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Manny Pacquiao Versus The Ring Pound for Pound Fighters of Today By Paul Hilario PhilBoxing.com Fri, 03 Apr 2009   The mythical pound for pound ranking is to some extent based on the idea that if a fighter was to wage war against other fighters in other weight divisions, how would he fare? This does not necessarily mean that he has to gain or lose weight to campaign in another weight class but rather how would he fare granting that everything was proportionately equal. One example would be something like - what if Juan Manuel Marquez (#2) would fight Bernard Hopkins (#3)? This of course would be an impossibility but if Marquez was to ?grow? to 6 foot 1, weigh 175 lbs, and proportionately increase punching power, how would the fight turn out? Or reversely, if Hopkins was to shrink to Marquez?s size what will happen? By analyzing fighters this way, we come up with the mythical pound for pound title. But also importantly fighters are ranked by the quality of opposition and by fighter activity meaning boxers who were defeated can be ranked and their conqueror not listed. This article explores the outcome possibilities if the top pound for pound boxer, Manny Pacquiao fights the rest of the top guys in the Ring Magazine?s current pound for pound list. Versus Juan Manuel Marquez (#2) We know the answer to this one ? a tight and exciting contest that can go both ways. If you imagine yourself as a fence-sitter, you can decide for yourself which lawn is actually greener. It all depends where you decide to place your dump. Anybody can make an argument about the fight and both fighters can win ? all depends on how you see it. But as far as the record goes, Pacquiao?s got one over Marquez for the moment. Versus Bernard Hopkins (#3) If Pacquiao was to grow to 6 foot 1 and be a light heavyweight he would be a whirlwind wrecking ball. Hopkins though will have the advantage in reach with 191 cm versus 185 for Pacquiao. Hopkins has never faced a boxer like Pacquiao. Its true that as you grow bigger and heavier you lose some of that speed but what fighter has Hopkins faced that has incredible inborn speed? The answer ? Roy Jones Jr. But we can?t compare Roy Jones Jr?s style and skill with Pacquiao. No one in his Hopkin?s resume actually comes close but if we analyze Jermain Taylor and Joe Calzaghe, both with wins over Hopkins, we can see that Pacquiao would have the edge over these two in terms of speed, stamina, athleticism and heart. I see a tight contest because of Hopkins craftiness, good defense and ability to adapt in a fight but I go with Pacquiao winning a very close unanimous decision. Versus Israel Vasquez (#4) Make no mistake about it Pacquiao was a champion at super bantamweight. Coming in as a replacement, he knocked out Lehlohonolo Ledwaba and sent a reverberating message to the boxing world ? ?Watch out!? Common opponents between Pacquiao and Vasquez would be Oscar Larios and Hector Velasquez. Vasquez knocked out Larios in two affairs but was also TKO?d in return. Pacquiao only fought Larios once and won by unanimous decision. Pacquiao KO?d Velasquez and Vasquez won by split decision. If we were to use these fights as a gauge on how the fight will progress, then we can see that the ball can roll both ways. It could be a tough fight. But Pacquiao and Israel Vasquez have been sparring partners but in a stage wherein Pacquiao is the heavier fighter already. In some of their video clips, Pacquiao seems to toy with Vasquez and was able to pepper Vasquez with shots from all angles. Pacquiao is simply too fast for the lion-hearted Vasquez. I see Pacquiao, with his improved dimensions to his fighting game, knocking out Vasquez in the mid to late rounds if they fought. Versus Shane Mosley (#5) This is a tough one to analyze. If Pacquiao was to grow into Mosley?s scale, he would have a big reach disadvantage because Mosley has very long arms for his height of 5?9?. His arms are normally for a 6?2? person! Pacquiao would have arms for a 5?10? person only. Mosley has power, speed, agility and a tough beard ? attributes that pose problems for most of his opponents. Just ask Margarito. I think the reach difference won?t be a problem for Pacquiao because he has shown the ability to close the distance fast enough. Just ask De La Hoya. If they fought at welterweight (147) the only common denominator would be Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao fought De La Hoya more as a light welterweight than a true 147 pounder so a 147 version of Pacquiao would KO De La Hoya a lot faster. Mosley beat De La Hoya twice by close decisions at 147 and 154 and never came close to knocking him out. De La Hoya at that time was just around his prime and was still a very active boxer. Many will say he was a shell of himself after the Pacquiao fight and yet was confident that he was going to beat Pacquiao easily before the fight. Talk about turnarounds. I see this again as a very tight contest. If you can imagine a 5?9? Manny Pacquiao, you can probably imagine him in the mold of a Shane Mosley but with faster feet, and better head and lateral movement. This one is toss-up. A draw to a split decision going to either boxer would be appropriate. Versus Rafael Marquez (#6) This one is a no brainer. The younger Marquez loves to go toe-to-toe and those who have done that against Pacquiao didn?t last too long. Erik Morales is a clear example. Rafa, as good as he is, just doesn?t have it to hang with Pacquiao. He gets KO?d in the early rounds. Versus Ivan Calderon (#7) Again Manny Pacquiao was a titlist at light flyweight. At that weight he still had one-punch-knock-out-power whereas Calderon opts to box his opponents for the sure win. Calderon is a smaller version of Floyd Mayweather but with considerably less power in his hands. We need not shrink Pacquiao for this fight but rather look at the 106 pound Pacquiao of yesteryears and envision him with the skills that he has today. I see the fight being controlled by Calderon but ultimately a Pacquiao left straight crashes through Ivan?s defenses leaving him defenseless for the next onslaught. Pacquiao is an expert in tracking prey and cutting off an opponent. Don?t believe me? Just ask Chaichai Sasakul. Late round stoppage by Pacquiao is the verdict. Versus Celestino Caballero (#9) Celestino Caballero is a tall, rangy and powerful super bantam. Noteworthy opponents include Steve Molitor and Daniel Ponce de Leon, both defeated by Caballero. Since Pacquiao campaigned in this division, let?s take a look at his 122 pound version. The Tale of the Tape will show us that he will be fighting somebody with almost the same dimensions of a De La Hoya. Height and reach advantage goes to the 5?11? Panamanian. But everything else (speed, agility, heart, power, athleticism) goes Pacquiao?s way. Pacquiao has shown us that size differences and power can be neutralized by speed, skill and stamina. Although the heavier Pacquiao of late doesn?t knock out his opponents in one blow, he destroys them systematically by sending waves of equally strong punches until one can?t take it anymore. He takes out Caballero in the middle rounds. Versus Vic Darchinyan (#10) This one is a fun fight. The brash, awkward but super-powerful Darchinyan faces off with the 115 pound version of a humble, super-improved, lightning quick and equally powerful Pacquiao. Darchinyan has faced a good crop of opponents lately but none in the same league as those fought by Pacquiao. Darchinyan fights in a jerky kind of mode that throws his opponents off. He delivers his power punches quickly but leaves himself vulnerable many times as well. Can he take a Pacquiao left cross? At that weight level I doubt it. He was knocked down by lighter punching Z Gorres. When Pacquiao connects on his Dar?chin?yan ? its lights out like the Donaire fight. Pacquiao today is too polished and too accurate. He takes out the Raging Bull in the middle to late rounds. And lastly Versus Ricky Hatton (#8) I purposely kept this last because this is Pacquiao?s upcoming fight. Hatton and Pacquiao?s physical dimensions today are almost similar. At this point of Pacquiao?s career, he is already a natural light welterweight. His body mass has gravitated to stay at 150 plus on off-training months and he goes down 10-15 pounds because of the demands of training that loses excess fat and water. Hatton has been at 140 his entire career and is unbeaten in this weight. Hatton takes the advantage of having stayed longer at the light welterweight limit. He has felt the brunt force from 140 pounders his entire career. This is an advantage. I am not sure if this is how you can explain it but this is the way I see it. The human body adapts to the stresses that you put on it. This is the technique that martial artists use to be able to break bricks with their bare hands, feet, foreheads and other parts of the body. Bones develop micro-breaks when applied with increasing and repeated stresses and heals into a tougher bone with higher density afterwards ? and then the process is repeated. If you?ve never broken a brick with your hands without adapting it slowly to stress over time, you?ll break them. Going back to the match-up, simply put Hatton?s body can take the lumps if you know what I mean. But Pacquiao has been known to spar with boxers up to 160 pounds as well. So we know that he has been toughened as well but definitely not longer than Hatton. Hatton feels that he is very strong in this weight and can bully his opponents whenever he wants. None of his opponents have pushed him around. Even Mayweather was backtracking ? not really because he was being bullied but more because of his style. Hatton is fast, strong and includes a brutal body assault in his arsenal that he isn?t shy to use. Pacquiao strengths lie primarily on his speed, stamina, and his newfound defensive and offensive skills. Pacquiao?s power has toned down a bit in the heavier weights and he has to hit his opponent more before delivering the coup-de-grace. Gone are the one punch knock-out wins. In this fight I see a tight contest but whoever adapts better wins the fight. What do I mean? We both know that both fighters like to go forward. So who backs down? Pacquiao in his last two fights was more on his back heels but still controlled the center of the ring. David Diaz and De La Hoya kept coming forward but were unable to time Pacquiao well. If Hatton backs down, he?s in trouble. Pacquiao can dictate and impose himself more authoritatively this way. If Pacquiao backs down, he can employ the same strategy in his last two fights. This is where Pacquiao has the advantage ? he can adapt to any style that Hatton uses. Some say this will be a fight similar to the David Diaz fight. I disagree. The Hitman is simply better than Diaz in many aspects. But Diaz has shown an exceptionally durable chin. Does Hatton have a better chin? Mayweather also lost his knockout pop when he went up in weight but he was able to knock out Hatton. I believe Hatton can take Pacquiao?s shots but taking a lot of them, which I expect to happen, will ultimately take its toll. The verdict ? a late round stoppage in favor of the number 1 pound for pound fighter in the world. Editor's Note: PhilBoxing.com would like to give a warm welcome to Paul Hilario to the PhilBoxing.com family of writers and contributors. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Paul Hilario.  |
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