There’s bitterness to De La Hoya-Pacquiao

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The voice booming above the highlights ticked off the reasons why the Dec. 6 welterweight bout in Las Vegas involving Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao is certain to be, as an HBO executive said, ‘an event that transcends the sport.’

‘The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world versus boxing’s biggest star. Two eras, two careers, one moment. The dream match!’

The HBO soundtrack played as the two boxers finished their transcontinental publicity tour at the Whittier Boulevard arch in De La Hoya’s hometown of East Los Angeles. The event drew an estimated 4,000 fans -- some of whom stood on the rooftops of ‘Vic the Tailor Cleaners’ and a hardware store.

But two of the event’s key figures said the fighters’ gentlemanly conduct has masked unmistakable resentment.

Last year, when De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions was suing rival promoter Top Rank for the rights to promote the Filipino star, trainer Freddie Roach said in a deposition that De La Hoya wooed Pacquiao at a Beverly Hills steakhouse in 2006 by presenting him with a suitcase filled with $250,000 in cash.

Pacquiao later rebuffed De La Hoya, accepting $1 million from Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

‘There is some bad blood, that’s why Oscar wants to fight him,’ Roach said Tuesday. ‘Manny doesn’t like Oscar, either. In the Philippines, it’s a slap in the face to be sued. They may be acting like gentlemen up here, but there’s a lot of dislike and motivation here.’

The litigation dissolved last year when Golden Boy and Top Rank agreed to stage a Pacquiao fight against Golden Boy’s Marco Antonio Barrera, but De La Hoya told The Times that he harbors bad feelings about Pacquiao’s decision to reject him for the highest bidder, Arum.

‘This is very personal,’ De La Hoya said. ‘Manny talks about honor, how it’s so important to him. How honorable is he? When he looked into my eyes and shook my hand that we had a [promotional] deal, and then leaves me because someone will pay him more ... how honorable is that?

‘It’s OK. I’m going to get mine December 6th.’

-- Lance Pugmire