The parallels are undeniable. You got a popular foreigner with a loyal and vocal following against an arrogant loudmouth who holds back no verbal tirades to slight his opponent.
One uses his quickness, fast hands and explosiveness and operates a painful offensive clinic in the ring while the other relies on similar attributes to frustrate, counter and deflect on-comers like a matador playing a bull- and just like a matador and the bull, one is armed with sharp and dangerous horns and the other with a soft red cloth.
Translation: When the bull hits you, you’re going down, but the matador can flail and try to inflict whatever damage he can with that cape, he isn’t going to hurt the bull.
The semblances are so striking I don’t need to attach their names to my analogies, but for the sake of those who want me to spell it out, Saturday’s showdown between Amir Khan and Paulie Malignaggi may very well be a premonition of what a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. would turn out to be.
Of course, I will not get any credit for this piece from the so-called experts, and even the biggest of Pacquiao fans might be inclined to label be that insult they accord irrational, over-fanatical Pacfans- ‘The Nuthugger’. Be my guest. After all, I was called the same thing when I predicted a one-sided beatdown for Pacquiao over Dela Hoya in 2008 when even the biggest Pacquiao believers like my then editor Brad Cooney of 8CountNews.com picked Oscar to win. It’s alright, people have their own analysis and opinions about everything, and I am simply telling you mine. More often than not, I’ve been accurate.
Be it as it may, I will proceed to share my analysis and observation because truth of the matter is, if Pacquiao and Mayweather traded skill sets and abilities tomorrow, I will still place my money on the heavy hitter who throws 8 to 12 punch combos all night long who goes for the kill like Jaws over a bleeding blonde against the slick fighter who has had trouble with southpaws in the past and has a vulnerable chin. Styles make fights and I’ve said this a million times before, if fought under normal boxing conditions, Mayweather will be an easier fight for Pacquiao than Cotto was. This is not about bias or dislike. I could care less if Pacquiao traded attitudes with Mayweather, I still believe he will win handily and here are some bullet points why:
1. Pacquiao throws unpredictable and unorthodox combos from all angles. Mayweather likes reading his opponents, but this version of Pacquiao is not the same one that face Juan Manuel Marquez. This Pacquiao has added many other weapons to his arsenal and still fights relentlessly from beginning to end.
2. Mayweather’s troubles with quick southpaws- not to mention, this southpaw ‘Pacs’ a punch.
3. Mayweather doesn’t throw enough combos or hard enough punches to keep Pacquiao at bay.
4. Mayweather’s chin. He has made a killing against slower punchers, but Pacquiao knocks down his opponents by hitting them with punches they don’t see coming. A punch like that will lay Mayweather out.
5. This is not the old Mayweather. He is still a great boxer and his skills are still there but he is slower and we won’t be able to keep up with Pacquiao just like Malignaggi against Khan.
6. Mayweather won’t be able to run and slip Pacquiao all night long. His best chance of not getting hit is pull a Clottey. You already know what happened in that one.
7. EVERYBODY HAS A PLAN UNTIL THEY GET HIT. That’s what Iron Mike Tyson said, and when Mayweather gets hit by a Pacquiao punch, he will go on panic mode.
As my title suggests, Pacquiao will shut up Mayweather similar to how Khan did against Malignaggi. And trust me, if Mayweather gets on Pacquiao’s face and kicks him on stage like Malignaggi did to Khan, he will need each single of his meathead bodyguards to hold back Pacquiao fans who wouldn’t hesitate to jump the stage to get their hands on him. Fortunately, a fight of that magnitude will probably have tighter security and better logistics.
If I were Pacquiao, I’d agree to the 14-day cutoff for the test Mayweather originally demanded. There’s too much money and the proposition of hurting a person who has bashed and slandered me repeatedly is too hard to pass up. So what if he demanded something out of the ordinary, Pacquiao has too. The fact that it is not too close to fight night and granted a test right after the fight will be conducted anyway to prove his legitimacy covers all concerns. Do you really think using PEDs in 7 days will help any fighter? (The final week leading to fight night is used to wind down and if Pacquiao truly used PEDs and drugs, then taking it that close to a fight will almost surely yield dirty results after the fight, right?)
14 days is sensible enough. MIH! Make it happen! And in case it doesn’t, just replay Khan vs. Malignaggi because in all likelihood, that’s what ‘s gonna happen.
