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PACQUIAO'S KEY TO BREAKING THE MAYWEATHER CODE By Reagan A. Loberternos PhilBoxing.com Thu, 23 Apr 2015  The Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight has been widely hailed as the Superbowl of boxing. Less than two weeks away before the richest fight in all of combat sport, fans have been salivating about the perfect storm that will land at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2nd. To date, Mayweather who has an immaculate 47-0 record is still a 2-to-1 odds on favorite to win the fight against the Filipino icon. For now, let us discuss a few key strategies Pacquiao will employ to break the Mayweather code. First thing? besides defense, Floyd?s shoulder roll has two distinct advantages on offense: 1) it makes it a lot quicker and easier for Floyd to use the left jab (opponents who come in straight on, he beats them to the punch with his left jab); 2) Floyd relies his points on his cat-quick right straight counter (this is most effective when a right-handed opponent tries to through a right hand straight to Floyd which often times don?t reach his face because Floyd bends way backward thereby creating a larger gap between his face and the opponent?s right hand). But in order for the 2nd point to be effective, Floyd requires to plant his both feet. The planted feet allows for better traction and quicker upper body movement. Circling to the right while throwing right hooks. The only way Manny can neutralize the shoulder roll is to move to his right (that is, circle to Floyd?s left, which is a counter-clockwise movement for Manny). This will make Floyd?s right straight counter to be less effective. He has to readjust his position thereby moving his feet, which is not really part of his forte in terms of the shoulder roll and right hand straight combo that Floyd is well known for. As I have said above, Floyd needs to plant his feet in order for his right straight counter to be at its quickest and most effective. We?ve talked about the movement? Now, let?s talk about how Manny should be throwing his punches while moving to Floyd?s left? The most important punches for Manny in this fight will be his right hooks. Early in the fight, expect Manny to throw right hooks to the head of Floyd as Manny is circling to Floyd?s left. This is the safest way for Manny to start the fight because this will very much avoid the right hand straight counter of Floyd, which is his ?bread and butter? for points. As a reflex movement, Floyd would try to bend down in initiation of his shoulder roll. Now, try to picture out their positions at this point? Manny will be closer to Floyds left backside and Floyd?s left kidney area will be open for Manny?s right hand. Manny should then capitalize on this and throw a right hook to the body or, if it allows, a straight left body punch. Also, Mayweather tends to lean over to his right which might present an opening for Manny to land a straight left jab while moving to his right and avoiding Mayweather?s right hand counter. It is imperative for Manny to avoid staying in front of Mayweather after throwing a punch. That is, keep circling to the left side of Mayweather. The only time Manny should be staying in front of Mayweather is when he is inside and throwing short and solid punch combinations and staying there to make a straight right counter close to impossible to generate power. A brawl is to Manny?s advantage. Avoid using feints as a primary tool to close the gap? Manny Manny is widely considered to be having one of the fastest, if not the fastest, feet in boxing. But it didn?t help him avoid the straight right by Marquez that put him to sleep. In fact, it was the culprit. One of Manny?s staple moves is the in-and-out movement, wherein he throws a quick two to three combination punches and then immediately steps back (straight backwards) no matter whether the punches hit or not. This will not work against Mayweather?s superior counterpunching. Historically, Manny struggles with counterpunchers like Morales and Marquez simply because of the fact that elite counterpunchers have mastered the art of throwing a straight punch just when the opponent is moving out. As evident in his first fight against Morales, Manny has a tendency of losing his balance when hit by a counterpunch while moving back. Moving backward makes one vulnerable from the straight counter. Mayweather is leaps and bounds better than El Terible and The Dinamita in terms of counterpunching. Paquiao must not wait in the pocket and try to be a counterpuncher against Mayweather. There is no way Manny could win a counterpunching match against arguably the best counterpuncher in the sport. Masters of adjustments Let it be clear however, that these fighters are known for their in-game adjustments so we may not witness this unfolding. But boxers have tendencies and this is one of them so there is a huge chance it will happen. Unless Floyd makes an adjustment, however, Manny should continue to throw right hooks to both the head and the body. Majority of the boxing experts/analysts favor the American to win the fight because of his superior defensive skills which has not been cracked by his past 47 opponents. It remains to be seen whether the fighting congressman will be able to become the first man to do so. Comments are highly appreciated. You can email them to b1.reagan@gmail.com. Follow me on twitter @BiwanNagaer. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reagan A. Loberternos.  |
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