How Good is Pacquiao?
November 16th, 2009
By Glen Anglin: I now think that in terms of career accomplishments, Pacquiao is the best fighter under welterweight in the last 50 years. Yes, that includes Duran. And Whitaker, Pryor, Arguello, Jones, Chavez, Sanchez, Lopez, Nelson, Gomez, or any other you can name; any small man since the 60’s. In terms of ring accomplishments, he outshines them all. He really is THAT good.
The most amazing of the lot is of course the Cotto fight. Early on in this fight, Puerto Rican star landed good punches on Manny. Some were excellent jabs, and some were hard, flat-footed hooks to the head and body. Cotto was in the fight and doing well. During this timeframe and defying both common sense and corner instructions, Pacquiao backed into the ropes and actually INVITED the supposedly stronger Cotto to come in and hit him. Cotto would then oblige him by flurrying to the body and head. In return, Pacquiao would……………smile. Or goad Cotto to hit him more. When asked about this tactic after the fight, Pacquiao replied that he wanted to test Cotto’s vaunted power. Think about it, during the ostensibly biggest, most difficult fight of his career, Pacquiao spent a good portion of the first two rounds conducting an experiment. This was not rope-a-dope in order to exhaust an opponent. This was Pacquiao deliberately allowing Cotto to hit him in order to gather intelligence that would help him decide on his tactics for the rest of the fight. I guess it’s time to add ‘magnificent fighting brain’ on top of all the other Pacquiao attributes.
After fighting well in the first third of the fight, Cotto had the wind taken from his sails by two where-the-heck-did-that-come-from knockdowns and many other damaging, clean punches. Cotto began to swell, bleed and by the 9th round, run. It was obvious that he wanted NO PART of Pacquiao anymore as he was reduced to running away for fear of being blazed again and again by the Fantastic Fistic Filipino. Cotto is a terrific fighter and Pacquiao beat him like a rug, even toyed with him.
After the match, Pacquiao was his old smiling, sweet self. He did not bellow about his greatness or his accumulated wealth; instead he used his new English to sincerely praise Cotto’s strength and ability. When asked what he intended to do, he replied that he wanted to spend time with his family. Boxing needs more gentlemen like Pacquiao.
One like him is Miguel Cotto. Rarely have I seen a boxer man-up and talk freely about such a revealing defeat. Props to Cotto as a talented ring warrior and all around dignified, class act.
Surprisingly, the future of the Pacquiao career looks almost at exciting as the recent past! There are several potential intriguing matches that can be made. However I think that the two most difficult for Pacquiao at 147 pounds are Paul Williams and Floyd Mayweather. Williams, a tall perpetual punching machine may be able to out-bang Manny using his long arms and work rate. A full half-foot taller than Pacquiao, Manny would find it difficult to connect on the lanky, hyperactive Williams. (By the way, I think Williams can defeat anybody at 147).
Mayweather however presents a different challenge. In a gritty, toe-to-toe brawl, I think Manny would clean PBF’s clock. Here’s why: all of Manny’s previous larger opponents (Diaz, ODLH, Hatton, Cotto) attempted to come forward and impress their superior size and strength on him. They all employed the standard big man versus little man strategy: walk forward, fight big, make it a contest of physical strength. In turn, they were all beaten to a pulp by the smaller man. The same would happen in a punch-up with PBF. Manny’s hand and foot speed, herky-jerky upper body movement, unorthodox punching angles, and yes, hard chin, will give him the edge over the great PBF in this kind of fight. BUT, as we all know, Floyd will never be sucked into a real fight. PBF will not come to win the fight; he will come to edge the scoring. He is too smart to mix it up with Pacquiao. This kind of match, in which PBF excels, would be an unexciting chess match that would favor the exquisite skills of PBF. He will fight Pacquiao like he is cracking a safe, never deviating from his game plan, never taking chances. He will throw punches sparingly, flurry occasionally, lean back and roll his shoulders to avoid getting hit, and win rounds. In this way, he can get a decision win over Manny, much the same way he did with Marquez.
Finally, I want to address the ridiculous, infantile hatred of Pacquiao by far too many Latino fight fans. Of course the reason for this jealousy and hatred is obvious (Barrera, Morales, Diaz, Marquez, ODLH, Cotto), but for Pete’s sake, give it a rest. You only make yourselves look like pouting children pitching a fit because none of Manny Pacquiao’s matches end the way you want. I suggest you learn to face facts and deal with Pacquiao’s unmitigated greatness. It will be easier for you to sleep at night.
Let me conclude by saying I picked Cotto to win. I thought the fight was basically even, but that Cotto’s size and power would give Manny trouble. Boy was I wrong.
Tags: 46 Responses to “How Good is Pacquiao?”
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One thing I am is a Boxing Fan first and a Pacquiao fan second. I am Filipino and honestly I been watching Cotto since he knocked out his fellow countryman with a fatal shot to the kidneys. I honesty couldn’t call it. I had doubts about how Pacquiao was going beat Cotto. Because for one Cotto can bang it out. He can take shots from the best. To make excuses for the fighters is to void achievements of Manny which is what haters do. The fighters don’t make excuses so don’t step up for them and make excuses. You’re really taking away dignity from the fighters when you do that. Cotto manned up and took this fight, he alone is responsible for the consequences. Sure Margarito beat him up badly, but then Cotto also knows he cheated. But he’s humble enough to go on to the next one and keep boxing and not worry about the loss. You prepare as much as you can, and then you go in the ring alone. Warriors fight, and that’s that. They don’t question another’s integrity because it’s not their job. Losses either make or break you. It’s easier to believe that Pacman is on PED’s than to believe that maybe Pacquiao works extremely hard to be in the condition he is. He also has the best trainer who studies the opponent and trains Pacquiao for his specific habits. Which is why Pac is different everytime which makes him unpredictable already, to an extent at least. Pacquiao has been clean, and the tests by the NSAC are random already. He’s always been knocking people out. To me it seems only right that he gets more powerful as he puts on more muscle. How he keeps his speed is a nervous system training (plyometrics). His foot work matches his hand speed. He is not as fast as he used to be. Featherweight/ Light weight he had ridiculous speed. But the more weight you put on the slower he has become. He hasn’t maintained the exact speed, he just will always be faster than the rest. Stop hating, he has never ducked anyone, he fights people who they think he can’t beat then he does and after he does people will make an excuse for who he beat (i.e. old, beaten, washed up, etc) which is just plain stupid.
Artel is the man he is right. We are lucky to have live and witness pacman. It’s even a pleasure for me to have lunch with pacman in June 2001 when nobody knew him. I hanged out with him coz my uncle was one of his promoters in the Phil. He is truly a nice, humble guy. And so cool to hang out with. He always knows how to have fun whether it be practicing boxing, playing bball, dart, billiard, dance, sing, he does so many things and gives money away and never shows off. He is not only the best boxer but one of the coolest guys to hang with
Liam & Manuel are LOVERS. They should be writing in celebrity mags instead of sports websites.
let me know wha you think.. hoiw bout manny verus floyd over 15 to break convention and return to old school. both can do it.
@….
It’s OK to test the power, but when your head swells up and you need to have it wrapped, that’s lack of defense. Pac can take punches, but his lack of defense will be exposed with the right fighter. Like Mayweather and Mosley or prime Duran, DLH and Whitaker.
i can believe you are compared pac with all those legends,you must be such a jerk, all of them were fighting many good fighters and none of them asked for catchweight as pac,pac just fought diaz,oscar, hatton; and the other two morales,marquez. if you watched pac vs morales 1 that one was before pac start to ask for the catchweight and marquez 1 and 2 you would see what is a bloody face,SO for what I see boxing is just business and those guys desire who wins
Excuses Sharpie…why can’t you just admit like Cotto that Pac was a better fighter? Did you not see th Clottey fight when Cotto beat him with a gash over his eye for nine rounds? Every one said Clottey was a beast…Truth is, Cotto never recovered from the 4th round knock down, which is why he spent most of the time backpedaling.
Being Argentinian, and a huge boxing fan for the last 30 years. I’ve come to the conclusion that Manny Pacquiao is, most definitely without question one of the all-time boxing greats. I’ve been blessed by being able to see Arguello, Pryor, Salvador Sanchez, Wilfredo Gomez, Hagler, Hearns Duran and Leonard. Manny, to me redefined the sport of boxing. Just like like Robinson did in the 40′s, JaCK Johnson in the 20′s, Ali in the 60′s and early 70′s (along with Duran). Manny’s frenetic style like a cross between Armstrong and Duran is so exciting to watch. Haters…stop hating and just enjoy. 10-20 years from now, you’ll be able to tell your children that you had the pleasure to watch the great Manny Pacquiao.
Truth be told, Pacquiao has not beaten anybody with name that hasn’t been softened by somebody else or by Father Time. Like Dela Hoya, that was Cotto’s shell out there on Nov 14. No bulk, no confidence, no pop after three rounds. Margarito’s ghost thrives in his psyche. Pacquiao is good, but to call him ATG is stretching it too far. Reserve that lunacy for Arum.
Liam Santiago = Manny Perez
Don’t know why there are a lot of Pacman bashers … these people have no idea how to box, all talk … they think they are better than those who actually DO! They think they are experts but guess what? THEY ARE ALL LOSERS .. Pacman has remained the WINNER … so go ahead and keep bashing him … Pacman will continue to do his thing (WIN) and your boys will continue to do their thing (LOSE with excuses). Kudos to Cotto (he is the only one who did not whine or give any excuse). You should all be ashamed … it is not you who are in the ring losing .. and you have all these excuses … Just keep your thoughts to yourself or prove it in the ring .. oops I guess you can’t do it .. LOSERS!!!
@ ZKO
didn’t you hear manny in the interview? the reason being that he lets cotto punch him is that he is just measuring cotto’s power, and like the announcers say, manny can take punches from a true welterweight… he knows what he’s doing… manny has a great chin..
his better than duran,wtf are u saying im a pinoy but will not consider him as better than duran,boxing is just kind to pacman and who the hell is diaz and hatton or the zombie hoya against leonard…..
I dont think Manny Perez and Liam Santiago are real people. I think they are role players whose intention is to generate more traffic on this website. No one can be so dumb. Hence, if no one talks or reacts to them, they will go away
I’m really surprised that people actually read articles written by these 2 writers who obviously have extreme hatred for Pacquiao. It’s really intriguing how they suck in people and get their attention.
It’s not easy when a fighter of great accomplishments like Manny is on top. Think of it this way, for every one loser who hates Manny, there is one who believes in him.
I’m a big pacman fan and I know that it’s really foolish for Pacman to try it at 147. Roach knows pacman would have a problem fighting it out against the contenders in that weight division so they asked for a 145 limit.
Those who like to be remembered great and wants a piece of Pacquaio agreed to it. Let’s face it, beating Pacquaio would really boost your ranking. And I admire Cotto for that. He’s a brave warrior. Too bad it didn’t go that its way against our man, Manny Pacquiao.
I also admire Mosley for his willingness to go down up to 140 pounds to fight Pacquaio. by this fact alone, they consider Pacman’s greatness and what it would do to their career. But I’d like to see this happen at 145 to be competitive. I don;t see any problem for Mosley going down the weight sincve he’s naturally a smaller guy than most of the welterweights.
I just have to say Pacquaio can beat Paul Williams at 145 because Willaims would practically be weight-drained and he’s reach & height advantage would be overshadowed by Pacquaio’s quickness.
The only reason Pacquaio fought DLH at 147 because Roach saw firsthand that DLH can no longer compete much with the likes of Pacquaio.
“Zee zee says” I agree w/u completely pacman is no good he is not the best boxer because he is a GOD of boxers. U bring ur dispute with “Bakser says” and not me, perhaps U will be enlightened…Mayweather isnt a BOXER but a sprinter/RUNNER trying to box. I will never watch a Pacman vs Mayweather match its a boring fight. It is not a fight, just running away from pacman not worth my time and money.
Hey Glen, great article. Can you please mail a copy of this to m. perez hilton & l. ‘satan’go?
You are a good writer and admits your wrong predictions. You are a real man. My hats off to you.
My opinion of Cotto has greatly increased after his words about Pacquiao being a great fighter.
Isn’t Paul now campaigning at Jr. Middleweight? His size fits that division..he should try Yuri Foreman..he may have hard time going back to welterweight..but in any case, he and Manny eventually meet…I still think Pacman will find ways to beat him as he always does..he always does his homework well..and I think Floyd will not last 5 rounds with Manny shoulder roll or running..Marquez caught him with some nice punches and if it were Manny’s then he would have gone down too!
People need some perspective. Cotto is coming off 2 brutal beatings from Margs and Clottey
anybody thats been around boxing kmows that an important measure of a fighter is how effective they are when they move up. Pacquaios “brain trust” should have fought Cotto straight up. Can you picture Ray Robinson telling Maxim, “Sure I’ll fight you, but at 170. Dumb move.
Liam and Manuel are not Latino. their just 2 jealous Filipino who doesn’t want to see their own countryman prosper.
pacman, did you say never say never? really? can pacquiao beat paul williams? i don’t think so. but so many naysayers have been all dead wrong. however, i don’t think manny will fight paul. and that is why roberto duran is far better — he fought hearns despite the motor city cobra’s size advantage. whereas pacquiao demands a catch weight.
Thats the way it is, good article!
there is a reason why MAYWEATHER is 39-0 because he is the one of the, (if not the greatest) boxer not fighter, not slugger, not brawler, BOXER ever, compaired to Ali and more…..
manny’s face was bad in this fight, and this is cotto, just see how mayweather will do to him,
just imagine what PACMAN does to mayweather if he fights like the JMM fight.
fatton is over rated he need to fight timothy
he got beaten up by JMM
david diaz is a club fighter who won the WBC title from morales in cheating style.
he fought a weight drained de la hoya,
he fought an over rated FATTON
the only achievment i give PACMAN is the cotto fight.
but let me tell you some thing, PACMAN has the fastest hands in boxing, and regardless of opposition PACMAN will KO them in the first few rounds or stop you.
Well, I do not think Pac beats a prime DLH, Whitaker and Duran. Also, I do not think he beats current Mosley or Mayweather. One thing everyone needs to understand is that Pac takes too many shots. Dude had his head all wrapped up after the fight.
He would overwhelm another fighter that lacks defense, however the elite fighter that has defense and ability to punch will beat him. I included Whitaker on the list of fighters that would beat Pac because his defense was exceptional even amongst the elites.
“happens it will be the biggest fight in the history of boxing. period.”
biggest fight in the history of any fighting sport
^^^^^^^^^^^^
manny is a huge amazing humble role model bringing pride and hope to a country of 90million people who have nothing! and through him they can stand with there heads held high! and thats just the phillippines. he has countless tens of millions more fans and by the time the floyd fight happens if it ever happens it will be the biggest fight in the history of boxing. period.
so no and im talking persificaly pac man here he cant be compared to the greats of the past becuse there is only 1 of each of the greats and pac man is a great of the present. and will affect far more people and lives then any other boxer previously so probably the greatest of all time
james is just ignorant. PACMAN is boxing GOD!
Pacquiao, or any modern day boxers don’t come close to the greats of the past. Modern day boxers have everything set out for them, the best of everything. Plus they only box 2-3 times a year. This is not taking anything away from boxers like Pacquiao and his accomplishments, he is breaking records and creating his own legacy.
But it’s not as life changing as past greats achievements.
Ali – changed the world, changed the face of boxing, and showed how to overcome adversity in and out of the ring.
Duran, Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, The Fabulous Four – produced the greatest rivalry ever seen in the sport, brought people back to the sport when interest was waning. (boxing may not be as big as it is today if these four boxers hadnt captivated public interest)
And finally, Robinson – The Greatest of All Time.
Let todays boxers craft out there own legacy, but I don’t believe they can be compared to the greats of the past.
James,
Have you tried to have a diet of 5 huge meals mainly with white rice before?
Pair that with insanely non-stop workouts. I mean dedication to perfect every part of your workout.
Maybe one day, you too can lose that Bridgestone hanging around your waist.
Good article – I agree with you on Williams at 147
Me and Manuel Perez are Latino’s!!!
By Liam Santiago, Before the Fight:
I am sticking by the statement I made a couple of weeks back. If Miguel Cotto loses to Manny Pacquiao on November 14th, I will never write another boxing article. If Pacquiao can, somehow, pull off the win, it will be a very emotional day. Tears will flow. However, anyone with a decent knowledge of boxing will understand, the odds are stacked against Pac-Man.
Lets remember, Cotto will not be coming into this fight dehydrated, ”dead at the weight”, like De La Hoya was. He will not have a useless trainer in his corner, who will destroy his mental focus and preparation, like Hatton did. And, by what I hear, he will not peak three weeks prior to the fight, like Hatton did. Cotto has a much better defence than Hatton, he has a great jab and under rated speed. The Puerto Rican phenomenon also…
By Liam Santiago, Nov 15, 2009:
I said before the fight that if Cotto loses I would quit my job. Wrong again. If only Pacquiao did not beat such a weight dead, shot fighter, I would walk away. But, the way I see it is he did not beat Cotto, he beat a ghost of Cotto. Not only did Pacquiao drag Cotto down from his usual welterweight limit, he also forced him to put his title on the line. What is boxing coming to.
Pacman VS PBF? is akin to UZI submachine gun VS paintball gun
Paintball gun are just all talk and run….
keep dreaming, Pacman is the man
good article Glen Anglin….
all of them can beat pacquiao….
but pacquiao got the 7th weight division….
is there anyone else does that….???
I also picked cotto, i dont think he will ever be the same as he was before margarito though.
same way people said theres no way pac could beat oscar, hatton and cotto…never say never my friend
Change the article’s name – How GREAT is Pacquiao?
Excellent writing, Mr. Anglin. Biblically speaking, the HUMBLE shall be exalted.
Manny is admired for his humility. Mayweather is loathed for his shallow boasting.
Stop it! There’s no way Pac beats a prime Duran! NO WAY!!
Just because you say so? bla bla bla!!
Good article! But I also think Shane could beat Pacquiao!