“Any round would do, but I think the seventh”…”To knock him out, you need a stick or hammer or something”…all recent comments made by some of the biggest names in the sport. Looking back at this week’s key quotes of note, Boxing Scribe Vivek Wallace offers his own unique perspective, giving fight fans “a little something to think about”. Check it out!
“Any round would do, but I think the seventh will be about the time I break him down and get the knockout. [I] have power in both hands and I know Pacquiao will go right for the attack and that is a great advantage for me….and I have Naazim Richardson (who never lost a fight to a Top Rank fighter).” – Shane Mosley speaking about his upcoming clash with Manny Pacquiao
Perspective: Last week, I touched on the logic that Mosley has no chance of stopping a fighter as durable as Pacquiao early in the fight and would be better served “softening up” his prey, deciding to go for the kill only when he becomes part of the walking wounded. Basically, the good ole stalk-until-they-can’t-walk approach. In reading this excerpt from Mosley, I felt that despite the many articles and excerpts saying that his “only chance is early,” apparently he sees some truth in my logic that no one else does. Very unpopular in theory, but very realistic in common sense.
Mosley spoke of softening Pacquiao up around the 7th round. When you consider that far less powerful fighters were able to shake him up a little earlier in their fights, it’s hard not to believe that these two men who WILL bang every step of the way from the first bell couldn’t result in the smaller man being a little banged up slightly beyond the midway point.
It’s hard to see Mosley winning the fight at all when you consider how great Pacquiao has been and realize that this is arguably his best fight camp, by all accounts, under Freddie Roach, but he hit the target square in the middle when he stated that he “has power in both hands” and that Pacquiao “going right for the attack is a great advantage for him.”
Both men have a knack for going ballistic when the opponent tries to, and that’s what makes this fight appealing. While Mayweather remains the best “boxer” in the sport, these are the two best “fighters” and fans will get what they pay for…..a fight! In Mayweather/Pacquiao, you get the two best men in the sport going head to head, but even at age 39, no question, you have the two best “fighters” in the sport going head to head in Mosley/Pacquiao. Even at this point in his career, Mosley hits when he gets hit and won’t retreat and concede defeat. Pacquiao, being cut from the same cloth, can only mean fireworks in the end.
I don’t know how much Mosley’s good luck charm, his trainer Naazim Richardson, will mean in the end, but a victory over Pacquiao means Richardson’s stock may rise through the roof, as no other trainer has had any such luck dealing with Top Rank’s most prized possession. Boxing is no place for superstitions and good luck charms, but one thing we can all agree on is that Shane may need all the help he can get come fight night. Just a little something to think about!
“It surprised me he was able to take those punches. He was very difficult to knock out. To knock him out, you need a stick or hammer or something. I’m OK with a rematch, but there are other fighters in the division I want to fight as well.” – Marcos Maidana when asked about Erik Morales
Perspective: Going into last Saturday night’s showdown, few gave Morales a shot. In the aftermath, his opponent was left saying you’d need something like a hammer or a stick to defeat him. This is why I’ve always fancied skills over the typical shoot-em-out style we see with many sluggers of today. Despite his age, the old bull made the young pup look like he had no chance at times. The scorecards read one thing, but the echoed sentiment around the sport tell a vastly different story.
Listening to Maidana say that “there are other guys around the division he wants to face as well” leads one to believe that the politics of the sport, which remain ever-so-strong, will ultimately prevent Morales from getting another shot at a victory that remains well within grasp. It would be a pity, and deep down inside, Maidana knows that this fight could have gone either way; so does his handlers. At the end of the day, Morales may not be who he was, but he’s able to still do a few things that he once did, and if given another shot, my money’s on him!
How much of a player can he really be at 140? Nobody knows, but when you land only 38 punches fewer than a man in his prime who threw 400+ more than you did, and those punches are enough to shake him up….uhhh….yeah…..you can be a threat to some level. For those who think he has no shot, he may not stand at the top of the mountain the way he once did, but he’s good enough to make sure many on their way never get there. Just a little something to think about!
