Can Pacquiao carry out the game plan that the De La Hoya failed to finish?
November 22nd, 2009
By Matt Matel: After a string of near blow out victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, The main man Manny Pacquiao from General Santos City is now setting his sights on what could potentially be the most lucrative match in the history of boxing. The would be promoters of the match would most likely have the working title “Pound for Pound” which is more classy one compared to the last 2 outings that Pacquiao had (Firepower and East vs West).
In retrospect though, De La Hoya did what no other boxer has done, he actually beat Mayweather in one of the Judges scorecards. He was the first boxer ever to hand Floyd a split decision victory and this is because of only one person, coach Freddie Roach.
Roach had an excellent game plan set to take out Floyd which if scrutinized closely was aimed to carry out following tasks:
1.) Putting Mayweather in the ropes so that he can’t dance around and back pedal while counter punching at the same time.
2.) Going to the body to neutralize his speed advantage and wear him out as opposed to going to the head which PBF seamlessly neutralizes with the use of his excellent head movement.
The first 8 rounds clearly showed how this strategy could’ve worked, one thing however happened that didn’t go according to plan, “Oscar got tired and wasn’t able to pull the trigger anymore during the championship rounds”.
This specific observation which consequently became his own infamous remark was what Freddie Roach used in order to determine the chances of Pacquiao against an Oscar De la Hoya, an observation that he indeed had first hand knowledge of. Boxing experts are saying that Freddie already has a blueprint on hand to defeat Mayweather and that he just needs someone willing, able and determined to carry out the plan and that’s where Manny comes in to play.
Here are the potential reasons why Pacquiao would be able to execute the plan well:
1. Pacquiao has the relentless stamina to go 12 rounds or more doing the same thing.
2. Pacquiao has the power to knock the wind out of Mayweather with his body shots.
3. The Pacquiao throws punches in bunches and throws them in the most unimaginable angles that Floyd may not be prepared for.
4. Pacquiao certainly faster than a 154 lb Oscar.
5. Pacquiao is a southpaw which makes his all angles punching style much more difficult to predict and counter.
However given that Pacquiao and De La Hoya are two entirely different fighters here are some of the potential reasons why Pacquiao would not be able to execute Roach’s plan well:
1. Although he has the power to knock Mayweather out, Pacquiao does not have the significant size advantage to bully Mayweather and have him pinned down the rope.
2. His reach is just 67” which is 6 inches less that Dela Hoya’s this would be a big factor in pinning him in the ropes.
3. Pacquiao is not a natural body puncher, which is a plus for Mayweather because he defends head shots really well (perhaps one of the best all time).
In hindsight I don’t think comparing the results of the Pacquiao – Juan Manuel Marquez and Marquez – Mayweather fights would be substantial enough in predicting the outcome of this looming superfight. In the Pacquiao – Marquez fight Manny struggled to meet the 130 lb limit and came in at 147 lbs during fight night. The huge weight gain made him look sluggish and thus prevented Manny from using his lateral movements.
While the Marquez – Mayweather fight from the very onset was a mismatch. Marquez in reality struggled with the Casamayor and Diaz fights at the lightweight division which is indicative of the draw backs of Marquez’s moving up in weight. Nacho event went on the record in saying that Marquez looked very slow at welterweight, he did have the power according to Nacho but the speed was simply not there.
Nor could it be said that Pacquiao could beat Mayweather handily because of how he disposed of Ricky Hatton which Manny fought at the LWW division and destroyed in 2 rounds. Pacquiao devil may care attitude made him engage Hatton early on and traded shots with him that send Hatton to the canvas flat on his back by the end of the 2nd round. While Mayweather being the tactician that he is chose to dissect Hatton and take him a part in the late rounds.
The conclusion is fair but simple, styles make fights this one is pretty tough to call because of the complete contrasts between the two styles. Everyone I guess everyone is dying to see what comes out of this match up.
Tags: 57 Responses to “Can Pacquiao carry out the game plan that the De La Hoya failed to finish?”
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This fight will be decided by the judges. It will go the distance. The question comes down to which style do the judges favor? If both fighters land the same amount of punches,but Manny is throwing 3-punch combos and moving forward, then you have Mayweather moving backwards and throwing 1 punch at a time, who looks like they won the fight? I would think Manny does. Mayweather would have to take chances to win this fight if he moves backwards all night no matter how many punches he lands he looks like the loser.
Good,balanced and thought-provoking article
dean..good point. It takes more energy to punch and miss than it does to punch and land. Floyd is the more accurate of the two and conserves energy very well. I am not taking anything away from Manny but it was not until Floyd retired and he beat two of Floyds previous opponents did he become the talk of the town. Same can be said about Mosley, until the Margarito win he was pretty much out of the spotlight. Unfortunately human nature is based upon “what have you done for me lately?”
floyd will win because manny will be throwing combos and MISSING most of the time . this and mayweathers counterpunching will wear down manny p. !! its a fact that when you are a knock out type of fighter and put alot of mustard on your punches it is harder on you when you MISS ..TAKES MORE OUT OF YOU , FACT !! DECISION MAYWEATHER ..
First of all, anyone who thinks Pacquiao has better handspeed and foot movement than Mayweather does not know what they’re talking about. The real question would be if Pacquiao can handle Mayweather’s in and out of range foot movement and the lead left hook. Will Pacquiao even be able to find a sparring partner that can immulate this.
Freddie Roach has been so vindictive in his comments against Mayweather and his family that I can’t say that I much respect him anymore. You don’t talk like that if you really want to consider yourself a decent human being. The way Freddie Roach expresses his deep seated hatred of the Mayweather family really just show him to be the low life that he tries to say that others are.
The one thing everyones forgeting is a str8 right hand can beat a southpaw everytime and floyd has one of the best str8 right hands in the game!
OUR ARTICLE IS THE BEST. THIS ANALYSIS IS NOTHING.
catch weight 145lb fight manny was 149lbfight night . cotto about 155lb so manny giving 6lb but the fight even ,catch weight are used in negotiation in exchange off sideing their demands 60/40 etc,and to balance the betting books.
roach said we will take whatever floyd gives us body,arms.shoulders ,the fight likely to be at a catch weight of 147lb so pac will have to gain 2 lb of more power to be at 151lb and floyd about 157lb,ha floyd beside swollen face or and koed,he also be black and blue arms and shoulders.he be so broken,lets see how many fighters has manny broken,,,,
,.
i would just like to know how much manny weighed on the night of the fight against cotto..does anyone know?
This fight prediction is very simple:Manny cannot hit what he can’t see.People seem to be making the mistake of comparing Manny’s speed with PBF while forgetting that PBF ’s speed almost borders on superhuman.Love both fighters but Manny is a greatnartist while PBF is actually the Van Gough of boxing.
stupid predictions guys, we’ll see when the time comes. Pacquiao proved me wrong 3 times, i’m skint now thats why i want to make money out of pacquiao by criticing him.
floyd will win too fast you can’t see his hands when they are hitting the mark pacman will not be easy just ask coto his face took a beatdown money mayweather is too fast to quick to take a beatdown like that money$$ mayweather in 12
did u really watch the DLH/PBF fight? ur saying that he was winning cuz DLH was going to the body and putting his back on the ropes! DLH was wining the fight cuz of his JAB! watch the fight! Roach begged him to use it and double it up! when DLH stopped using thr JAB, PBF took over! to beat PBF u need a good jab, that is the only way you beat PBF. JMM went 12 with PBF cuz he has a jab, Hatton got KO’d cuz he tried what everyone else does, bully Floyd. He is expecting that, so if Pac does that its good night Pac. Roach will come up with something better than that to try to beat Pbf, will it work? we have to wait and see, hopefully Pac beats PBF, that way Pbf stop ducking other good fighters.
No contest. Floyd is better in every category except power and he’ll make Manny look like a one trick pony. Sorry Pac fans. I don;t care for either but the reality is that Floyd has more tools and Manny won’t be able to deal with all the different looks Floyd’s throws him!
EVERYONE PLEASE BOYCOTT ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN BY MANUEL PEREZ AND LIAM SANTIAGO. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO READ OR RESPOND TO THEIR OPINIONS AS THEY ARE COMPLETELY BIASED. THESE SO CALLED WRITERS FEED OFF YOUR COMMENTS. DONT LET THEM GET THE BEST OF YOU. MANUEL PEREZ AND LIAM SANTIAGO ARE TRASH!!!
Pacquiao had problems with marquez because marquez tried counter punching everything Pacquiao threw. Mayweather wont do that. And pacquiao only got aggravated because cotto wouldn’t fight. So he looked at the ref to stop it cause he didn’t want to hurt him anymore.
@edy-Toronto, watch Mayweather v Burton or Mayweather v Corely, he saw his own blood before and trust me he won’t lose heart
Great article man! Especially considering the high concentration of biased horse manure that you can find on here.
One point of interest! Although Floyd’s head movement is the best in the bizz, Manny WILL connect flush with his chin at least once in 12rds (barring an early stoppage). Thing is, whilst we know Manny can take a punch, nobody really knows what Floyd’s chin is like…hell, Floyd probably doesn’t even know!!! Don’t get me wrong, it might be like granite…but…maybe, its his Achilles Heel!
WAIT TILL YOU HEAR MINE LOL
WAIT TILL YOU HEAR MINE
There is one thing all you writers seem to miss. Pacman was getting frustated when cotto start running, he was looking to the ref. As if to say “ref stop him from running.” Floyd will be doing a lot of movement but will be jabbing. Will the pacman get frustrated and walk in to Floyd trap.??
I believe Manny will beat PBF for the following reasons:
1. PBF has not seen his own blood. The moment he sees his own blood coming from his face he will lose heart.
2. Given that PBF may have a supposedly impenetrable head/facial defense, Pacman will exploit the body and alternate between the face/head and body at will.
3. Pacman will be throwing flurries of power punches for 12 rounds that will wear PBF down.
Cheers!!!
the best argument i’ve read on this site so far regarding paquiao-floyd matchup. non biased. good job…
Good article! Good read. Made alot of true and reasonable points.
TondoBoi, sounds like you have a personal issues with the Pacman. “soften by age, dehydration or plaster-dipped fist wrap.” How do you know that Margarito used plaster wrapped against Cotto? Delahoya asked Pacquiao to fight him @ whatever the weight was agreed upon. Also, Delahoya fought Mayweather a year earlier prior to facing Pacquiao. One year later does not mean that Delahoya was too old to fight Pacquiao. Oh, you didn’t mentioned Hatton…I see Hatton was overrated? Bro, you’re a pacman hater. YOu should appreciate boxers like Pacquaio, for boxers like Pacquaio only come once in every 30 years.
if anybody can win an upset over pbf, it’s pac. and that is only if floyd jr gives in to roach’s catch-weight demand bs. but, it’s gonna be an upset nontheless. if this fight happens, for the first time pac will face somebody who is not a shell of his former self. someone who was not softened by age, dehydration or plaster-dipped fist wrap. pac will kiss the canvas in 8 or 10. there won’t be a shame in that. your cherry-picking and catch-weight demands can only carry your overrated a$$ for so long.
This is a very good article, Matt.To me, the analysis is excellent.
While both Floyd and Manny have their unique strengths, I believe that Floyd’s strengths are more technical, and consequently, will give him a strategic advantage over Manny. As good as Manny is, he is still a flawed fighter, and Floyd has the intelligence to exploit Manny’s flaws and beat him comfortably. I predict that Floyd will win by a knockout between rounds 8 and 10, inclusive.
mayweather only struggled against dlh becos he gave him too much respect i think,it was close but de la hoya is much bigger than pac and mayweather had never fought at that weight.dlh punches in that fight were all for show and flash he didnt bother mayweather with any of it, mayweather negativity was the only reason it was close.
the last 3 fights had nothing to do with roach really hatton and cotto exchanged with pac and came of worse,dlh was shot.
EXCELLENT ARTICLE, AND GREAT ANALYSIS KEEP THEM COMING.
no he cant !! even juiced up it wont be enuf !!
Mayweather by a very wide margin, or via KO !!
peplz, thank you because you really saw the fight. DLH didn’t even deserve the decision he got from one of the judges because he only won 4 rounds(maybe 5) but from that to give a decision to Oscar, come on you gotta be kidding. So saying that DLH failed to finish the plan is absolutely wrong(DLH never led on my scorecard, he was even after 2, 4 and 6 rounds) because Osacr never had a lead on the fight, like Maywaether did from the 7th round on, PBF didn’t lose a round in the 2nd half of that fight(maybe the 12th) because he is a great second half fighter, he won every round from the 7th on vs. Judah, only loss the 9th vs. Hatton(I mean the 2nd half of the fight). PBF is too good in the 2nd half to bet against him in this one, Pacman got tired of running Miguel Cotto, so I think that will happen again and Pacman won’t be that accurate(Cotto is a punching bag almost everytime out). Money May wins by decision.
LOOK AT PAC-MANS HEAD IN THE MARQUEZ FIGHT AND LOOK AT IT TODAY,IT IS ALMOST 2 TIMES THE SIZE.BUT THAT DOES´NT MATTER,HIS PUNCHES WOULD´NT CATCH FLOYD FULL ON ANYWAY.WHEN FLOYD KNOCKOUT PAC,THEY WOULD BE A LOT OF EXCUSES AS USUAL.THIS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER GATTI TYPE FIGHT,A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE SHOCK HOW EASY IT IS GOING TO TO BE FOR FLOYD.REMEMBER THIS.
The biggest problems Pacquiao faces are Mayweathers reach and counterpunching style. Pacquiao will not be able to do against Mayweather what he did against Cotto. He will not be able to stand still in front of Mayweather and unleash his combinations. This is exactly what Pacquiao last three opponents have done, and you seen what happened to them. But with Mayweather, he will be in and out pot shotting all night.
Pacquiao will be getting hit alot in this fight, and he usually likes to hit his opponent back straight away after being caught, however, if he tries this against Mayweather he will be getting caught again and again. Roach will have to come up with a perfect game plan for Manny, and Manny will have to execute it perfectly. But like people have said, he lacks the reach to have an effective jab and always struggles with counterpunchers. Lets hope the bout comes off.
Great article – 2 clear scenarios
1: Pac without Roach = PBF wins easily
2: Pac and Roach = Manny takes him
This game plan won’t work, everyone one has tried it on Mayweather. To beat him you need to make him take dummy’s to expose his defence and then take the openings. Going to his body won’t work either because he’ll just out jab the opposition when they try that. Make him miss and make him think you’re gunna hit him where you’re not.
If Pacman stops the steroids, then I he will be mullered even quicker !
with all the analysis I’ve read and known of the possible match, the best remark I’ve heard is that, “When they both enter the ring Mayweather is going to fear Manny more than Manny will fear him.” nuff said….So what if Manny has lost and been KO’d before. That makes him more fearless. I now see it. Pacman will terrorize that defense of Mayweather. His defense looks tight against typical offense.Unpredictable or unorthodox offense will penetrate PBF’s defense.
J_Hefner31: You have a good point when you said Pacquiao has trouble against counter fighters or fighters who go backwards. I’m sure though that the Pacquiao team will study and train for Mayweather’s style. Another problem that I see is that Oscar’s jab was great against Mayweather because of his naturally larger reach. Pacquiao will not be using a jab that much I think.
As for me saying Pacquiao punches more than almost anybody; we’ll that’s why I said almost anybody. I was going to say anybody except Paul Williams but I just decided to say almost anybody. However, I do not see anyone else except for him throwing more punches than Manny.
I mean I totally agree with you, WB.
WB, I totally with you. Pacman will break Mayweather’s wrists and destroy his ribs. Pacquiao has an underrated body punch. His straight left in his opponents’ mid-section is a thing of beauty. It causes excruciating pain and definitely slows down any opponent.
Great article but I have to touch on a few things… Manny cannot deal wit a fighter who goes backwards… Look at round 8 n 10 in the Cotto fight n see how many time Pacquiao got frustrated n how many times he got hit with jabs while chasing him now picture that for 12 rounds but with Mayweathers foot n hand speed n u have an easy 12 rd decision for Maweather… But for the person who said that Pacquiao throws the most punches in that division… there is a fighter called PAUL WILLIAMS who throws over 100 punches a round… N I can bet everything I own that Mayweather or Pacquiao will never last more than 5 rounds with PAUL WILLIAMS
manny is a fast fighter but his speed in his fights with marquez didnt mean much he was much more faster then marquez then he’ll b against floyed manny has problems with counter punchers floyed is a counter puncher manny can fight 4 12 rounds so can mayweather this is the thing win your hittin some 1 for 12 rounds if u slowe down your still faster then the person your beating up if your not landing as much your going 2 wear your self down i think mayweather’s reach is going 2 b the factor people say manny can take cotto punch mayweather’s punch dont matter we are talking about 2 diffrent fighters win cotto would counter manny he would still stand there which i think was crazy mayweather wont he will counter n move and we all seen manny get a little trigger happy win this would happen lucky 4 manny cotto was still standing there 2 hit mayweather is not going 2 have 2 get in manny’s range 2 hit him so all this combo talk is crazy even if he find a way 2 win i dont think he’s going 2 knock mayweather out he got power but come on now mayweather is still the hardest fighter 2 hit right now win u box and some 1 want 2 come at you you no how u stop them you jab and that stop them 4 a moment so u can move if you no boxing u no this so just like mayweather said it might b easier then hie marquez victory
I have seen both fighters in many fights, at this point in both of their careers I see Pacquiao winning this bout. When they both enter the ring Mayweather is going to fear Manny more than Manny will fear him. You can’t blame him either especially with the performances of Manny lately. Manny at least knocks people down during matches or KO’s them. Floyd is usually a 12 round fighter. The minute Manny knocks down Floyd, he will take away Floyds confidence and the bout will be done shortly after.
Conclusion: Manny Pacquiao KO before 7 rounds
Robert0099@aol.com
Roach will find a way to destroy Mayweather. Pacquiao will crack his ribs. In the words of Roach, Mayweather is a “fragile guy”. Amen to that.
ROACH IS A PROPHET.
Pacman’s reach disadvantage is easily negated by his quick in and out footwork. How PBF handles Pacman’s ability to dart in and out will be a determinant as to who wins.
Pacquiao is faster, quicker and stronger than any fighter Mayweather has ever faced. He is probably faster, quicker and stronger than Mayweather himself, and throws more punches than almost anyone in boxing. He’s got great head and foot movement as well as lots of agility and stamina.
The only problem that I see with Pacquiao following this game plan is that he is too short and doesn’t have the reach as Oscar but I think that he has his speed and power to make up for all of this.
The only thing that Mayweather has going for him is to try and take the fight by running and dancing like he has never done before. Remember though, you can’t win a fight on defense alone.
We’ll never know until they put it on the line in the ring!
And Mayweather didn’t get a split decision against De la Hoya because of Freddie Roach. He got a split decision because of an either inept or corrupt judge. That fight was not close. If you go back and look at the fight the first 8 rounds of the fight were land slides in Mayweather’s favor. As far as punches landed. And, Oscar’s pinning of Mayweather against the ropes was nothing but a bunch of flailing inaccuracy in which a couple times Mayweather countered with body shots that had De la Hoya retreating and another time when he countered with perfect chin shot right threw the middle of Oscar’s flailing punches that had him on queer legs. Oscar’s only good punches were each a right hook that came at the end of the 11th and 12th rounds.
Smart analysis, great read! Thanks.
Excellent analysis. One thing you left out about how Mayweather. He is very good at in fighting. Sneaky body punching and using his forearms/elbows to create leverage offensively and defensively are some of his least spoken of attributes as a fighter. How will Pacquiao deal with that? I’ve never seen a fighter do that to him. Which is one of the reasons that I thought Hatton might give him trouble. But, Hatton either didn’t try or just didn’t last long enough to even start in fighting with him.
This is a good arguement. I agree with both of your response as I am thinking of the same thing. When I think of Pacquiao and Mayweather bout, I dont know if you have seen the first time Manny got a championship belt. It was in Thailand many years ago against Chacksai Sasakul(sorry if the spelling is wron). Pacquiao was being hit on all angles. I thought it was over but Pacquiao was more determined and had one punch to the chin of Sasakul, his face turned from confident to fear. Mayweather is a defensive boxer but he cant hide from Pacquiao the whole 12 rounds. And one punch is all it takes…..
Indeed there are a lot of differences between Dela Hoya and manny pacquiao in terms of phyical matter but for the record manny beaten dela hoya in a stunning way…. In my own perspective i don’t think mayweather can take the pressure out of pacman, Mayweather will try to run and dance from those combinations but Manny is as fast or even faster than mayweather so he can retrieve all night long but he will still get caught by pacman’s lethal combinations… Pacman already proven what his capable of in terms of taking punches from one of the strongest boxer in welterweight division miguel cotto… mayweather don’t know how to handle serious pressure becuase he was never been beaten, so once manny hit this guy for sure he will experience real threat and he will feel what great fighters felt when they fought Manny Pacquiao…
Manny Pacquiao by K.O in 10th Round
I mean will win
Pacquaio struggle from a counter puncher and it’s a fact, I guess that will be the story of the fight if it will happen. Although I hope Pacquaio will happen
I’m with you on this one .. To tough too call but if there’s anybody out there capable of pulling this out , its the PacMan . PBF has excellent defense , I’ll give him that but can he take a punch? Damn it , Floyd just sign the contract and let’s make this happen . I’m getting numb from all the garbage coming out of the mouth of the Mayweathers especially Sr.