Everybody has seemingly been caught up in the hype that is Manny Pacquiao. I say ?hype? because people seem to refer to the ?Pacman? in the same terms that Roy Jones Jr. was referred to in his heyday. The big difference between Manny and Roy is that at least the pride of Pensacola was virtually untouchable in his prime. Pacquiao on the other hand has shown his vulnerabilities against all-time greats such as Marquez and Morales as well as against lesser foes like Oscar Larios and Jorge Solis.
Here is the Boxing Bookie?s Top Ten Reasons Why Barrera Will Get His Revenge:
10. Pacquiao has not improved as much as many people would like to believe. While he counters his opponents jab with a right hook at times, other than that, he?s pretty much the same fighter.
9. Barrera has better movement and legs than Erik Morales. While Marco might be a bit shopworn, he is multiple times fresher than Morales was going into his rematch with Pacquiao.
8. People overlook ?El Terrible?s? early success in the second battle with the ?Pacman?. Although struggling to make weight and past his physical prime, Erik Morales had some solid, early success against Manny in their second encounter. I had wagered on Pacquiao in this fight and didn?t see the vast improvements that everyone has been touting.
7. Boxing is much deeper just strength and athleticism. See Pavlik-Taylor as example. Everyone?s reasoning for Pacquiao annihilating Barrera this Saturday is based on power and speed. Unfortunately for Manny, Marco happens to be one of the most fundamentally proficient and intelligent boxers of our era. It will show on Saturday.
6. Barrera?s jab had no sting in their first encounter due to a constantly interrupted training camp. I saw it in the first round when he threw his first jab. Before Marco received his most vicious beating it was evident that he was not in tip top shape. Look at the tapes and compare his stick early on in the Pacquiao fight and in his most recent encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez. It?s incomparable.
5. Pacquiao had trouble early trouble with Jorge Solis. It?s a fact that people like to brush off. Being awkward is not an excuse to lose rounds to an opponent deemed inferior by the general public. Solis just happened to be prepared for that early onslaught and trained accordingly.
4. Barrera can mimic the ?look? that Marquez gave Pacquiao in the much disputed contest many felt ?Dinamita? won. While Marquez might be a bit sharper in most aspects of the sweet science in comparison to the ?Baby Faced Assassin?, I still feel Marco possesses a better left hook. Overall though, Barrera does have the tools to box the ?Pacman? as did Juan Manuel.
3. A close fight with Marquez is an indication that Barrera still has something left in the tank to hang with elite competition. Maybe it?s the fact that both fighters are slipping and past their physical primes. However, Barrera fought an excellent fight this past March in what was a display of technical brilliance on the part of both combatants. He showed that this reflexes and sharp punching are still intact as he lost a close decision to a pound-for-pound great.
2. The biggest difference between the first encounter and this Saturday?s is that Barrera has had a chance to prepare for the storm with a hurricane named Edwin Valero. The training camp leading up to the showdown this Saturday and the one that took place in 2003 are night and day. To bring in possibly an even harder puncher than Manny Pacquiao in order to prepare yourself for the Filipino monster is a testament to the seriousness of Barrera?s recent training camp.
1. Marco?s handspeed and delivery is an underrated and overlooked asset. Usually when one fighter has a trait that their known for such as speed or power, their opponents same assets are overlooked. While Manny?s hands are undoubtedly fast as lightning, I feel that the biggest difference between Barrera and Morales was their handspeed. Barrera has the ability to counter and hang with the ?Pacman? in this aspect and it will show Saturday night.
I cannot believe that people are counting out Marco Antonio Barrera. The writing is on the wall that he has all the tools to be successful against the pride of the Philippines. Don?t be surprised when it happens?
