Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya (oscar agrees to weight penalty)
Boxing superstar Oscar de la Hoya has agreed to pay a penalty of $3 million for every pound or a fraction thereof in excess of the welterweight limit of his bout versus Manny Pacquiao in December. This was revealed to Fightnews by Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal after talking with fight promoter Bob Arum Saturday morning, Manila time. De la Hoya will be fighting for the first time in the 147-lb class since stopping Arturo Gatti in the fifth round seven years ago Las Vegas. As for the weight penalty, Pacquiao had a similar pact with Mexican rival Erik Morales in their rematch which was pegged at $500,000 per excess pound. De la Hoya and Pacquiao will meet in a 12-round non-title bout on December 6 at the MGM Grand Garden also in Las Vegas. Both fighters agreed to use a 8-ounce gloves for the intriguing match-up. Pacquiao, the current lightweght champion who started his career as a skinny 106-lb fighter will skip two weight divisions in fighting Dela Hoya, a one-time world middleweight champion. Meantime, Gacal said Pacquiao plans to leave between September 12 and 15 for his training camp at the Wild Card Gym of famed trainer Freddie Roach.
