I don’t understand the dissatisfaction upon the announcement of a potential Pacquiao v. Chi confrontation by Bob Arum.
As the saying goes, “styles make fights.”
As a fan of boxing, I was 99 percent sure that Castillo-Corrales was going to be a barn burner. It was evident that you had two guys that rarely took a step back and loved to exchange punches. I have a similar feeling about a potential Manny Pacquiao v. In Jin Chi fight in April.
In boxing moving up in weight can do wonders for a fighter’s physical abilities, especially later in their career. Recent examples have included the performances of Bernard Hopkins against Antonio Tarver and Nate Campbell’s stoppage of Kid Diamond. Their bodies were no longer withering away due to the drain of making weight.
In moving up they seemed to gain a new set of legs and the ability to absorb additional punishment. Well in Bernard’s case, he slickly avoided pretty much all of Antonio’s shots.
In Jin Chi should benefit from the move up from 126 pounds.
Thirty-three years is considered old by featherweight standards. Most full grown men would have trouble maintaining their strength and ability to weighing the same as they did in their early 20’s. Adding to the fact that Chi is a big featherweight with tree trunks for legs, he should look good at 130 pounds.
I predict that he’ll be coming into the fight looking and feeling strong. If you’ve seen his fights with Erik Morales or even Michael Brodie, you know what In Jin is capable of bringing the pain. The man has a rough and rugged style that combines slugging, rough-house tactics, pressure, and a lot of pain. He’s not a runner and doesn’t try to get “cute” in there.
The detractors of this fight state that In Jin is over the hill and isn’t the same guy that fought Erik Morales. Of course he’s not the same guy, I’m not saying he is. I’m merely stating that he still has a lot left in him and that the move up to 130 pounds can potentially bring him closer to his old form. He’s going to need the iron chin and ruggedness that made him a menace to everyone in the featherweight division.
The fans love Manny Pacquiao because of his style. Maybe he’s not a great dancer, speaker or singer, but the guy can flat out fight. He fights with a warrior spirit that’s only comparable to former greats like Tommy Hearns and George Chuvalo.
The passion that he fights with just oozes out of his gloves all the way to his feet. I must say that the Pacman has added some new wrinkles of defense and movement to his game that were evident in the Oscar Larios fight as well as the Morales rubber match. By nature, Pacquiao is a come forward, seek and destroy fighter.
In comparing the styles of Pacquiao and Chi, I can’t understand the dissatisfaction with this match-up. When Oscar Larios and In Jin Chi are considered your tune-up bouts, you have to be on a ridiculous tear of competition. Neither Chi nor Larios are not softies and I don’t expect an easy fight for the Pacman come April. In fact, we just might get a Fight of the Year candidate if In Jin can hold up to the onslaught he will surely face.
From a fan’s perspective, you can’t help but anticipate an exciting night of death and destruction. Well… hopefully not death but plenty of destruction.
Note: Remember, this is a fan’s perspective. Business wise I felt Pacman should have taken the 5 million plus to fight Barrera. I just hope that Manny can get the Barrera fight down the road before Marco decides to retire at the end of 2007.
