Thanks for checking out my boxing mailbag ladies and gents. In this week’s edition I continue discussions regarding the irresistible potential showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, JR.. That fight, which a few years ago looked like a complete mismatch in favor of Mayweather, is starting to look like a toss up. Pacquiao fans have supported their guy from the very beginning, however in the light of Pacquiao’s recent accomplishments, their predictions of a Manny win over Floyd don’t sound so crazy anymore!
We have plenty of Pacquiao to get to, but first we have to give credit to Andre Ward, who cruised past Mikkel Kessler on Saturday night. Kessler was the clear favorite going into that match up yet could barely lay a glove on the younger, faster fighter. Ward, who won a Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics, looks like he could finally live up to the expectations that come with being an Olympic Champion.
Like all Gold Medal winners, Ward was immediately looked at as a potential future great even before he had his pro debut. That hype slowly quelled and the optimism regarding his future turned to doubt. Andre had been brought along slowly and encountered shaky moments against lesser fighters. Ward’s failure to impress in his developmental fights had experts saying that he was an immense talent, but too raw, chinny, and unskilled to be effective on the elite level. Being matched against Kessler in the Super Six, people looked at this bout as a seasoned, proven veteran versus a bright-eyed, green prospect destined to fail.
Ward dominated from start to finish, reviving his lost momentum and scoring the most impressive win so far in the Super Six tournament, causing many to ponder; perhaps Ward can become the great champion that many hoped he would become after winning the gold. He has the ability to use his physical gifts in an unorthodox way to defeat his opponents, ala Roy Jones, JR.. Ward, along with Arthur Abraham, instantly become the two favorites in the tournament, leaving Kessler wondering what happened. I look forward to the next round of the Super Six.
Now onto the mailbag:
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Negotiations
I could not believe that Team Mayweather would belittle Pacman vs. Cotto’s 1.25 million PPV buys as not enough to guarantee a 50/50 share as they think Mayweather gets more than a perceptive offered because of his popularity and achievements. I feel that it’s their way out strategy for not fighting Pacman at all.
In fact, I read a column years back while Mayweather Senior was still in jail warning Junior not to fight southpaws, as he was about to fight Chop Chop Corley at that time. Now, it reminded me again, after the Pacman fight, when a reporter asked him about a possible fight between Pacman and his son, and his answer was to advise his son not to take the fight. Will the above strategy work to get more slice of the pie or Junior is ducking Pacman ultimately?
-Erniepep
Erniepep,
You claim that Mayweather is pricing himself out because he is afraid of facing an elite southpaw. I don’t think there is any truth to that but it would be a good campaign strategy by team Pacquiao during negotiations to put pressure on Floyd to sign.
The statement that Floyd’s team made this week about Mayweather not accepting a 50/50 split was complete bullshit. They claimed that the reason that Pacquiao vs. Cotto made so much more money was because Cotto was a better opponent than Marquez. That is not true. Cotto and Marquez were comparable as far as marketability, PPV experience, and name recognition. You have to look at the facts and Pacquiao’s PPV made a lot more money than Mayweather’s did. For that reason he deserves an even split. If Floyd does not agree to those terms he is letting his ego get in the way and pricing himself out of the biggest fight of his career.
You May Have Overlooked Some Factors
I respect and understand why you would pick Floyd to win against the Pacman in case they fight. You mentioned that Floyd’s jab will be too much for Pacquiao to implement his game effectively. Maybe you have overlooked the fact that in Manny’s corner is one Freddie Roach who can devise a game plan to render that jab less effective.
Plus, Pacquiao is one unique athletic specimen who can physically follow whatever it takes to put that game plan into action. Another factor is that Pacquiao, as acknowledge by most boxing experts (including you perhaps), keeps getting better with each fight and that he may get better enough to beat Floyd.
Thanks,
-Nuj
Nuj,
Freddie Roach is a terrific trainer who works perfectly with his student, Manny Pacquiao. If Pacquiao dropped Roach as his trainer in preparation for a Mayweather fight I would say that Pacquiao’s chances of winning drop from about 48% to about 20%. Roach and his ability to strategize is a huge part of Pacquiao’s success.
Roach is also amazing in that Pacquiao has not reached a plateau in his skill level. It seems as if he is still getting better and adding more to his repertoire in each fight. Most trainer/boxer relationships get stale after a while because there is nothing more to learn from that same teacher.
Trust me, I have considered the Roach factor and he plays a big role. Floyd is also a master strategist due to his super high ring intelligence. He is also unmatched in his ability to adapt during a fight.
This truly is a super fight because you have the two best in the business. Mayweather or Pacquiao (or both) are the best in boxing at every major attribute (speed, boxing, footwork, jab, punching accuracy, toughness, endurance, etc..).
Fans Know More Than Experts
Larry Merchant said during the Pacquiao/Cotto fight, “seems like the outsiders (fans) got the better hand now than the insiders (writers) in predicting a fight”. I’m glad he started to notice after a number of Pacquiao fights.
The problem with writers, they seem to throw away the intangibles out of the equation. In other words, they want to sound like a pure scientist. The sweet science is not perfect math. It has art and emotions that makes it “sweet”. If and when Manny and “Money” fight, the Pacman team is going to paint a different “obra maestra”, especially for a “final act”.
Tell you what, when they fight, Pacman is going to be more explosive than the bombs dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mayweather is not going to find a place to hide and no trace of his ego, nor his shadow will be found. That is the intangible part of Pacman’s legend.
-Adoremus
Adoremus,
Mayweather’s persona is a complete act. He is passionate about boxing and has championship intangibles coming out of his ears. The guy has never lost because he comes in 100% prepared and focused for every fight and fights every fight like it is his last. Floyd is always in shape to give himself the best chance to win. He has been hurt and faced adversity in several of his bouts, but he refuses to lose. Mayweather does not know how to lose and is always consistently fighting at his best.
The winner of a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight is not going to be determined by emotions. This fight is going to be won with boxing skills. The question that is on my mind is whether or not Manny has improved to the point where he can match Mayweather’s skill. He just may have done that. Pacquiao is scary good.
Mayweather Weak Like David Diaz
You have reiterated before, again and again and again, and to tell you frankly, it’s a little bit annoying, that David Diaz was the weakest of the lightweight champions and the biggest paper champion of all.
Then can you just answer a yes or no if Mayweather, as the pound for pound best that time, was the weakest welterweight paper champion of all before his retirement?
-Oliver Bono
Oliver,
No, Mayweather was not the weakest welterweight champion when he retired, and nor was he a paper champion. That does not make any sense and I’m not sure what you are getting at. Mayweather, as you said, was the pound for pound king, he was the lineal Welterweight Champion after beating Carlos Baldomir, and had bested top contender Zab Judah. Floyd’s ability and prowess as an elite fighter in the sport were a secret to no one. You can criticize his level of opposition at welterweight but you still have to respect what he did accomplish.
David Diaz on the other hand, had one fluke win over Jose Armando Santa Cruz to win his belt, had done nothing significant prior, and has yet to show that he is anything but a journeyman level boxer. Plus, the WBC belt that he won was not the linear version of the title, just one of four belts.
Changing Strategies Mid Fight
Brian,
It seems like Pacquiao threw his game plan out the window after the 1st round. Cotto took that round with his jabs, and Pacquiao realized that if that continued the fight could end up in a decision and I don’t think he wanted that. Starting the 2nd round, Pacquiao let Cotto hit him freely and did the rope a dope a number of times. This was to open up Cotto’s defense and allow him to work inside. You noticed both knockdowns came about after spinning out of the ropes while Cotto was wailing at him. Roach mentioned it during the post-fight how Manny wasn’t following the game plan by sitting on the ropes and letting Cotto go at him.
-Lacson
Lacson,
Cotto is a very skilled fighter so I was not surprised at all when he won the first round. I knew that Pacquiao was going to have his best success in the later rounds because Cotto is known to fade and Manny is known to get stronger as the fight goes on. I had no idea that Pacquiao would start to dominate so early on, figuring out and adjusting to Cotto by the second round.
Manny is a true warrior, willing to trade with the strongest and hardest hitting welterweight in the world despite being the smaller man. I don’t think anyone can beat Pacquiao is a slugging match after seeing what he did to Cotto!
Pacman’s Rope-a-Dope
Hey Brian,
I think I figured out why Pacman used the rope a dope against Miguel Cotto in the early rounds: because Cotto was giving him problems with his hard jab, so Pacman stayed stationary and just covered up to invite Cotto to slug with him and abandon that jab. That way Pacquiao could also fire his own power shots, which worked since both knockdowns came after Cotto was lured by his rope a dope. What do you think?
-Vinjo
Vinjo,
I think that is a sound theory. I hear that Freddie Roach did not tell Manny to do that; he improvised the rope-a-dope on his own. That is impressive of Pacquiao, his ability to improvise at that level, in a pressure situation, in order to become more effective. He truly has a warrior’s instinct.
Get Well Soon Z Gorres
Hi Brian, Pacquiao was simply excellent last Sunday. Have you noticed how fast the combinations of Manny? Heck, I’ve never seen a combination as fast as Pacquaio had being a hardcore fan 15 years long. The combinations were very fast yet with so much stinging power.
While people are celebrating Pacquiao’s victory over Cotto, I cannot help to feel so sorry for my man and your man (I remember you saying you’re a fan of him, I hope that did not change) Z “Dream” Gorres. I can still not believe how awful Gorres had suffered, collapsing after his victory and having an immediate brain surgery. He is done; I am sure his career as great professional ended last Saturday. I hope he recovers from the operation and lives normally with his family. After hearing the news last week I was totally stunned for an hour.
I’m asking for your prayers and sympathy for our man…thank you.
-Sam
Sam,
Pacquiao’s hands are ridiculously fast. I think that they are the fastest in all of boxing, and that includes Floyd Mayweather. He throws his punches straight, compact, and with great accuracy so he makes the most out of his natural speed too.
I was very saddened to hear about Z Gorres. That kind of injury is frightening. When a boxer collapses like that after a fight having sustained an extended amount of punishment, their odds of surviving are about 50/50. Even if they survive, they never fight again and sometimes cannot enjoy the same lifestyle.
Gorres’s career is over now and it is a sad end to a promising career. I am very glad to hear that his condition is stable and improving. I wish him a speedy and healthy recovery. I will remember his in the ring as a valiant warrior.
Quit Asking For Catchweights
Hi, Mr Brian!
First of all, congrats for your very entertaining and almost always fairly written boxing mailbag. Just as a comment, talking about Pacquiao vs Cotto’s bout, I believe Pacquiao did a great job but because Cotto did not hire a good coach that made the difference and cost him the fight. He made the big mistake in not boxing and moving his upper body part, when he did it he made Manny miss many shots, when he decided to do so.
Cotto was already too tired and he had no power to counter and stop Pacquiao any more by the time he started boxing. The only way to stop Pacquiao as Marquez proved is if Pacquiao hits you you have to hit him back immediately and he will go out of balance and back off, but if you let him hit you without an answer he will kill you. Cotto, when Pacquiao was doing as you said the rope-a-dope , he should have used more of his uppercut, and not to be hitting Pacquiao on his arms but on the bell.
Now as you said if Pacquiao vs. Mayweather happens I am like you, confident that Mayweather will defeat Pacquiao. If Cotto makes Manny miss many shots when he moves his upper body and starts to dance just a little, what more Mayweather will do to Pacquiao? If you notice Pacquiao was frustrated when Cotto was moving around and didn’t stop to fight, even stopped in the center of the ring getting tired and fed up in chasing Cotto, do you think he can do better against Mayweather?
Everybody is talking about Pacquiao’s legacy, when I believe that it could be greater or at least great if he were brave enough to stop challenging bigger fighters and asking them to come down to a different weight. The critics excuses have stated that making the welterweights go to a catch weight makes them weaker and dehydrated. He will not be able to have a catch weight in any of his next fights because he is the welterweight champ at 147 and not at 145. Do you think can he demand Mayweather or any body else to fight him at catch weight at 145 when the welterweight limit is 147? What do you thing about that?
-Philmex Fan
Philmex Fan,
Cotto’s game plan was fine. Being aggressive is what he does best and it gave him the best chance to win. Cotto has the ability to move and box but he does that in desperation, much like Tommy Hearns used to. Plus with Cotto being the bigger guy, running and boxing instead of pressuring would have been cowardly on Miguel’s part. There is nothing I could see that Miguel Cotto could have done much differently to do better.
Pacquiao can demand that other fighters fight him at his desired weight because he is the cash cow. You have to jump through hoops to get a fight with him. Mayweather is the one exception perhaps because Floyd generates similar revenue. This fight still could be at 145 but I suspect that Pacquiao will give up the two pounds in order to get a 50/50 split of the purse. He won’t be able to get the weight plus the equal purse split I don’t think.
Paul Williams Beats Mayweather and Pacquiao
Hello Brian, It’s been a long time. I agree with your assessment that Floyd Mayweather would beat Manny Pacquiao, but I think you’ll see a master boxer pulling out all the tricks in his bag and dominate the great Filipino warrior. I really think Floyd has the answer to a swarming style like the one Manny has and don’t think he’ll have as much trouble as everybody thinks he will have.
You have to give it to Mayweather, man. He is one cool customer when he’s under fire with his impressive defensive moves (focusing on the shoulder roll) and one of the best counter punchers I’ve ever seen. I remember having doubts about him beating Diego Corrales because at that time, Corrales was laying his opponents down like a brick mason lays his first coarse of brick! He made me a believer after that fight and I have not doubted him since.
But I don’t think he nor Pacquiao could beat Paul Williams! Heck I don’t think anyone between welter up to middleweight even wants to fight him! I remember when I told you guys he would be the next big thing and I was right (not blowing my own horn, it was just in the cards). Paul has fought all of the fighters that no one else would fight! Antonio Margarito (don’t forget, he had his casts on when he fought Paul, but it didn’t help him!), Winky Wright, and he avenged his only loss with an impressive first round stoppage! Floyd doesn’t even mention him when he does his interviews! I can sense deep down inside that he doesn’t have an answer to that equation!
Manny, I’m afraid, would get stopped viciously if he fought him, and that would be the end of the Pacquiao story. This man can make welterweight easily and with room to spare! You guys thought I was insane when I predicted that this man would be the next dominant fighter in that division and the only reason he moved up is because he couldn’t get any top notch fights at that weight. Now you got top ranked middleweights that are afraid of him because of his work rate, great reflexes, and timing. I really hope we get to see that day when these great warriors duke it out and prove who is the superior fighter, but I think “The Punisher” will prove that he has arrived when that time comes.
-Mark Buchanan
Mark,
I don’t think that anyone can dominate Pacquiao at welterweight or below. Mayweather is too defensive minded to do that to an elite fighter. He stunk out the place against Oscar De La Hoya. The best Mayweather could do against Pacquiao is win a wide decision, along the lines of 117-111 because of his jab, crisp counter punches, and defensive ability. Personally, I predict a closer fight than that. If Zab Judah and Oscar De La Hoya could get super close to Floyd on the scorecards then Pacquiao surely can too. Pacquiao is no Diego Corrales. Corrales, for all of his great assets and I love the guy to death, he had terrible defense and a suicidal slugger’s mentality.
I’m not quite as sold on Paul Williams as you are. He would have a better than even chance to beat Manny Pacquiao at welterweight due to his awesome height and reach advantages. However I don’t think that Pacquiao is dead in the water. He has the speed and boxing ability to bridge that gap in an instant to land hard accurate power punches or counters. Pacquiao is infinitely more skilled than Antonio Margarito so he would be able to solve the Williams puzzle much easier than Margarito.
Also, the reason that Mayweather is not calling out Williams has more to do with Paul not being a big name than him being afraid. Williams cannot generate any kind of revenue yet compared to Pacquiao and Mayweather. He still needs to be marketed, record some big name wins, and marinate in the minds of the public before he becomes any sort of PPV attraction.
Make Pacquiao vs. Mayweather Happen Already!
If a bloated 36 year old Marquez was able to land on Mayweather’s face and body in every round, especially round four, then what if Manny Pacquiao were able to land with his ferocious speed, accuracy and volume of punches from every angle? Those punches would eventually break Mayweather down and take his spirit. Mayweather is pure talent but Pacquiao is one of the greatest warriors ever born!
The speed of Mayweather’s punches are just ordinary but the speed of Pacquiao’s punches are extraordinary. The question is not do you think Pacquiao can handle Mayweather, it is do you think Mayweather can handle Pacquiao? For Christ’s sake, he could not even finish an old and bloated lightweight!
-James
James,
The question you pose to me: Can Mayweather handle Pacquiao? That is a 50+ million dollar question my friend and the reason that this fight is so intriguing. If anyone can beat Pacquiao at welterweight or below it is Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather has an incredibly good, nearly flawless, style of boxing with impeccable technique. Can Pacquiao’s pure speed and talent, combined with his learned technique, overcome the puzzle that no other boxer has been able to overcome yet?
We saw against Zab Judah that Mayweather is bothered by speed. We saw against Jose Luis Castillo that Mayweather can be taken against the ropes.
On the flip side, we saw against Erik Morales and briefly against Cotto that Pacquiao is hampered by a swift jab. We also saw against Juan Manuel Marquez that Manny’s aggressive style can be disrupted by timely counter punches.
Both men have weaknesses that can potentially be taken advantage of by the other. The winner will have to outsmart the other and better adapt on fight night.
Boxing In Prison
Hi Brian,
Hope you are well, congrats on your Pacman prediction. LOL, I was so wrong, I thought Cotto was gonna bully him. But for my question, I have read that Bernard Hopkins started (not sure) fighting when he was in prison I would like to know more info on that. Are they doing amateur or professional fighting in your prisons? Any info you can give me man, I would like to try it in my country because I think it’s a good idea…Peace.
-Mphuzi
Mphuzi,
Former heavyweight contender Clifford Ettienne started boxing on a prison boxing team in Louisiana. Ettienne is now back in prison for life, but I have heard nothing about whether he has rejoined the team!
Louisiana still has a prison boxing program. The inmates at each local prison make up a boxing team. The teams compete against each other in amateur bouts during a prison “fight night”.
Hopkins had some amateur fights before he went into prison, but he found his calling for the sport while in prison. There was a boxing program where he was locked up too and he did very well so he channeled his energy into getting better at boxing as a way out, of jail and of the street life. I think that prison boxing programs are an effective way of keeping the inmates busy and focused on something other than finding news way to make shanks.
Mayweather vs. Marquez What Ifs
Hello Brian,
What do you think if the Mayweather and Marquez fight had not been delayed due to Mayweather’s rib injury? Do you think it would still have generated the 1 million buys? Hehehe. What do you think the outcome would be if Pacquiao had fought Shane Mosley instead of Miguel Cotto? Who would win? And last, do you think the Mayweather Clan will stop badmouthing Pacquiao if Pacquiao beats his son Floyd? Your thoughts please.
-Gochie
Gochie,
I don’t think that delay of Marquez vs. Mayweather helped or hurt the final PPV numbers.
I would pick Manny Pacquiao to beat Shane Mosley as well. Perhaps not as easily as he beat Cotto. I think that overall, Cotto is better than Mosley, but styles make fights. Mosley has always done well against opponents who come at him and fight so that is why I think Pacquiao might struggle a bit more with Mosley than he did with Cotto.
Yes! I think that will finally shut the Mayweathers up! Either that or they will make some stupid excuse as to why they lost.
