This fight could rate a 10

If Oscar De La Hoya beats Manny Pacquiao -- now considered the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter -- Saturday it would certainly cement De La Hoya’s legacy.

But the 35-year-old De La Hoya admitted Wednesday how tenuous his future is as a boxer.

“Obviously, if I lose, it’s over for me,” De La Hoya said at a news conference at the MGM Grand.

“I’m not going to start trying to go back up that mountain again, just to get back to where I am now.

“My motivation is to prove to myself I can fight at a top level and beat the best there is out there.

“My goal is to be at my best again, to prove it to myself so I can continue fighting. I want to show I can still do it.”

Although the odds favoring De La Hoya in Saturday’s fight have dipped to less than 2-1 in Las Vegas’ sports books, most bettors believe that De La Hoya’s natural weight, experience and power advantages trump Pacquiao.

Although De La Hoya suffered a split-decision loss against unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year, that fight will probably be overshadowed by a more action-packed bout on Saturday, De La Hoya predicted.

“This type of fight calls for a knockout,” he said.

But Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has talked repeatedly about how age ultimately catches up to older fighters, particularly those like De La Hoya who are moving down in weight. This is the Golden Boy’s first bout at 147 pounds since 2001, and he has fought as high as 160. Meanwhile, Pacquiao, who fought at 130 pounds in March, said Wednesday he weighs a comfortable 145.

Even if Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, is predicting a knockout, Pacquiao said he hasn’t brought himself to imagine himself delivering the kind of triumph that will end De La Hoya’s career. “It’s not possible,” he said.

He did agree that beating Juan Manuel Marquez in a super-featherweight title bout in March, followed by his summer knockout of lightweight champion David Diaz and a potential upset over De La Hoya at welterweight would, “be boxing history,” Pacquiao said.

“We have a big chance to win. . . . My power and speed can’t be beat.”

De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions is the lead promoter of this fight, so he worked to remind the audience that his sponsors offer rebates to the $54.95 pay-per-view bout.

But in a sign of how the recession has slowed interest even in this fight, De La Hoya said that “a couple hundred” tickets for the fight remain for sale at the MGM Grand box office.

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lance.pugmire@latimes.com