De La Hoya: “I’m predicting if Lucas wins, it’s gonna be by knockout and if Manny wins, it’s gonna be by decision.” #PacquiaoxMatthysse | @MarkGiongcoINQ pic.twitter.com/2NSWll9pia
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) July 12, 2018
KUALA LUMPUR — Oscar De La Hoya, one of the brightest minds in boxing, thinks there could be a knockout on Sunday.
But there’s a catch: De La Hoya believes a KO win is only possible for Lucas Matthysse and not Manny Pacquiao.
“I think you have to take a look at Manny Pacquiao’s last fights, he hasn’t knocked somebody out since Cotto in 2009, so you have to take a look at that,” De La Hoya said in an intimate interview with select Filipino reporters at Le Meridien Hotel on Thursday.
“Lucas has a good chin. if Manny wins, he’s gonna win by decision, if Lucas wins, I think he will win by knockout because Manny Pacquiao throws a lot of punches, he’s too busy, he’s not gonna lose in front of his hometown crowd, he’s determined,” he added.
De La Hoya, who is the chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions after an illustrious boxing career that saw him win 10 titles across six divisions, also said Matthysse can pack a punch especially with his right hand.
Golden Boy Promotions chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya chats with select members of the Filipino media on Thursday at Le Meridien Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo by Mark Giongco/INQUIRER.net
“But Lucas Matthysse, you never know. He hits hard and his right hand is lethal so I’m predicting if Lucas wins, it’s gonna be by knockout, if Manny Pacquiao wins it’s gonna be by decision.”
De La Hoya, who promotes the Fight of Champions along with Pacquiao, arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Los Angeles for the final press conference.
De La Hoya and Pacquiao have history together after sharing the ring in 2009 with the Filipino legend winning by a eighth-round stoppage. De La Hoya never fought again as he announced his retirement five months after losing to Pacquiao.