By Chris Williams: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan says he’s doing really well in his sparring sessions with Manny Pacquiao, and sparring him to an even standstill. It’s hard to imagine Khan being able to spar on even terms with Pacquiao. This most really be a sign that Pacquiao is slipping as a fighter and getting old.
Either that or maybe the weight is effecting him to the point where he can no longer dominate fighters like Khan. On East Side Boxing’s On the Ropes Boxing Radio, Khan says “I sparred with him [Pacquiao] after defeat two years ago. I did really well with him then, but this time I’ve done even better and it just shows how much I’ve come on since I’ve been training with Manny. It’s a 50-50 spar. You know we’re both learning. Some days I have a good day, but some days Manny has a good day.”
I really have a bad feeling about Pacquiao and his next fight against Antonio Margarito. It’s one thing to hear about how bad Pacquiao’s been looking, but to hear Khan bragging about getting the better of Pacquiao and fighting him on even terms during sparring. I think Pacquiao is starting old and showing signs of slowing down.
If Pacquiao can’t regularly beat up a fighter like Khan, then he must be slipping bad. My suggestion is for Pacquiao to move back down to the lightweight division and get Alex Ariza to put him on a lean diet and have him work on Pacquiao’s speed 24/7. He’s got to get his diminishing hand speed back.
I know Bob Arum is talking about having Pacquiao fight twice at welterweight next year. Pacquiao needs to veto that, because it’s pretty clear Arum is going to match Pacquiao back up with Miguel Cotto in a pointless fight and then probably Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Pacquiao doesn’t need those fights. He needs to move back down and fight Juan Manuel Marquez at lightweight, and then Brandon Rios. Pacquiao doesn’t need to go over old ground and fight Cotto again, and I don’t know how he can fight Chavez Jr.
I thought he was supposed to be fighting Cotto. I can see Pacquiao easily beating Cotto and Chavez, but why? What’s the point? The better fights are at lightweight, and Pacquiao is looking sluggish carrying around 140+ pounds on his small frame. He needs to lose the weight and get his speed back at lightweight. I think Pacquiao is getting old. And when a fighter gets old, sometimes it’s better for them to drop weight and beat up on smaller fighters to prolong their career.
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