Oscar De La Hoya is a clever boxer. He knows when to run, when to stick and move, and when to stand toe to toe with an adversary. Other than his big move up to face Bernard Hopkins in a 160 lb middleweight title fight in 2004, he has used his ring smarts to either beat or come close to beating everyone he has faced. Now, late in his career and with enough drawing power to bring even the dead back to life for one last huge payday, De La Hoya has chosen the diminutive Manny Pacquiao as his next opponent. What a joke.

Manny Pacquiao, who started his career in 1995 at age 17 at 106 lbs, gradually worked his way through the 125 and 130 lb ranks as a tiny terror demolishing nearly everyone in his path. Earning the nicknames "Pac-Man" and "The Mexecutioner" for his exploits, the 29 year old Phillipines pugilist decided early this year to try his hand at a higher weight class. One victory at 135 lbs came in June of 2008 against plodding David Diaz before Oscar came knockin' mere moments later with a huge pay day opportunity. The result: Pacquiao's consent to meet De La Hoya at 147 lbs in the most ridiculous size mis-match I've seen in a decade.

My prediction: Oscar De La Hoya by TKO10 after jabbing Pacquaio to near death and clobbering him with an array of left hooks and hard straight right hands that send him to the canvas twice.

Pacquiao is an electrifying phenom capable of standing in the pocket and exchanging with just about anyone. Just about anyone, that is, at 130 lbs or so where he has spent the majority of his career. His match with De La Hoya, himself an extremely experienced fighter who has fought nearly all the greats of his generation in and around 147 lbs, almost completely removes the possibility of the pocket-sized punisher being able to employ that strategy. And if Pacquiao can't stand and trade, what will he do? The answer is, quite simply, lose.

If you think a fighter moving up 17 pounds in 1 year will be able to stick and move, box from the outside, and carry his power up from 130 lbs and hurt a 34 year old experienced ring tactitian 4 inches taller then get ready to have your betting money taken out of your pocket. This isn't a great match-up. This is an absurd spectacle that takes away a fighter in Pacquiao who has numerous potential excellent opponents and instead thrusts him into a bout that has no business taking place.

Unless "the fix" is in, De La Hoya will dominate.