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Philippines, 24 Nov 2024 |
Home >> News >> Columns >> Mortz Marcelo Ortigoza |  |
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Analysis: Pacquiao vs. Morales II (Part I) PhilBoxing.com Sat, 21 Jan 2006 Second to politics, my other love is boxing. Because it’s a mind-game primordially. As what Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver said after his third fight with Roy Jones: “It’s a chess match. One mistake and you’re doomed.” And Sun Tzu’s “Know yourself, know your enemy” philosophy jibes very much on this fist game. Two weeks before the first Pacquiao ? Morales match, I prodded my younger brother in California to shelve everything and go to MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and watch the said fight. I justified it on historical reasons. “Hey man, you would be talkin’ this stuff to your grandchildren someday!” On March 19, 2005, he called me by cellular phone. My fervent wish was granted. He just met and talked at the lobby of MGM Grand our kasimanwa (townsmate) North Cotabato Governor Manny Pi?ol (boxing commentator commissioned by ABS-CBN’s DZMM). Inside, he told me he bought the $500 ringside seat I told him. And he was only seats apart with heavyweight spent force Mike Tyson. Again, I had prodded him to buy a ringside ticket for historical value. The first fight was brutal, bloody, and action packed. We saw how Eric “El Terrible” Morales prepared and dominated the fight. He said they studied the weaknesses of Pacquiao as epitomized by his clash with Marquez. As a result, Pacquiao-Morales I was obviously a won fight in favor of the latter. What made it interesting was the warrior in Pacquiao who, like a bull, kept on charging. But the skillful matador -- who trained hard in seclusion to become the most skillful pugilist (at par with Chavez) now in Mexico ? kept inflicting staggering damages. It was a see-saw fight as seen in the epic Barrera-Morales I & III, or Castillo?Corrales, but the sheer guts and grits on the disadvantaged Pacquiao made the showdown a classic. At the same time, the issue kept on boiling because Pacman fans ? especially the regionalist Filipinos ? would fight tooth and nail in debating that the gaping wound on Paquiao's upper right eyebrow, and obliging him to wear the more padded Winning gloves, instead of the less padded Cleto-Reyes gloves, and other craps, were the reasons that made their idol lost the fight. But, ‘nough said! Morales is a superior boxer to the slugger Pacquiao. That head butting incident was not an alibi. The first five rounds before the accidental headbutt happened showed how "El Terrible" dominated those tsunami-laden left crosses and uppercuts of Pacman were no match to the Fort Knox type of defense of the Mexican. There, we learned a lesson how one can holed in a “Volkswagen” size Winning Glove where the latter covered his head and chin, and instinctively, the same long right hand (his asset) acted as an anti-aircraft gun that gave barrages of explosions that saw the pugilist from General Santos City withdrawing and reeling on the ropes. And once, his head and body were dumped outside the said ropes that protect the players from falling. In this second bout, I will not be surprised to see the same style of Manny. As they said, he is a one-dimensional fighter. He come to you blasting like an F-14 Tomcat from an aircraft carrier’s catapult to overwhelm you with his “1000 pound” bombs. That monster left punch was one of the heaviest in boxing history. This is a “patrimonial asset” Filipino fans banked on. But this power is not everything. Intelligent trainers had devised a counter-plan on this. We saw that on Evander Hollyfield against power puncher Mike Tyson, Bernard Hopkins against power puncher Trinidad, Winky Wright against Trinidad, and Morales against Pacquiao. Always hide behind your gloves to protect against a killer punch. Counter punch if necessary. Move laterally from the killer fist, outmaneuver, and outbalance your enemy, and overwhelm him. The subsequent boxing-statistics show how the Markman in Morales dictated the shots:
So, how could trainer Freddie Roach devise a fight plan to offset a much better Mexican boxer that inspite of less number of shots unleashed can still efficiently hit the most number of targets? Do a Zahir Raheem? But Pacquiao is not a flexible fighter to do this kind of a Sugar Ray Leonard, or Roy Jones style of hit and run fight. Pacman is a slugger. A go-go fighter. He is like a typical jueteng (gambling) bettor in Philippines. Keep betting to get the lucky strike. So, how could he plant that knockout punch when he runs like a jaywalker on Edsa Highway. For me, Morales will still outbox Pacquiao. He is skillful and more flexible boxer. As what undefeated boxing champ Floyd Mayweather had looked down at Arturo Gatti” “He is a bum. He is not my level”. Pacman, hurt to say, is like a bum. His class is below the Mexican in terms of prowess. But as a Filipino, I don’t wanna be killjoy and unpatriotic. I don’t wanna be charged with inciting to sedition, or the less charged of arresto mayor called alarm & scandal by my countrymen. Thus, my piece of advise to everybody who wanna grab my balls and chew them. Let’s pray that Pacman could land that lucky left punch to the evasive Mehikano who also got the toughest whisker (chin) in the world in addition to his background of not being knocked down in dozens of his world championship warfare. Remember baby, I’m still Filipino! Note: Martz Ortigoza is a Political Science Professor, Political Columnist and a boxing buff based in Pangasinan, Philippines. Martz can be reached at totomortz@yahoo.com, or by mobile phone, 09192760964. Click here for a complete listing of columns by this author. Click here for a complete listing of this author's articles from different news sources. |
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