It?s so secret I can?t even begin to explain it.
It?s so secret that I?ve been offered money to keep my mouth shut and my writing in check.
It?s so secret that I don?t even have a clue as to what I?m referring to.
Here it goes anyhow…
For Pacquiao it?s two things. The jab and the stutter step. The jab is rather self-explanatory. It?s the punch that can create a lot of openings for him as well as offset Juan Manuel?s rhythm. The ?Pacman? possesses a great, sharp, thudding jab when he uses it regularly.
When he uses it.
Pacquiao must jab with abandon in this fight and break down the Mexican accordingly with it.
The stutter step is a combination of upper body feints and footwork. It?s something I noticed in the most subtle manner yesterday in conversing with my friend named ?Vapors?. Pacquiao?s left hand is undoubtedly lethal but it?s the setup to that punch that makes him one of a kind.
He basically makes the quick step towards his opponent with his left hand cocked back as though he?s ready to release the missile? but instead of letting it go, he feints slightly all the while taking another quick step forward and launching the bomb in the process. It?s what put Marquez on his ass the first time and is one of the most difficult tactics to counter due to it’s explosive and unpredictable nature.
Don?t believe me, check out the video.
The ?Pacman? is a bottom-heavy fighter which allows him to scurry around the ring with so much agility and quickness in comparison to others. There isn?t anybody, including pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayeather Jr. who can execute the stutter-step feint as does Pacquiao.
Those are the two keys to a Pacquiao victory.
As for Marquez? he has two completely different keys to victory.
?Dinamita? must adopt the Bernard Hopkins form of movement in this fight as well as come up from under in an offensive manner.
When I refer to the Hopkins? form of movement, I?m speaking of the way a prime ?Executioner? moved about in the ring giving his opponent and unpredictable direction of attack.
While many people state that the traditional way to offset a southpaw?s power is by circling to one?s own left, you cannot do this against Manny as it doesn?t allow you to mount any sort of sustained offensive attack in addition to the ?Pacman?s? uncanny ability to turn the corner and catch you in the process. Marquez must move as did Hopkins based on moving from side to side switching directions on a consistent basis as to disrupt his own opponent?s rhythm.
Move a little bit left, suddenly move right, now left, now right, etc. etc. etc.
As for the up and under? it?s the uppercuts.
Pacquiao is a solid defender from everything that comes over the top. Yes, he can tend to get hit from time to time but this is boxing my friends.
Marquez throws great uppercuts with both hands and he must be willing to engage Pacquiao on the inside in order to land those punches. In actuality, fighting on the inside is much safer than battling with the ?Pacman? on the outside as he requires distance and speed in order to generate his crushing punching power.
The uppercut is there for Marquez to land it?s just a question of whether he?ll have the fortitude to seemingly stand in harms way in order to land it.
Those are two keys for both men to utilize come Saturday night and in all honesty, it seems to me that Pacquiao?s keys come a little bit more natural than to that of Marquez?s.
Either way it will be one hell of a fight and I?m sure we?ll see some blood, guts, and a whole lot of Mexicans and Filipinos at the Mandalay Bay this weekend?
