Is Oscar De La Hoya Too American For Mexican Fighting Fans?

When Oscar De La Hoya gets into the ring against Manny Pacquiao on December 6th, there will be plenty of Hispanic fans rooting for him in Vegas. But what about back in Mexico, the place where he, you know, comes from? You would think that his roots would be enough to carry him to a majority win over his Filipino rival. Wrong. According to a poll taken walking the streets of Oaxaca by Philboxing.com (which is just… dangerous), 72% of Oaxacans favor the fast-punching Pacquiao over the methodical De La Hoya because the former’s style is more like a Mexican’s, even going so far as to suggest…

Many of my Mexican colleagues in the media and boxing fans in the streets would love to see Pacquiao walk to the ring on December 6th in the company of Mexican legends like [Julio Cesar] Chavez and Eric Morales. That for sure will further endear Pacquiao to the Mexican boxing fans.

[T]he person that captures our imagination the most is Manny Pacquiao. “El Paquiau”, as people would call him in the streets of Mexico is a brawler with similar fighting style as Mexicans. He has a huge heart and more importantly he always fights for his country. This is the reason why he is loved by our people.

Jesus, they even have a nickname for him. That must really be dishartening for De La Hoya. But considering he trains in Big Bear, Puerto Rico and a lot of places that aren’t Mexico, it shouldn’t be too surprising. Is it too late for Oscar to endear himself to Mexican fans, or should it even matter since he was born in East L.A.?
MEXICAN POINT OF VIEW: MEXICANS FAVOR PACQUIAO [Philboxing.com]
Image [hollywoodcollectibles.com]