Pacquiao is hardly King Kong, though De La Hoya would be wise to beware of a fighter who has won titles in five weight divisions and is heralded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Though he started his boxing career at 106 pounds and has never fought above 135, he’s the kind of non-stop puncher who can make an aging fighter look bad.

And that pretty much is the selling point for a fight that seemed odd when it was first made but now looks like an increasingly intriguing matchup of two men who have been in their share of big fights before.

“It’s going to be boxing history if I win this fight,” said Pacquiao. “I believe my power and my speed can beat him.”

Oddsmakers give Pacquiao a chance, making him an 8-5 underdog in a fight that both he and De La Hoya have relentlessly promoted from their first press conference a few months ago at the base of the Statue of Liberty. The promotion continued unabated at the final press conference, but there are questions over how well the fight will do with a $54.95 pay-per-view price tag at a time people are watching their money carefully.

De La Hoya is co-promoting the fight through his own company and spent much of his time at the podium at the MGM Grand hotel-casino reminding people that they could get up to $50 in rebates on the fight if they buy the right kind of beer, tequila and soda. Just to make sure he covered all bases, he repeated the message in Spanish.

Afterward, though, the talk returned to boxing and what could be expected from a 35-year-old fighter who may be able to score at the cash register but hasn’t won a significant fight in six years.

“This type of fight calls for a knockout,” said De La Hoya, who has fought as high as 160 pounds. “I may box, but if Manny Pacquiao hits me with a good shot, let’s fight. Bite into my mouthpiece and let’s get down to it.”

That sounds like De La Hoya is preparing for the kind of all out brawl boxing fans will pay good money to see, but Freddie Roach doesn’t buy it. The man who was in De La Hoya’s corner in his last big fight a year ago against Floyd Mayweather Jr. said after that fight that De La Hoya couldn’t pull the trigger on his punches anymore.