“When I face Manny, people will see a real fight”…”He’s so one dimensional it’s ridiculous”…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!
“People wanted to see a fight and unfortunately the styles (of Mosley and Pacquiao) did not accommodate them (fans). I’m sure that when I face Manny, people will see a real fight!” – Juan Manuel Marquez speaking on a third clash with Manny Pacquiao
Perspective: Last Saturday’s fight between Filipino phenom Manny Pacquaio and American Shane Mosley was far from the firefight many anticipated going in. Some were able to see room for a potential letdown coming in, yet a strong promotion and a great deal of hype kept a few of us anxious to see something that would unfortunately never be delivered. Mosley now joins the ranks of several recent Pacquiao opponents who left the ring appearing to be content surving with minimal pain and maximum profit.
As we look ahead to potential opponents, at least one man has proven to not only put up a fight, but depending on who you ask, put up enough fight to get the nod in the end. That man who may be capable of the unthinkable is none other than Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez. Or is he? When you look at the Marquez option at this stage, one has to ask themselves how much of a showdown will we really get? Marquez would be going up to a weight in which most feel he’s largely ineffective at, and he would be doing it at the ripe age of 38.
In their initial two encounters, Marquez was primed and very compatible to Pacquiao in many ways, but at this stage, it’s another story. Marquez’s willingness to mix it up against this faster, bigger, stronger Pacquiao could potentially even seal his fate a lot quicker. Thinking about it this way gives it a bitter-sweet effect in the sense that it would put Pacquiao against the only man in recent times to actually fight a full 12 rounds without retreating in fear of powershots, which represents the ‘sweet’. Yet it would also be somewhat of a mismatch in the sense that Pacquiao has evolved into a legitimate welterweight; his opponent is tough, but still not even quite a legitimate jr. welterweight, which will make most ‘bitter’.
In the end, there aren’t many other options available that would appease the hardcore fan, but with Mayweather holding out for better testing, and few other true battle options on the horizon, this becomes a classic “take-it-or-leave-it”. I love both guys but at this stage, I’ll probably leave it. After the way last week’s Mosley showdown flopped, I’d be very curious to see how many fight fans out there will actually opt to “take it”. Just a little something to think about.
“He’s so one dimensional it’s ridiculous. And when he got really aggressive, it was hook, left hand, hook, left hand. Nothing else. Occasionally he would throw a body shot, but it was so rare, and he couldn’t hardly even hit Shane.” – Jeff Mayweather speaking to Boxingscene.com about Pacquiao vs. Mosley
Perspective: In wake of the recent steroid controversy, few seem to value the presence of any Mayweather now-a-days, but this excerpt shows precisely why they remain some of the most intelligent minds in boxing. Jeff Mayweather took a few seconds to point out something that many have gone years without ever noticing, and that’s the fact that Manny Pacquiao, while categorically one of the best of all-time, is still a very basic fighter in executive dynamics.
When you look at textbook type fundamental boxers, you see first and foremost a formidable jab. Due to his limited reach, Pacquiao has never truly established one, and as a result, remains a fighter who’s best and, in some respects, only shot is to swarm an opponent with a rapid assault. Now granted, this is what makes him a fighter, not a boxer, but similar to what he learned against Morales in their first encounter, what happens when he faces someone not only durable enough to take those shots, but fast and intelligent enough to land strategically placed countershots after making him miss?
This is the foundation of Jeff Mayweather’s assessment. Some would view it to be cruel, but nonetheless, it couldn’t be any more accurate. This is part of what makes Pacquiao so incredible. Most boxers have to have an assortment of skills to dig in the pocket for when the going gets tough, but Pacquiao has only one, yet he’s so dynamic in that particular one that few have been able to seize the moment before they’re done. Mosley didn’t bring the type of game necessary to unseat an effort like the one mounted by Pacquiao, but one thing he did manage to do further exploited the style of Pacquiao. I’m referring to his constant movement.
It’s one thing to run, but there were moments when Pacquiao had Mosley in front of him, yet failed to connect due to Mosley’s constant head movement and defensive posture, which kept a hand practically glued to his facial right side. If Mosley, a non-defensive fighter, was able to make Pacquiao miss so much, again, what happens against a pure defensive specialist who has the ability to not only make him miss, but the keen ring IQ to subsequently make him pay? Each of these points are valid, and despite the deep rooted hatred for the Mayweathers, none can deny that these guys know their craft.
We can look at the Bradley’s, Judah’s and Marquez’s of the world if we like, but truth be told, there’s only one template out there that has yet to be measured against Pacquiao’s ability, and we know who that ‘template’ is. Common sense makes us ask “why”, but reality tells us the fact that this template hasn’t been measured against Pacquiao yet could all be by design. Just a little something to think about!
(Vivek Wallace can also be reached at [email protected], Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), Facbook, and Myspace)
