hoya loses, he blames his trainer and never himself.

This isn't to say that De la Hoya wasn't once a great fighter because he certainly was. But when he lost the hunger to fight, he also lost his will to win. De la Hoya might have trained well and hard for Pacquiao but inside the ring, where the real test is, he just wasn't the same anymore.

Pacquiao had no intention to disgrace De la Hoya. In the end, it was De la Hoya who disgraced himself.

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