Hello boxing fans and RSR readers. Thank you for visiting and checking out my weekly mailbag. Last week was a rather slow week in boxing as far as action is concerned. We saw a few mismatches (Kelly Pavlik vs. Miguel Espino, Edwin Valero vs. Hector Velazquez, and Sam Peter vs. Gabe Brown), but everything went according to the script in those fights with the favorites winning by KO.
The boxing world is still patiently awaiting the official announcement and details for the fight of the decade between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Rumors surfaced that the MGM Grand in Las Vegas beat out the Cowboys stadium in Texas for the rights to stage the fight, which is bad news for fans who were hoping for a chance to buy tickets.
As the days go by without any official word regarding Mayweather vs. Pacquiao I become more and more nervous that mega bout will implode. Per the story posted here on Ringside Report a few days ago, the negotiations are not entirely done. The principal agreement about the money split was reached as was widely reported, but Floyd does not like the weight penalty arrangement and that could be enough to want him to nix the entire match.
With the proposed fight date in mid March, an announcement should be coming soon to get the promotional wheels rolling. As it is now, three months is an unusually short time to prepare for and promote a blockbuster match. Each day with no news makes me fear that something is wrong. Or maybe I am over analyzing because there were no major fights to distract me. Let us hope so.
On to the mailbag, the debate (pretty much me vs. Pacquiao fans) continues between who would win this high profile event between Pacquiao and Mayweather. I also answer a few other off topic questions to round it out. Thanks to all of those who submitted questions.
Mayweather Not Tough Opponent
Brian,
I am sorry to say, and sorry to break it to you, but Floyd is not a tough opponent for Manny Pacquiao! Why? Is it tough when you keep running inside the ring? Is it tough when you keep ducking legitimate opponent whom you sense are too great of a challenge? Is it tough cherry-picking boxers who might beat you? Is it tough using your mouth and not your fists? Is it tough making so many excuses rather than fighting? Sorry I doubted, but Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley are much tougher opponents.
-Ramborge
Ramborge,
Whether your criticisms of Floyd have a grain of truth or not, Floyd is a tough opponent because Pacquiao may not win. Against the other guys that you mentioned (Cotto and Mosley), Manny would get roughed up possibly, suffer a black eye and take some heavy shots. Ultimately though, he beats Cotto and Mosley soundly and his win never in jeopardy.
Against Mayweather he takes less punches and virtually no punishment, but has a 50/50 shot to lose. That is why this is a tough fight. It is a technical match, and a chess match that Pacquiao might not win. Even if he loses, Pacquiao will probably be fresh as a daisy and have no marks on his face. That is the nature of Floyd’s fighting style. He is a defensive boxer through and through. His goal is to stay out of harms way and not get hit, doing just enough to win each round.
Pacquiao vs. Desert Storm
Happy Holidays Brian, I have a question. Do you think Manny Pacquiao is an unbeatable force from 140 down? Who do you think can beat him between this range? And how do you foresee the result of a fight between Pacquiao and Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley?
Thanks…
-Sam
Sam,
Manny is not unbeatable at 140 if you are talking purely on a theoretical basis. There are guys and styles who I think would have a good shot at defeating Manny Pacquiao when looking at historically great boxers. Names like Henry Armstrong, Tony Canzoneri, and Aaron Pryor come to mind as possible Pacquiao conquerors at 140.
However if you are asking realistically in today’s boxing landscape, I don’t think that kind of talent is around in the 140 or 135 pound weight classes. I couldn’t name an active fighter at that weight class who I think would defeat him. So no, I don’t think guys like Timothy Bradley, Edwin Valero, or Amir Khan could successfully compete with Pacquiao. Those guys are all respectable fighters though and by no means do I think this is a week era for those weights. Manny is just that good.
A Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight would be competitive for a time, but Pacquiao’s speed and power would eventually break Bradley down.
Fan Thinks I’m Full of Poop
Brian,
I don’t agree with your assessment. I want to ask you something. Do you think that Mayweather Jr. has ever fought someone as good as Manny Pacquiao? Mayweather Jr. is not as good as Cotto and doesn’t punch as hard. So why do people always give credit to Mayweather? I don’t consider him as the greatest fighter when all he does is cherry pick his opponents.
Don’t tell me that you believe what the father and son Mayweather duo say. It’s sad to say that most writers don’t see what Manny Pacquiao has accomplished in the boxing world. I guess when Manny retires, many people will realize that Manny has brought back the life into boxing and when he is gone, I think boxing will never be the same again.
-Pacfan
Pacfan,
Mayweather is a lot better than Miguel Cotto. Sorry, I’m going to fully disagree with your take in that regard. I am not knocking Cotto at all though. I have a ton of respect for the guy and think he is an elite welterweight.
You knock Floyd’s opposition, and yes it is true that he has cherry picked here and there at the higher weight classes, but his quality of opposition overall is still very good. He has beaten some top notch opponents, including Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya, the same opponents who Pacquiao receives overwhelming accolades for defeating.
I fully recognized what Pacquiao has accomplished. He is a truly great boxer and I rank him much higher than Mayweather on an all time great pound for pound list. Manny has accomplished more in his career than Floyd has, hands down, no question. I also have Pacquiao higher on my current pound for pound list right now because I base my list on recent accomplishments.
However, styles make fights and on this particular occasion I slightly favor Mayweather to beat Pacquiao.
The Daredevil vs. Greased Lightning
Hi Brian,
Do you gamble? Since you’re a Mayweather diehard fan, (no matter how good you are at pretending that you don’t take sides) I’d like to make a bet, say $50,000. How about we do this?
By the way, I’m one of those people who believe that Pacquiao is “beatable”, but that braggart Floyd won’t be the one. The only one who can beat Pacman is Jinky!!!
I’m serious, want to bet on this fight? Let’s take your confidence an extra mile.
I do hope you’ll respond.
Good day and Godspeed.
-Philip Sanchez
Philip,
Absolutely not!!!!!! I am picking Mayweather because I am a boxing pundit and I have to take a side and make a stand. I am very unsure about my prediction. I see this as a virtually even fight and I would never gamble $50,000 on a coin flip. The thought of putting any kind of wager on this fight makes me cringe. How about that for my confidence? This is what makes Mayweather vs. Pacquiao so great! It is so evenly matched that picking a winner with confidence is extremely difficult.
I also object to you calling me a die hard Mayweather fan. I really don’t like the way that Floyd Mayweather fights. He fights safety first, making for boring fights, and he is too much of a braggart for my liking. I do respect his skills (doing otherwise would be foolish). I am rooting for Manny Pacquiao to win because he is better for boxing and a more likeable character, however, I am officially picking Mayweather due to my unbiased analysis of styles and other variables.
Defense Is Overrated In Boxing
For me, defense is best applied to basketball, not for boxing. It is difficult to keep on defending without throwing any jabs while you are hammered by the hard fists and punches like the ones thrown by the great Manny Pacquiao. I am pretty sure one opening and one mistake could lay Mayweather Jr. down to the canvas.
And I don’t think Junior’s punches were nearly as hard as Cotto’s and Cotto couldn’t hurt Manny. I very much doubt that Mayweather will be able to hurt Pacquiao with his soft punches.
-Ramborge
Ramborge,
Floyd Mayweather does not hit as hard as Miguel Cotto. That is a true statement and I completely agree, however, punching power is not going to matter much, especially not for this fight. Skill is infinitely more important than power. Power is only one factor of a dozen that win a boxing match. If power were all that mattered, then Earnie Shavers would be the best heavyweight of all time, and he clearly is not.
I don’t agree with your argument that defense is more important in basketball than it is in boxing. I would argue the exact opposite. If you have poor defense in basketball the other team scores a basket. Oh well, you can dribble over and score one yourself. In boxing, if you don’t protect yourself you are not going to leave the ring under your own power. Defense is huge in boxing, probably the most important factor.
One major part of Floyd Mayweather’s stellar defense is his footwork. He is amazing at keeping the proper distance so that his opponent is unable to hit him with anything significant. His well timed, fast, accurate jabs do well to disrupt his opponent’s timing and rhythm as well.
To land with any force or frequency, Pacquiao is going to have to cut off the ring and trap Mayweather against the ropes. This is a huge task and something that Manny has not had to do against an opponent of Mayweather’s caliber before. The fighter who controls the distance will win the fight.
Lefty Stance Gives An Edge
Hi Brian… It’s been a long time since my last email to you. I am writing now because I wanted to ask you Pacquiao and Cotto’s weight before they enter the ring since there was no news about that whatsoever. Hope you could answer it man.
About Pacquiao vs Mayweather, I would definitely lean over Pacquiao. My reason is simple. Because he is lefty. Pacquiao was right handed, then I would pick Mayweather.
I’m a big Pacquiao fan of course but that didn’t stop me from picking Mayweather if Pacquiao was right handed.
-Benjie
Benjie,
HBO no longer weighs the fighters on fight night so that information is not available to the general public. The teams of the boxers would rather not have that information made public. Sorry I could not help you out there.
I respect your opinion regarding your Mayweather vs. Pacquiao prediction. Mayweather has been tagged with clean shots against southpaws in the past (Judah and Corley). Manny’s southpaw formation could very well be a significant factor.
Hypothetical Pound for Pound
Brian,
I know you always say that you only rate boxers based on accomplishment because that is the only fair way to do it. That’s great and all but what about your opinion? Based on no accomplishments and only your opinion on who is the best boxers, what does your pound for pound list look like?
-Edgardo
Edgardo,
Great question, way to play devil’s advocate! So I am making this list assuming that all boxers are the same size and are given the same opportunities to prove themselves. Pacquiao and Mayweather would still be at the top. There is no denying their talent. Older fighters like Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins would probably drop out. Up and coming studs like Lucian Bute would make an appearance because I am high on their potential to be a superstar. I made this list quickly so don’t hold me to it too much but, given your rules, my list would look something like this:
1.Manny Pacquiao 2.Floyd Mayweather 3.Chad Dawson 4.Ivan Calderon 5.Juan Manuel Lopez 6.Lucian Bute 7.Arthur Abraham 8.Edwin Valero 9.Chris John 10.Juan Manuel Marquez
Thanks for reading. I look forward to reading all of your responses and emails. Take care all!
