Manny Pacquiao: "It Ain't Necessarily So..."

Courtesy of BoxingScene.com

Rack up yet another big win for the Filipino strong man. On this past May 7th, Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao not only dominated the great Shane Mosley, he entrapped him in a cocoon of terror, which had Mosley playing the role of survivor. Anyone who saw that 3rd knockdown knows exactly what I am talking about. Boxing is a nude sport. Who you are and what you are going through are laid bare for all the world to see; and all the world saw a look on Mosley's face that made it clear, that indeed, he bit off much more than he could chew. Nothing can be more traumatic for a fighter and his fans than to see his confidence literally evaporate in the blink of an eye, or rather the constant blinking of the battered combatant's eyes. Simply put, Shane Mosley, who felt insulted by his underdog status going in, realized via Pacquiao's vicious left hand that the odds against him were perfectly legitimate.

So where does Manny go from here? No fight will satisfy the boxing public like a showdown with Floyd "Money" Mayweather. No matter how loud the howls for Marquez maybe among some fans, the truth is nobody cares. Pacquiao has been there and done that, and if I am his advisor I would advice him to veer elsewhere. Let's keep it real, and I made this clear in a previous post, Freddie Roach is a greater match maker than he is a trainer. Nothing made that clearer than the archival footage of Pacquiao's earliest fights. He's the same explosive fighter he was back then. Not much has changed at all. What has changed is the wisdom of his match makers. The illusion is that because Pacquiao is stepping up against bigger competition (bigger in name and body), this means he is fighting better competition. But, thus sang the drug peddling Sportin' Life of George Gershwin's classic Porgy and Bess, "It ain't necessarily so..." Styles have and always will, make fights. Has anyone else noticed that amidst the coronation and chants of the second coming, the great eight time champion has not been in the ring with a boxing technician since Juan Manuel Marquez? The closest he's come is Oscar De La Hoya; and when one considers De La Hoya's pugilistic schizophrenia which has plagued him his entire career (you can't go through 5 different trainers and expect to master your craft) it is almost laughable that I even mentioned him; and no, Oscar did not lose because of age.

Make no mistake whenever the much anticipated showdown with Mayweather is finally confirmed, there will be much sweating and anxiety in the Pacquiao camp. I know, I know "Man, you're crazy...Mayweather is ducking him...you don't know sh*t about boxing go back to the circus." Believe me I understand. I, too came dangerously close to sipping that Filipino laced Kool Aid. I concede this will be a dangerous fight for Floyd Mayweather. Despite being undefeated, Mayweather has not had the easiest time with southpaws. In fact, his biggest ring scares outside of Mosley's right hand in the second round of their match up, have all come against southpaws, and not a single one of those southpaws were of the caliber of Pacquiao. So, I will reserve any predictions. However, there are far more bewitching weapons and tools Mayweather brings to a fight against Manny Pacquiao, than Pacquiao brings against Mayweather. Pacquiao's defense is in his movement and offense. Like vintage Roy Jones he's fleet of foot, with hand speed so overwhelming it causes his opponents to take a posture of fear. Few have found the mark when they dared to open up and actually punch with him (review the Joshua Cloty fight and the first round of the Cotto fight), however, their efforts were timid at best. Pacquiao still falls in when he punches and throws himself off balance when he fires that left hand (Marquez capitalized on this flaw brilliantly), which is target practice for a counter punching aficionado like Mayweather. As for Pacquiao's almost miraculous punching power (miraculous when you consider he started his career at 106 lbs. and has managed to maintain his speed and power nearly fifty pounds later), it affords him nothing if there is nothing there to hit. We shall soon see, we hope.



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