INQUIRER Sports

LOS ANGELES -- There?s one reason Oscar De La Hoya has been working so hard in training to get in shape at a weight he has not fought in for so many years.

It?s because Manny Pacquiao demands it from him.

In a ?Dream Match? that is on its way to producing the second highest-grossing gate in Las Vegas, Team De La Hoya knows that going up against a smaller opponent gives the Golden Boy no distinct advantage if that foe happens to be a bundle of immeasurable energy.

?He?s like the Energizer bunny,? said Richard Schaefer, chief executive officer of De La Hoya?s Golden Boy Promotions that is co-promoting the December 6 event along with Top Rank. ?You can?t stop him. You can?t pull the batteries out.?

?That?s why they call him the Pacman, because he never stops,? he added.

De La Hoya has holed up at the Big Bear Camp in California in preparation for this fight, doing a lot of new things in preparation for his return to the welterweight ranks, where he hasn?t fought in years. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is making his first assault on the 147-lbs ranks.

Acupuncture, plyometrics, a different diet. All these, De La Hoya has incorporated into a regimen being run by two of boxing?s greatest trainers: Angelo Dundee and Nacho Beristain.

And it seems the ploy is working.

Just before De La Hoya arrived here, he tipped the scales at 143.8 lbs and showed no ill effects of going down in weight.

?He said ?Ive never felt like this before. I feel so much quicker, stronger,?? Schaefer said.

And Schaefer expects De La Hoya to be nothing less on fight night.

?If you fight the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, it?s not going to be a walk in the park,? he said.

Schaefer shrugged off insinuations that De La Hoya is going to fade in the second half of the fight, adding that his last fight against Steve Forbes -- a 12-round decision victory -- showed that De La Hoya is mentally and physically capable of going the full route.

?That fight against Stevie Forbes was important because when you hear people say you get tired after six rounds, you start to believe it,? Schaefer explained. ?It?s like when you reach the sixth round, your mind says, ?okay, it?s the sixth round, I?m supposed to be tired already.??

Schaefer said that the magnitude of this fight has forced De La Hoya to make sure that he can stay with Pacquiao until the end.

?This is going to be the second highest grossing gate in Las Vegas for a boxing event and that?s remarkable for the global recession and economic turmoil we are experiencing.?

And the stars are expected to come out and watch the bout at the MGM Grand.

Among those already confirmed to watch the fight live are Sylvester Stallone Bruce Willis, Mark Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, George Lopez, Mario Lopez and Russel Crowe.

?I really don?t think Oscar?s going to tire after the sixth round. And if Oscar?s not going to nock Manny in the fifth round, then he?s going to knock him in the sixth round.?

De La Hoya and Pacquiao will hold one final press conference at the Hollywood Theater at the MGM Grand. Pacquiao will continue working out lightly, including doing morning jogs, while Golden Boy publicicst Ramiro Gonzalez said De La Hoya will train in seclusion in the remaining days leading to the fight.

Notes: After the first public appearance by the protagonists of the ?Dream Match? here, betting lines started moving -- and most likely it?s because Manny Pacquiao supporters have started submitting their wagers. Pacquiao is now just a +140 underdog while Oscar De La Hoya has slipped to a -170 favorite, both moving 15 points from just the previous day? MGM Grand has left no stone unturned in promoting the event. Poker tables are coated in Pacquiao-De La Hoya-themed felt cover, slot machines have fight posters on them while boutiques are starting to sell merchandise, including pricey Affliction shirts with both boxers? names emblazoned on them? Pacquiao cancelled his aerial tour of Las Vegas. The People?s Champ was supposed to ride with HBO on a helicopter but backed out for still unconfirmed reasons. Pacquiao, though, has been known to have an aversion for rides and once got dizzy after getting on one in Disneyland several years ago.