Take it from boxing guru/scholar and maker of champions Hermie Rivera. He says the coming Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fight won?t be close. It?ll be a cakewalk for Pacquiao, insists Rivera who guided boxers Luisito Espinosa and Morris East to world titles. But Rivera refuses to predict how Pacquiao will win. The only thing he?s declaring is Pacquiao will beat the pants off Mayweather.
Rivera, who turns 77 next week, says he?s been around boxing too long not to know what?s a sure bet. ?In all my 77 years of frugal Ilocano existence, I think I know my oats,? he says. ?I see Manny dominating from the get-go, he?ll be all over Mayweather. This fight is easy to read. You can foresee what?s going to happen. I?ll stop short of predicting if Manny wins by knockout or decision. That kind of prediction is for profiteers and seers. I?m not even venturing to speculate what round it will end in case Manny knocks him out.?
Rivera says he?s no Madame Auring. He hints that once upon a time, he tried to conjure a relationship with the fortune teller. Rivera wouldn?t say what kind of relationship he had in mind. Anyway, he never got to first base. ?Madame Auring saw no future for us,? he chuckles.
What will hammer Mayweather to defeat is Pacquiao?s left straight, adds Rivera. It?s the weapon that took the BamBam out of Brandon Rios in Macau in November 2013. ?I remember asking BamBam during the post-fight press conference what were the two things that did him in,? says Rivera. ?BamBam ate up everything that Manny dished out like it was a smorgasbord. He told me Manny?s left straight and speed killed him. Before he could counter, Manny was gone. He just couldn?t lay a glove on Manny. I see that same thing happening against Mayweather.?
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Rivera says Argentine brawler Marcos Maidana made Mayweather look vulnerable in their two fights last year. ?Manny is no Maidana and if Maidana gave Mayweather trouble, imagine what havoc Manny can wreak on the lily-livered mouse from Grand Rapids, Michigan,? he notes. ?Mayweather won the first fight by a majority decision and in the rematch, he had to resort to tactics like elbowing and low blows to get by. He even claimed Maidana bit his left hand and it felt numb. That was the joke of the fight. So how could Maidana have bitten Mayweather?s hand through an eight ounce glove with a gumshield in his mouth? That proved to me that Mayweather ain?t super after all, that he may be unbeaten in his frigging professional career but he?s never fought anyone quite like Manny.? Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Rivera speaks from experience because in 2003, he underestimated Pacquiao and chose Mexican hero Marco Antonio Barrera to beat him. He learned a bitter lesson from that miscall and Pacquiao fans never forgot it. Rivera won?t ever underestimate Pacquiao again.
As for Mayweather?s remarkable accuracy in the ring, Rivera laughs it off. In Mayweather?s last fight against Maidana, he had a connect rate of 51 percent, landing 13 punches a round. In Pacquiao?s last fight against Chris Algieri, his connect rate was 34 percent, landing 19 blows a round. ?Stats don?t define a fight,? says Rivera. ?Stats won?t give you a clear-cut idea of what?s likely to happen in a fight, especially when it?s Manny fighting. I?m telling you, there?s no stopping Manny. He wins with heart, that?s something Mayweather doesn?t have. Manny will go after Mayweather from the start. Mayweather doesn?t stand a chance.?
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In Las Vegas, Rivera says he hopes to hook up with Pacquiao?s former strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza who?s now holed up in Mayweather?s camp. ?About three years ago, Alex and I had a bet,? he recounts. ?Alex was sure the fight against Mayweather would never happen while I was sure it would. So we bet on it. We agreed that the loser will bow to the winner every time we see each other anywhere in the world and treat to lunch, dinner, whatever. So I?m collecting.?
Rivera now lives in Newark, California, and is in town for a few weeks to visit family and friends. Last Saturday, he called on former President Gloria Arroyo at the Veterans Hospital. President Arroyo celebrated her 68th birthday the next day so Rivera wanted to be an early greeter. ?I?ve served only two Chief Executives, President Marcos and President Arroyo,? he says. ?I was the quiet guy behind the scenes during President Arroyo?s term, working with Press Secretary Milton Alingod, my good friend. I visited President Arroyo to pay my respects.?
Rivera says he?s still hoping that someday, Congress will act on a bill he once proposed to Sen. Gringo Honasan penalizing performance-enhancing-drug users. ?My objective is just to protect our fighters,? he says. ?I saw (Juan Manuel) Marquez looking so juiced when he knocked out Manny, it was so unfair. Wild horses couldn?t convince me to think that Marquez wasn?t juiced especially with someone like Memo Heredia working in his camp. Too bad Sen. Honasan forgot about it. In the Lower House, I hope President Arroyo, who is now a Congresswoman, will file a bill on that same issue once she is finally allowed to get out of continued detention in the hospital.?
