It?s definitely not for a lack of trying. For better or for worse, Filipino ring icon Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KO?s) hasn?t scored a knockout victory in over seven years, his last being an epic conquest of Puerto Rico?s Miguel Cotto back in November of 2009.
Fans have been accustomed to seeing Pacquiao end fights early during his prime, so his lack of spectacular finishes late in his career has proven to be a turnoff for some. Evidence of this lies in his greatly diminished popularity in a sport that he became the face of in the 2000?s. Without the knockouts, Pacquiao?s drawing power has no doubt suffered.
Yet though it has been years since his 12th round TKO of Cotto, which many consider his finest performance to date, fans still expect Pacquiao to win by knockout everytime he steps through the ring ropes. This despite the obvious signs that indicate Pacquiao?s decreased ability to finish.
One of the most asked questions in boxing is why Pacquiao is no longer able to score knockouts. The answer is, there is no single reason, but rather a combination of many factors.
For those wondering, here are four reasons why Manny Pacquiao?s knockout ability is all but gone.
Old age and physical decline
This is the reason most people understand. Pacquiao is 38-years old, and he has been in the sport for over two decades, participating in countless ring wars. The wear and tear is evident. Pacquiao has been in the game a long time, and his speed and power have obviously declined.
He is not as fast, nor is he as powerful as he once was. Anyone who says different knows not what they are talking about. Old age gets to everyone, especially in boxing where there exists a popular saying that the only fighter to remain undefeated is Father Time.
For years, Pacquiao has relied heavily on his physicality. He has been stronger, faster and more durable than most of his opponents throughout his career, and although that still remains true to some extent, the gap is no longer as wide.
Of course, a decrease in physical ability directly affects Pacquiao?s knockout ability. It?s basic science and the correlation is parallel.
Opponents still go into survival mode
A dip in Pacquiao?s physical imposition does not mean opponents can suddenly walk right through his power shots however. Even a slower, less powerful Pacquiao remains a potent offensive beast. As such, opponents still find it wise to avoid getting hit with Pacquiao?s bombs, especially the vaunted straight left, whenever possible.
When foes get a taste of the remnants of Pacquiao?s still mighty power, they have a tendency to retreat into an overly-defensive state. Fighters like Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley, Chris Algieri and to some extent, Timothy Bradley have been guilty of backpedalling on one too many occasions when they get stung by the Filipino.
It?s both a natural human reaction and a specific reaction to Pacquiao?s latent power. Guys know that even though Pacquiao isn?t the same as he once was, that he can still ?turn it on? at any given moment, which is something they don?t want to risk happening.
As a result, it has been harder for Pacquiao to ?catch? guys because they tend to take less risks against him and instead opt to play safe.
Lack of volume punching
With a decrease in his physical gifts, Pacquiao?s boxing technique has evolved over the last few years. Gone are the days when he would simply overwhelm opponents with his whirling-dervish style, throwing six or seven punch combinations with regularity.
Alas, the high-volume punching Pacquiao is but a distant, but fond, memory. One of the first few things boxers lose when they exit their prime is their ability to ?pull the trigger?. They become gun-shy, often second-guessing their offense to the point that their combinations are too few and far between.
One of the many reasons fans believe Floyd Mayweather avoided a fight with the ?old? Pacquiao is due to this very factor. Instead, many believe Mayweather purposely delayed fighting Pacquiao until he felt that the Filipino was no longer a threat.
While there is of course no way to prove this is true, it is unlikely pure coincidence that the fight was finally made after Pacquiao?s punch-output had significantly decreased.
Apart from Pacquiao?s one-punch annihilation of Ricky Hatton, he hadn?t historically been a one-punch knockout artist. He was more of the type to force his opponents to quit due to the sheer volume of punches he threw. Now that this is no longer the case, the frequency of his TKO victories has in turn decreased.
Consistently fighting bigger guys
Let?s not forget Pacquiao is a natural junior welterweight and walks around well below the welterweight limit where he currently competes. He has to eat full meals just to make a 147-pounds.
What this means is that his opponents at welterweight are significantly and consistently bigger bodied individuals. This also means that they are more durable and can take Pacquiao?s power a lot more.
Although Pacquiao?s best fighting weight remains 140-pounds (where he just absolutely decimated his opponent in the one fight he spent in that weight class), the Filipino continues to prefer competing at 147-pounds because he doesn?t have to cut any weight.
Cutting weight was an absolute chore for Pacquiao when he had to do it. There are stories of his bad temper when he was still cutting weight for fights.
When he moved up to welterweight, he was a much happier fighter because it meant he could eat anything he wanted as often as he wanted. But this meant that he had to constantly face opponents bigger than he was.
