Protective armor in Pacquiao’s mouthguard

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino dentist, cutman and the world’s No. 1 maker of high-quality protective mouthpieces Dr. Ed de la Vega has designed a special gumshield for WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao to use in his title defense against Adrien Broner at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 19.

The mouthguard has an extra protective armor but is a little thinner than others De la Vega had previously made for Pacquiao on the palatal side to make for a better fit. De la Vega has supplied Pacquiao with over 10 gumshields since the Marco Antonio Barrera rematch in 2007. Pacquiao has used some, others he keeps in reserve and still others are stored as mementoes. De la Vega’s latest masterpiece will be worn for the Broner fight and features specifications that Pacquiao himself detailed.

“I wouldn’t call it the best I’ve ever made for Manny because all the ones I’ve made for him are special,” said De la Vega, a dentistry graduate of UP and the University of Southern California. “He had a request though for this one – he wanted it a little thinner on the palatal side so I took off the reinforced widget for the palatal side (back) of the front teeth but I compensated for it with a ‘special’ hardened material between the layers and made the front protection even better.”

Another request by Pacquiao was to use the Philippine flag’s colors of yellow, red, blue and white. “He’ll definitely wear the new mouthguard,” said De la Vega. “He’s been using it since I fitted it to him. He feels comfortable with it and loves the fit. Its four colors, as he requested, are specially designed with extra protective armor. I gave the mouthpiece to Manny (in Los Angeles) last Dec. 26. It took me only three hours to make because I already have his mold. All the mouthguards I’ve made for Manny were done with a high heat and high pressure lamination process using a dental machine just for that purpose. I think this mouthguard is special because it was made with genuine concern for his safety. It’s priceless because the service is free and it comes from the heart with no expectations for anything in return. Nowadays, not too many people around Manny can say that with sincerity.”

De la Vega said the design, fabrication and the actual fit of the mouthguard were all based on his experience of more than two decades of involvement with intra-oral protectors in the prevention and management of traumatic injuries to the teeth and their surrounding structures. He has been a practicing dentist since 1964 and migrated to the US from the Philippines in 1968. De la Vega has made gumshields for many other fighters, including Jerwin Ancajas, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., Nonito Donaire, Beibut Shumenov, Vyascheslav Senchenko, Gerry Penalosa and Mia St. John. Although he is known the world over as the master maker of protective mouthwear, it’s only a small percentage of his dental practice which is based in the Los Angeles suburb of San Fernando Valley.

De la Vega has watched Pacquiao work out at the Wild Card Gym the last few weeks. “Manny is Manny,” he said. “He’s still very fast and his punches are still really strong. His staying power is awesome for a man of 40. I don’t see any reductions in power or speed. I think Buboy (Fernandez) and Justin (Fortune) did a hell of a job in the Philippine camp so when Manny got to L. A., he was already 90 percent. Buboy declared him 100 percent a few days ago so I guess you can credit the 10 percent to (Freddie) Roach.”

De la Vega said of Pacquiao’s three sparmates, Australian lightweight George Kambosos – who mimics Broner’s style – is the most impressive. The others are Lydell Rhodes and Arnold Gonzalez. “All three make Manny really work,” he noted.

De la Vega served as Pacquiao’s cutman in his previous fight against Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur last July but for Broner, the job will go to Dave Martinez. “My only concern is for Manny to be well protected and whoever is picked by Roach, I hope he has advanced meds and not the old-fashioned, old school system,” he said. “Manny, however, designated me to be the cutman for all the Pinoys in the undercard, including Jhack Tepora who will defend his interim WBA featherweight title.” Pacquiao’s cutman for the Broner fight will be decorated Vietnam War medic Dave Martinez who has worked with former world champions Miguel Cotto, Ruslan Provodnikov and Julio Cesar Gonzalez.