INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—It’s fascinating how our national mood this Sunday afternoon and straight into Monday will rely on a Filipino’s performance in a boxing match.

Dismiss or ignore it, you will not be able to escape the general sentiment after the fight. De La Hoya-Pacquiao will be Monday’s hottest topic at the office or school and the reason how many will go about their day.

If Manny Pacquiao triumphs against Oscar De La Hoya, expect national euphoria. De La Hoya is a legend and a Filipino victory against him is a win for the ages.

If Pacquiao loses (and depending on how he loses), there will be disappointment. We’ve grown accustomed to his success as Pacquiao has won eight straight since losing in the first Erik Morales fight in 2005. Pacquiao stands on the threshold of his biggest victory or a loss that can be understood in the context of who De La Hoya is and Pacman’s sterling achievements.

Do you sense it? There is fan uneasiness never been felt before in any of Pacquiao’s previous battles. It is not only due to Golden Boy’s height and achievements, but also because many Filipinos have rooted for De La Hoya in the past.

But prizefighters are not exactly the sentimental kind. If there is a fight to be fought or a challenge to be met, it is taken; especially if the money is good.

De La Hoya is not a wide-eyed neophyte. He is one of the best ever to climb the square ring. This “Dream Match” satisfies De La Hoya’s need for a big fight and was hard to ignore from a business standpoint. Once the bell rings, De La Hoya’s warrior instincts will take over, regardless of his age and battle scars, and he will do everything to win.

If it’s a skills match, De La Hoya will use his height and talent to full advantage. He will not allow Pacquiao to get in. On skills alone, and if he lands solidly and stuns Pacquiao, then De La Hoya has the edge in a long fight.

But Pacquiao can win this fight. He is the underdog here but likes it that way, just like when he won against Marco Antonio Barrera the first time around. He knows what he has to do and has every right to say “Relax lang kayo (Just relax),” as Philippine Daily Inquirer assistant sports editor Francis Ochoa reported from Los Angeles last Tuesday.

We have always said that previous opponents have planned how to handle Pacquiao’s awesome power. But once it hits, it’s an earthquake difficult to recover from. Morales, Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz know that all too well. Pacquiao’s power is unleashed with blinding speed, making it difficult to defend.

De La Hoya is reported to have a solid chin and has withstood the shots of some of the very best. But the chin is not the only target. In 2004, Bernard Hopkins showed us that nailing De La Hoya in the body can put the Golden Boy down on the canvas. Sure, Hopkins is 6-foot-1 and was taller than De La Hoya’s 5-10 1/2. But Hopkins went downstairs instead of upstairs to score a ninth-round stoppage.

If Pacquiao tags the midsection decisively and cuts down any edge De La Hoya has, our Sunday national mood, straight into the week after, could be the perfect lead-in to the holiday season.