MANNY Pacquiao’s November 15 fight with Marco Antonio Barrera will be a tough one, by any reckoning. As Manny said, it could not last the distance, one of them would fall eventually. By that, we can say that the fight would be bloody brutal, as the English would say.
Despite the reported betting odds, I’d say that the chances of winning are equal, not as lopsided (9-2) in favor of Barrera. Well, if that’s what the betting odds calculators say, that’s the way the bookies are going to play. No matter how bettors look at it, I’d maintain that our boy has an even chance of making it.
I’ve seen a lot of upsets in the past that proved the betting odds wrong. The one I can’t forget was that of Flash Ilorde against Sandy Saddler. Saddler was the heavy favorite — as they said, the best featherweight in the world at the time. He was even dubbed as the greatest boxer in any division, pound for pound. He was also more experienced, having fought and beaten the best of them.
He was also the dirtiest fighter the boxing world has seen. For 10 rounds, Elorde had to contend with all the dirty tactics Saddler dished out on him. There was rubbing the glove laces on Elorde’s eyebrows, head butting and stumping on his lead foot. Saddler threw it all, including the kitchen sink.
Ear biting was not yet invented then, but Saddler had his own nasty tactic, which was rubbing his head hard on his opponent’s ear each time they clinched. Considering the kinky, short-cropped hair that black men have, you can only. Though it did not slice off a part of Elorde’s ear, it must have hurt like hell.
The tactic was designed to Elorde off his composure, but obviously it did not work because in the final decision, Elorde got the judges’ nod.
I don’t think Manny has to contend with the likes of it against Barrera. We have not heard of him playing dirty. But like Saddler, he has more experience than Manny and has also allegedly fought the best in his division.
That is his only advantage over Manny that I can think of, besides the betting odds. The question is: has he fought a Manny Pacquio before? Basing on available information, both are punchers and stylish too. Who the heavier hitter is, we will know afterwards. But taking Gerry Pe?alosa’s word, “Manny (when he was a flyweight) hits like a bantamweight. As a featherweight, he must be hitting like a lightweight.
If I were a betting man I’d consider the following:
* Most of Barrera’s opponents were knocked out (K.O.) with a series of several punches. All of Manny’s K.O. victims went with just one punch.
* Barrera lost three times fighting in tip-top shape, meaning he could be beaten by a better fighter, all other things equal. Manny’s only two losses came when he was badly overweight and had to give a lot: He lost to Torrecampo wearing heavier mitts to offset his 2 pounds over the limit. Everybody knows how he was sapped dry trying to reduce to the stipulated weight when he lost his flyweight title to that 3K Battery fellow.
* Barrera wouldn’t be that intense when he fights Manny — he has nothing to lose. Manny is that hungry and he would fight even a grizzly bear to get there.
All Manny has to do is to study the style of Eric Morales closely and keep from getting pummeled. He should not try for a knock out; Barrera would be expecting that. In three of four rounds, Manny should hit him just often and hard enough to make Barrera think that’s all Manny can give. Then, Barrera would become careless. Once an opening comes, that’s it.
If Manny does that, we can see bigger things to come for him, more than all we can dream of for a small guy in the world of boxing.
Wanna bet guys?
