So…what Happened Last Weekend? Styles may indeed make fights, but what we have to understand too is that Team Pacquiao picked Marquez for a reason. He hasn’t looked spectacular in recent outings, he’s hella old, and they knew that he’d have to come up in weight to make the fight. They didn’t make this fight with the idea that it was going to be competitive, much like they didn’t make the fight with Shane Mosley because they thought it was going to be boring; but that happened regardless. These two fights though paint a far different picture than his two fights last year against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito, and the punch-stats indicate as much.
Pacquiao’s average punch per round in 2010: 1150 Pacquiao’s average punch per round in 2011: 652
The numbers speak for themselves. Pacquiao’s lauded activity and windmill style attack that carried him through eight divisions is now at pedestrian level (for him anyway). Granted, Mosley and Marquez are theoretically better fighters than Clottey and Margarito, but as I mentioned before, the reason Top Rank made those fights is because they thought Pacquiao was going to wipe them out.
Keep in mind that Pacquiao’s other opponent this year was Mosley, who Top Rank called a shot and old fighter before the fight even took place. Pacquiao should’ve been the first to stop him. It’s also interesting to note that a common excuse that has been offered for fight fans to chew on is that in both of his fights this year, Pacquaio’s movement has been limited due to him mysteriously cramping right around the fourth round. So what Team Pacquiao is saying is that he can have the “best training camp of his life” and constantly looks incredible, but he can’t avoid cramping after four rounds?
