Weigh-in final hurdle before Pacquiao-De la Hoya collision

MANILA, Philippines - One more thing before the welterweights collide. Get them to stand on the scales first, and see how heavy they are.

Or for that matter, how heavy Manny Pacquiao is. And for Oscar de la Hoya, how lighter he has become.

There will be no problems, however, during the weigh-in on Saturday (2 p.m. Friday, US time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, a formality really between two boxing superstars who expect something more earth-shaking to derail them than just ... failing to make the weight?

Weigh-ins, furthermore, really have an obscure purpose. They're being done 24 hours before a match. But in between that time the two fighters are expected to gain weight that, in some cases, are way over their weigh-in rate.

Pacquiao was at 146lbs on Friday (Thursday, US time). That's par for the course, trainer Freddie Roach said. That's at least where he wants his boy to be a day before The Dream Match.

"There's nothing to worry about in my mind," Roach said. "I'm very satisfied."

In the 24-hour weight-gain period, Pacquiao was advised to add only at least three more pounds (or not go over 150lbs) on fight night to preserve his speed, his most important weapon versus de la Hoya.

Pacquiao, who began as a 106lb professional fighter 13 years ago, has never been this heavy inside the ring. His heaviest was against David Diaz just last June where he bloated to 147lbs or 12lbs bigger than the prescribed lightweight limit.

"We'll have breakfast (the day of the weigh-in) and walk after," Roach said. "But we won't go outside if he doesn't want to. We'll just make sure the weight's okay and we're fine."

With former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson watching at ringside on the final day of training, Pacquiao sweated it out for almost two hours at the IBA Gym, going four rounds with the mitts and later on, getting on the double end and the speed ball.

In a relatively light mood, Pacquiao was seen winking and smiling at Tyson as he punched mitts with Roach in a corner. At one time, he even landed an unintentional left on Roach's cheek.

In all, Pacquiao logged in a total of 163 sparring rounds squeezed within a two-month period, the most number of rounds and the longest training period Pacquiao has ever had.

"We're good, we're happy," Roach said. "There's nothing more we can do. Now Manny knows he's going there to do his job."

What mismatch?

Meanwhile, the winning odds of Pacquiao and de la Hoya were narrowed down further, betting spreads on Friday (late Thursday, US time) showed.

De la Hoya's line fell to minus-155, while Pacquiao's increased to plus-125.

That means a $1.55 bet on de la Hoya will gain $1.00, while a $1.00 wager on Pacquiao will earn $1.25.

Betting insiders said they are expecting odds to be near even. - GMANews.TV

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/137794/Weigh-in-final-hurdle-before-Pacquiao-De-la-Hoya-collision

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