Is Manny Pacquiao running away from the top welters?

By Boxing News - 11/26/2014 - Comments

pacGerardo Granados: The current WBO welter belt holder Manny Pacquiao looked great dismantling a limited Chris Algieri; doing an easy job out of a former light welter who´s own corner unbelievably even told him that everything was perfect after the fourth round! I never expected that Manny would be in any danger but I was surprised to see that Algieri game plan to fight Pacquiao was simply to stay alive for the full twelve rounds. I scored the bout 120-101 for the clear winner and can’t believe one fight judge gave the loser one round; if you are the challenger you must press the fight for at least once per round if you expect to win the fight or at least a round.

Pacquiao tried his best to knock Algieri out, dropping him six times but the challenger to the title was simply too good at running backwards for the full fight and also was able to take a lot of punishment. But still I can conclude that Manny´s power is as good as ever and it is a shame he didn’t have a real opponent inside the ring last Saturday to test him.

Why would a fighter who still has the skills and punching power to compete at his weight decide to move down? Manny has been a welter since 2009 and never looked to struggle to hurt any of his rivals; in fact he has floored or hurt many of his rivals at that weight. Since Adrien Broner moved up to the welter division the reader could tell he lost a little on his punches and also that he wasn’t able to walk down a welter as he previously did to super feathers or lightweights but Manny is a different story.

There are a couple of interesting welters that could represent a real challenge to Manny due their hunger and punching power. If size was an issue then Pacquiao should have moved down five years ago. Keith Thurman, Kell Brook, Devon Alexander, Shawn Porter and the long awaited fight against Floyd Mayweather are bouts that would prove once and for all that Pacquiao still can handle real top welters too.

Miguel Cotto was a solid welter by the time Pacquiao defeated him but what about the rest that moved up and fought at catch weight? Joshua Clottey was a good welter but his lack of effort to win was even worse than Algieri´s. I won’t give much valor to the Margarito fight due obvious reasons. Shane Mosley was a past prime welter who after been knocked down decided to touch gloves with Pacquiao for the rest of the bout.

After May 2011 Pacquiao hasn’t faced fighters from the welterweight division. Juan Manuel Marquez moved up from lightweight to welter and got robbed. Tim Bradley moved up from light welter and robbed Pacquiao. Marquez moved up from light welter and ko´ed Pacquiao. Brandon Rios moved up from light welter. Chris Algieri moved up from light welter. Before Bradley rematch, Tim defended his welter strap against: light welter champion Ruslan Provodnikov, light welter Juan Manuel Marquez and then lost his belt against Pacquiao; Bradley never faced the mandatory challenger or even faced a ranked welter contender before the unnecessary rematch.

I am convinced that at 140 Manny would be even more dangerous, his already good speed could increase and also his work rate, his punching power would do more damage but his chin would still be the same. So I hope if he decides to move down Pacquiao doesn’t ends up fighting foes like undefeated Cesar Rene Cuenca (W47(2)-L-D) who is a good boxer but lacks good punching power (no disrespect meant). Other boxing greats have been brutally knocked out and have been able to recuperate to take on dangerous punchers, the only way to know if Manny has fully recovered from his KO loss is to get into the ring against a solid puncher.

Maybe if Pacquiao moves down to 140 he will finally fight his mandatory challenger and stop picking fighters from the lower divisions to fight him, I wonder if Mickey Garcia will end up fighting him or any of the lightweight belt holders.

For the veteran lion king Manny Pacquiao there still are good fights to be made at the welter division, there is good money to be earned and for me his skills seem to be good enough to compete against any of the top welters; so why would Pacman decide to move down. Is it because Pacquiao is running away from the top welters?



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