Ace Freeman previews this weekend’s bout between Manny Pacquiao and the relatively unknown Jorge Solis. Read Ace’s take on the Pacman’s keys to victory, his training for the fight and Solis’ chances of playing spoiler.
Make no mistake about it; focus is the name of the game for Manny Pacquiao. On Saturday, April 14 he will climb into the ring in San Antonio, Texas for a tune-up/stay busy fight, his first with the Eric Morales chapter of his career behind him. This time the opponent will be Jorge Solis, another Mexican fighter looking to play spoiler to the Pacman’s recent dominance.
Solis, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, is 27 years old and sports an unblemished record of 32-0 with 23 knockouts. At 5-10 he will be one of the taller opponents that Pacquiao has faced in the ring. However, like Pacquiao, he is up several divisions in weight from where he started, having made his professional debut in 1998 at 112 pounds. He eventually matured into a solid featherweight and is relatively new to Pacquiao’s territory at 130 pounds. A tall and lanky fighter, Solis will look to use his jab and exploit his advantages in height and reach.
For Pacquiao, this fight is a break from the frantic pace at which he’s been battling world-class opponents. While many people are quick to ask who Solis is and to criticize the level of opposition, the reasoning for this fight is simple. Top Rank, Pacquiao’s new promoter, wasn’t interested in negotiating with Golden Boy Promotions with whom they are in on-going litigation over Pacquiao’s promotional contract.
Unfortunately this fact will likely prevent the arrangement of a number of marquee match-ups within his division in the immediate future including rematches with both Barrera and Marquez. With that in mind, it’s safe to assume that a fight with someone of Solis’ stature serves the purpose of getting Pacquiao in the ring and gauging how well he can sell a fight on his own merit.
The potential danger inherent in this fight does not come as much from the fists of Solis as it does from the ever-present threat of falling prey to complacency. Fans of Pacquiao or of any great fighter for that matter often worry that fame and stature can go to a fighter’s head and that he could overlook a lesser-known fighter by showing up in less than stellar shape. This is a notion that those around Pacquiao don’t spend much time worrying about. Despite being plagued by constant distractions, those who know him best swear he leaves all of that at the door.
“Listen, when he shows up to the gym, he’s ready to train,” said Justin Fortune, Pacquiao’s interim trainer, in an interview with FightFan.com. “He has a very unique ability to do that.”
That’s a notion shared by long-time Wild Card trainer Macka Foley, who sees the storm of fans and the unending distractions that follow Pacquiao around on a daily basis. “The more popular he gets, and even with this political stuff, he seems more relaxed around people. When he comes to camp, he goes to work. He’s the fastest fighter in the world and I think he’s better now than he has ever been. At the height of his popularity, he’s rising to the occasion.”
The hoards of fans that follow Pacquiao around wherever he goes on the planet do not seem to have gone to his head. Even trainer Freddie Roach concedes that in a strange way, it seems to fuel the Pacman. “He feeds off it. He definitely enjoys it. He loves the people and he loves the audience and it really motivates him.”
But Jorge Solis doesn’t care about any of that. He’s not going to be looking across the ring at an idol, a celebrity or one of boxing’s best. He’s going to be looking at the man standing between himself and his dream. It’s Manny Pacquiao’s job to put the world aside and end that dream.
