MANILA, Philippines—Was he in pajamas—“Naka pang-tulog ba?”—the shortish, peppery boxing scholar wondered out loud.

In asking a question, he predicted a knockout.

True enough, it did not take long before Erik Morales next used the ring floor for a bed in his culminating match against Manny Pacquiao at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in November 2006.

Today, that crafty analyst, Vice Governor Manny Piñol of North Cotabato, no longer wonders what the great, bigger, more experienced Oscar De La Hoya will wear when he enters the ring against Pacquiao in early December.

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Going by the sharp, at times brutal pre-fight exchanges, De La Hoya may not even check in with his patented toothpaste ad smile.

Both fighters, certified legends, will definitely be armed to the teeth.

Will Golden Boy, called an old, useless toy gun by trainer Freddie Roach, come disguised as a mean fighting machine?

Or will he be, in reality, loom unreachable as the personal Everest Pacquiao has painted him to be?

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The Dream Match, no kidding, will be no costume ball.

Speaking humbly, Pacquiao has confirmed that his assignment against De La Hoya will be a treacherous trek.

Indeed Pacquiao will be at a great disadvantage.

He would be scaling the world’s highest peak in the dead of winter.

But don’t worry, folks.

There will be no disguises.

Pacquiao will take the mythical challenge, his heart on his sleeves.

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You doubt?

Let’s listen to Vice Gov Piñol:

“When people started warning that Manny Pacquiao’s decision to take on the taller and bigger Oscar De La Hoya was equal to getting a hammer to hit his head, it seemed they have not heard of the lessons my father told us.

“Yes, Manny Pacquiao is shorter and smaller, giving away at least four inches in height. But do people know the size of the Pacman’s heart?

“Believe me, I have not seen a fighter with a heart as big as Pacquiao’s, or a pride so robust that it makes him feel he could beat anybody inside the ring.

“But it is more than just his heart and pride.

“There are two other factors that will decide this fight: Age and fighting style.

“Oscar is old. Or, to put it more diplomatically, past his prime. A younger Oscar would have been very dangerous for Pacquiao. But not the Oscar of 2008. He will be no match against the speed and youth of the Filipino boxing icon.

“This is how I see the fight: Oscar will attack in the early rounds knowing that he will have to reckon with a second foe named ‘Old Age’ halfway in the fight.

“Manny, on the other hand, will back off, pirouette toward the center of the ring as he did in the fight against David Diaz. He will be patient in this fight because he has a friend named ‘Youth’ to back him up in the second half.

“Then, once Manny senses Oscar snorting like a bull in the second half, he will charge, tagging Oscar with jabs, uppercuts and straights.

“My prediction: Manny Pacquiao will knock out the great Oscar De La Hoya in the second half of the fight.

“In boxing, as my father told me, height is not might.”