SOMEONE said Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao’s ultimate strength is not really his tremendous punching power but rather from where this emanates from ? his calf and legs.
Manny owns the one of the strongest and quickest pair of legs in boxing today.
While these may not be as smooth as Muhammad Ali’s famous shuffle and Sugar Ray Leonard’s baffling lateral movements, Manny’s legs are well chiseled yet sprightly enough to allow him to throw those lethal combinations of speed, power and accuracy. With all the bad intentions.
The fact that he is a southpaw allows him to throw his punches from different angles which add up the woes of his opponents.
Many of his knockout victims realized this often-ignored strength only when they are atop the ring with one of boxing world’s most feared punchers.
His quickness allows him to dart in and out after throwing a four to five punch combination in a flash without his opponents knowing what hit them.
That is why Manny is always dangerous fighting at the center of the ring and at a distance where his opponent could not set up their jabs as much as they want to.
And his aggressive and attacking styles very well suit his well-built physique and speed.
Only a clever counter puncher with enough power and above average speed, such as Juan Manuel Marquez, can provide him the competition boxing fans would like to see.
When Manny first fought Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003, he showed what great speed and superior leverage could do to one of the greatest boxers ever to don the mitts.
Barrera was baffled and puzzled. He can’t catch Pacquiao off guard and could not square off to deliver his killer punches because Manny is giving him angles that can frustrate even the most patient fighters in all of boxing.
Manny’s loss to Erik Morales, another great brawler, was more of an aberration only because Manny’s vision was impaired with an ugly cut on the right eyebrow. Still Manny, although outclassed but not badly, was nowhere from being brought down.
The same held true with his controversial draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. His favored left hand was sprained in the second round after bringing Marquez to the canvass three times in the first round. A peso-coin size blister on his pivot foot likewise limited his mobility allowing Marquez to score in close quarters where Pacquiao could not readily extricate himself because of the injury.
Asked any ring seconds what is the antidote to Manny’s strength and they would tell you that slowing Manny down is the best option for winning. One could only do that by relentlessly attacking him with body punches. But that would only open him to Manny’s right crosses and left straights.
So tomorrow, Sunday, Barrera’s secret weapon could only be that ? score from the inside.
To say Barrera will box around and use his jabs to victory will be an underestimation.
Barrera will bully Manny in close quarters and land those body shots. Only, Barrera will hope he doesn’t get tagged in the process.
Barrera can’t hit Manny in the body from the distance because that will that will set him up for Manny’s quick killer combinations. But there is also a big if. That is if Manny has only those two punches in his arsenal which isn’t true anymore.
