By Colman Corrigan: When the bell rang after the 12th round on March 14th we all thought the next time we would see Manny Pacquiao in a boxing ring would be against Floyd “Money” Mayweather.After pummeling Joshua Clottey for 36 gruesome minutes attention turned to the “Pacman’s” next opponent. It’s a fight everyone wanted to see, the two best boxers in the world going toe to toe, it would be everything we love in boxing. A cocky, brash, loudmouth American against a quiet unassuming family man from the Philippines.. The slick defensive counter puncher against the ferocious attacking whirlwind and the age old battle of Orthodox vs Southpaw.
These two completely different characters need each other for one simple reason, a word thrown around to often in boxing. Greatness. For these men, a legacy of greatness can only be rubber stamped by beating the other, think Ali vs Frazier, an epic trilogy of bouts that defined each man. Pacquiao needs Mayweather to prove he can handle boxers, doubts were raised when Juan Manuel Marquez gave him hell in their three fights. Smashing Clottey, Cotto and Hatton doesn’t turn Pacquaio into an all time great. Mayweather needs Pacquiao because he is the ultimate test, beating a prime Pacquiao silences all the critics who have described him as protecting his 0 by fighting over the hill fighters and running away from them in boring fights.
Thinking of the fight itself is a mouthwatering prospect for all pugilistic followers. It raises so many questions. Who has the faster hands? Can Mayweather handle Pacquaiao’s power? How good are Pacquiao’s defenses? Can Pacquiao get to the holy grail that is Mayweather’s body? With all the action going on inside the ring there is a battle of trainers going on outside. Roger Mayweather vs Freddie Roach. Two of the greatest minds to ever be in someones corner. Who’s game plan will come out on top?
As “The Pretty Boy” has said, “there’s no blueprint to beat me”. But if there is one man on this planet who can possibly get rid of the turkey egg on Mayweather’s record then its “The Pacman”. When you step into the ring against Manny Pacquiao its not a pleasant place to be, It’s a storm of right hooks, whipping left hands and whatever other punches he can muster from his varied arsenal of punches. Small and quiet he maybe but once those Cleto Reyes gloves are firmly strapped on it’s a Jekyll and Hyde transformation. He seems to come at you from angles seemingly beyond 360 degrees. The power he possesses is frightening, ask Ricky Hatton what happened when he was rooting for loose change in his pockets against Pacquiao. He met the business end of “The Pacman’s” left hand and it was good night Vienna so to speak.
But look at Mayweather and what do we see? The quintessential boxer. Fast hands, great footwork, good use of the jab and defenses that seem almost airtight. Barry McGuigan said after Ricky Hatton faced Floyd, “You couldn’t hit him with a handful of rice”. The troubling thing is that Floyd is so good you wouldn’t put that feat past him. Floyd’s is one of the greatest defensive fighters ever, no doubt. He has perfected the shoulder roll so that anyone coming in throwing looping right hands and left hooks will be hitting fresh air or pummeling his soft cushioned Grant instead of landing on his chin. Floyd’s defense is one of the greatest sights in boxing, anyone can let the leather fly once they step into a ring but to show reflexes like he does is the sign of true talent. But to hold the view Floyd is merely a product of desirable genetics is wrong, no one trains harder than Floyd, he spends countless hours in the gym turning himself into boxing perfection. Even in the early hours of the morning he trains, he has said “When your sleeping I’m working, and when your working I’m working even harder”, few can disagree with this statement.
So why all the Floyd critics? Some describe him as a boxer who runs around the ring picking single shots and running away again. He isn’t a fighter in the eyes of many. Merely a loudmouth, scared and cocky American who needs to get whats coming to him. The term coward is thrown around too often with regards to Floyd. Is this cowardly behavior? Getting a man angry with trash talk (which is purely part of the business) so that when his opponent walks into the ring he want’s to rip Floyd’s head off, standing on the ropes letting his opponent throw his hardest shots and see them whistle by his face and then when the time is right precede to outbox him. A coward is someone who runs away from a challenge. Is Floyd a coward if he takes part in a sport where ropes enclose the ring.
For most British fans the 1st proper sight of Floyd was against Ricky Hatton. Hatton was on the crest of a wave and Floyd was standing in the way. Hatton’s pressure fighter style was the only way he could box and his plan was to get close, out-muscle Floyd and let his vicious shots go. Looking back on it now how naive the game plan was. Floyd showed he was a master on the inside, Hatton couldn’t get his shots off and it was Floyd who punished Ricky’s body with stinging jabs and right hands. It all started so brightly, a Hatton jab in the 1st round caught Floyd off balance and nearly caused a knockdown, The crowd went wild, Hatton came forward but in truth it was the worst thing that could happen to him. He kept marching forward and once Floyd found his timing it ended in a fashion we were going to see again. Floyd lying on the canvas with the “Rockstar” logo in the background.
We all know Manny’s nickname. “The Pacman”, if you think of the arcade game it’s relevant to Manny latest opponents, Manny was the relentless figure chomping through his opponents who couldn’t get out of the way. Clottey, Cotto and Hatton all were stuck in the ground and couldn’t move around the ring so were all sitting ducks for Manny’s vicious attacks. This will not be the case when, wait “if” Manny faces Floyd. Floyd will give Manny footwork he has never seen before and this could frustrate Manny as he will be used to getting to opponents early on.
Next up for Pacquiao is Antonio Margarito on November 13th in the magnificent setting of the Dallas Cowboys stadium Texas. The controversial Mexican who possibly took Roberto Duran’s nickname a little to literally. All the other goings on aside this has the makings of an enjoyable fight. These men are both warriors who aren’t afraid to take a punch to land a few back, both men are extremely fit so stamina won’t be a problem, However i dont believe the timekeeper will need to ring the bell the signal the start of round 12. Pacquiao’s power and speed will be too much for the epitomy of Mexican pressure fighter in Antonio Margarito, Margarito will give Pacquiao some problems but the Mexican has to remember he is in the ring with a master blaster in the shape of “The Pacman”. The best way to deal with Margarito is to hurt him so that he’s reluctant when he’s marching foward, look at how Shane Mosley destroyed him, Mosley had power to go with his accuracy and Margarito couldn’t change his tactics so walked onto vicious shots and in the end he was dramatically stopped in what was viewed as a shock by many. Pacquiao will aim to do the same and and once he feels the time is right the Pacquiao storm will target Antonio Margarito and i fear the worst for the Mexican. he’ll need to have more than plaster of paris in his wraps to beat the Filipino sensation.
So its not “Money” vs Manny as we had so dearly wished but hopefully the fight we all want to see is just on the horizon. But for now however we will have to make do with Pacquiao vs Margarito and i believe we will see the much maligned Mexican lying on his back looking up at the bright lights of the Dallas Stadium. Good luck Antonio you’ll need it.
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