When Manny Pacquiao fights Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 2, he’ll be flashing a multicolored mouthguard with the colors of the Philippine flag.
“[Manny] wanted me to make something that would represent the country, as he told me he’s fighting for the Filipinos,” said Dr. Ed de la Vega, a Las Vegas-based Filipino dentist who has worked with the boxing champion since he fought Erik Morales in 2006, in an exclusive interview with the Asian Journal. “So the best way to do it was really to use the colors of the flag.”
Pacquiao’s mouthpiece for The Fight of the Century incorporates the four colors of the Philippine flag: red, white, blue and yellow. The hues are blended together rather than separated, to symbolize the various ethnicities supporting him on May 2, de la Vega said.
The Filipino dentist visited Pacquiao about two to three weeks ago, took the fighter’s dental impressions and spent about three hours making the multicolored piece, also taking into account the boxer’s needs and history. The mouthguard was made special for the boxer, who, de la Vega said, has no problems with his teeth.
“All [the] mouthpieces he’s used are designed basically the same because he has the best teeth among all the boxers I’ve seen. He doesn’t have a missing tooth, he doesn’t have a filling,” he said.
Made with ethyl vinyl acetate, the tough and flexible mouthguard is lightweight, and de la Vega guarantees it will properly protect Pacquiao while he battles Mayweather in the ring.
“The secret to mouthguards is really how they are fitted to the mouth of the athlete. I don’t just give the mouthguard to any boxer. I fit them and make sure extensions are OK, that there’s enough room for muscle attachment to move around, and also [that] the bite is perfect so it will help reduce the occurrence of fracture,” he said.
De la Vega himself does the fitting for mouthpieces he makes, manufactures them in-house and said only he touches them before they get to the hands of the athlete. When designing a mouthguard, he also keeps in mind that the device should never come out during the fight, and that the athlete should be able to speak and breathe while wearing it.
Like Pacquiao, Mayweather will also be using a customized mouthguard during the May 2 bout. Reports earlier this month indicated that the undefeated boxer will be protecting his mouth with a piece worth $25,000 and one containing real $100 bills inside.
The New York Daily News reported that the material of Mayweather’s piece is “a closely-guarded secret” and that the fighter did not remove his mouthguard during his fight against Cotto.
Dr. Lee Gause, who has been working with Mayweather since his fight against Miguel Cotto in 2012, told the Daily News that the reason Mayweather, along with other athletes (such as Spurs guard Danny Green and Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon), like his mouthguards is because it helps them breathe better.
De la Vega, however, is not a fan of including inserts in the protective pieces.
“The mouthguard is a simple device that is designed to protect him,” de la Vega said. “I never have [used] those inserts because when I design the mouthguard, I think about the safety of the athlete, not to show off.”
The price tag for Pacquiao’s Philippine-inspired mouthpiece is at $500, but de la Vega said he has never charged the Filipino boxer for them.
“It’s my little way of showing my respect for what he has done and what he’s been doing for the country. I believe that much warrants him a free mouthguard,” he said.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek April 29, 2015 MDWK Mag pg. 3)
