INQUIRER Sports

Leonard put it bluntly and told Pacquiao he won’t stand a chance against Oscar De La Hoya if he forgets his shield, no matter how flimsy, in the dugout.

That, you bet, is a big improvement from what the sage Angelo Dundee had predicted when he swore that he didn’t see any chance of Pacquiao winning over De La Hoya.

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OK, you can say that Dundee, with his mythical credentials, could easily qualify as the pontiff of prizefighting, if there’s such a being.

But it’s easier to side with Leonard.

Not only because he sounded a lot more profound than Dundee in tackling Pacquiao’s chances against De La Hoya.

Leonard was, indeed, in a better position to hit it right.

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Why? Well, if Dundee is a PP (Pontiff of Pugilism), Leonard is nothing less than a DD.

Yes, the Duke of Defense.

In fact, Pacquiao and his handlers, led by the achiever Freddie Roach, need not be reminded that Leonard succeeded in punctuating his brilliant ring career with that unforgettable come-from-behind stoppage of the bigger Donny Lalonde.

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No, Leonard did not say the Pacquiao-De La Hoya Dream Match in Las Vegas could shape up like his classic encounter with Lalonde.

If memory serves, the smaller Leonard, then the WBC middleweight champion, had to move up to challenge Lalonde for the WBC light heavyweight championship at Caesar’s Palace in November 1988.

Leonard managed to knock Lalonde out, but only after surviving heavy head and body bombardment.

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Says Leonard: “As the smaller guy, Pacquiao will be very aggressive. But he must protect himself from the big punches, he has to be defensive.”

Then, admitting that Pacquiao is “open and very vulnerable when he’s on the attack,” Leonard predicted an interesting match.

There, definitely, won’t be a mismatch, Leonard stressed.

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Leonard went on to liken Pacquiao to a Tazmanian Devil, a nonstop attacker.

Yes, if De La Hoya takes Pacquiao lightly, as Leonard warned, the Golden Boy could end up being chased, cornered and overtaken by a pack of hungry wolves.

Leonard also made it clear that he doesn’t see the fight slipping into an oddity due to the disparity in height and build.

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Maybe Leonard himself doubts it, but Pacquiao should be able to catch and hurt De La Hoya.

Pacquiao’s fabulous speed and power will be very hard to match.

But, again, Leonard is quite clear in stressing that Pacquiao can’t swing it with his offensive savvy alone.

At the rate he’s training like hell, Pacquiao should report to the fight fully loaded.

But, to repeat, Pacquiao must also make sure he has his shield—which could prove to be his biggest weapon—with him.

Or does he already have one?