As far as Barrera?s derailment, the reason for it is probably a combination of age, but moreover, the fact that Pac-Man?s style is the perfect one to exploit chinks in an aging fighter. Barrera could, and will, continue to beat good featherweights, but it?s just that the immediacy of Pacquiao?s attack, his swarming style, these things are best dealt with by a technician at the top of his game. Barrera has clearly lost a step, and against someone like ?Pac Man? it makes him look much more faded than he probably is.
There is a joy of combat that Pacquiao fights with. Very few fighters in boxing have it. It is that willingness to put on pure pressure and force exchanges for the duration of a round, enjoined in the belief that the other man will break first. It takes a special type of fighter to withstand this kind of pressure. They should call him ?Mini-Mayorga? even though the Pac Man moniker is one of the best in the game.
