Jorge Solis has learned to handle left-handers in the ring and shouldn’t be bothered by Manny Pacquiao’s southpaw style when they slug it out for the WBC International superfeatherweight title at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday night (Sunday morning, Manila time).
The problem is Solis has never faced anyone as hard-hitting as Pacquiao.
A southpaw whom Solis faced twice was Colombia’s Wilson Alcorro. In their first meeting in 2003, the gangling Mexican had difficulty finding his range and rallied to salvage a split 12-round draw.
Alcorro, unbeaten in his last 26 bouts, fought aggressively but faded in the late rounds as Solis turned on the heat. Boxing writer Jim Brady said Solis fought “with obvious desperation and simply wanted it more.”
Fans cheered both fighters at the final bell as they staged a furious finish. One judge saw it for Solis, 116-112, another for Alcorro, 115-113, and a third scored it a draw, 114-all.
A few months later, Solis and Alcorro met in a rematch. This time, Solis knew what to do. He dropped Alcorro in the fifth round en route to a clear win on points. Solis was busier and raked Alcorro’s southpaw defense with snappy 1-2 combinations. His failure to dispose of Alcorro, however, showed the lack of a killer blow.
One of Solis’ most impressive wins was his fifth round demolition of Nicky Bentz in Corpus Christi, Texas, two years ago. Solis blasted Bentz with punishing combinations, setting up a vicious overhand right with a sharp left jab. He occasionally used a left uppercut to hammer Bentz’ body before throwing a right hook. A right to the head sent Bentz down in the third. A series of rights floored Bentz twice in the fourth. Finally, a left-right-left combination brought a merciful end to the bout at 1:14 of the fifth.
Bentz said Solis surprised him with a strong start and he couldn’t neutralize the Mexican’s reach advantage.
No doubt, Solis will try to outwork Pacquiao from a distance and avoid a direct confrontation. His goal will be to survive the 12 rounds. He is expected to frustrate Pacquiao by refusing to engage and hope for a win by decision.
Solis was once described by Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez as a young version of Juan Manuel Marquez but from his recent fights, he appears to be more like Erik Morales. Solis is a technician with a clinical approach.
Solis, 27, has a high rate of accuracy against an opponent who is a standing target. He starts his offense with a jarring left jab or a left uppercut dig to the side of the body followed by an overhand right, a right hook or a right straight. Pacquiao will use lateral movement to avoid the jab and counter with his own combinations. Since Solis’ right is his deadly weapon, Pacquiao will circle to the Mexican’s left so there is more distance for the punch to travel. With more distance to travel, the impact of Solis’ right will be less if it lands.
