By Chris Williams: Manny Pacquiao is reportedly using former UFC fighter Dashon Johnson as one of his many sparring partners to help him get ready for his May 2nd fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Johnson had a 0-2 record in UFC competition, and it’s unclear how Johnson can help Pacquiao prepare for a fighter like Mayweather.
As a boxer, Johnson has a record of 15-19-3, 5 KOs). That’s not very good, is it? About the only thing that Johnson has in common with Mayweather is his height. Even in that area, they’re still different, as Johnson is 5’9” compared to the 5’8” Mayweather.
“Honestly, it’s a dream come true. Watching Manny over the years, and seeing him progress, and him actually having me in camp for arguably the biggest fight in history, it’s honestly a blessing,” Johnson said via esnewsreporting.com.
Having Johnson work as one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners has Freddie Roach written all over it. This looks like one of Roach’s genius moves in adding a guy who clearly can’t be of any help in getting Pacquiao prepared for what Mayweather will be bringing to the table. Roach also has WBA junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara working as one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners.
That move is a little more logical except when you factor in that the 5’10” Lara is a southpaw and he weighs in the 170s compared to the 150 pounds Mayweather typically weighs for his fights. They might as well have brought Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in for one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners because that’s how much help Pacquiao will get from using both Lara and Dashon Johnson to try and prepare for what Mayweather will be bringing to the table on May 2nd.
Unless Roach is going to have Pacquiao use MMA moves on Mayweather in this fight, it’s a complete waste of time in employing Dashon Johnson as one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners. About the only thing that Johnson can help Pacquiao with is take down methods and possibly arm bars. Seriously, I don’t how it benefits Pacquiao at all to use an MMA guys with a boxing record of 15-19-3 to try and prepare for Mayweather.
Roach likes to say that the preparation that Pacquiao will be getting from his sparring will help him be ready for what Mayweather will be bringing to this fight, but I’m not sure that I agree with that. None of the guys that they have working with the 36-year-old Pacquiao have the same kind of style of talent that Mayweather has, and it’s pretty much worthless for Pacquiao. He might have been better not to have done any sparring at all, and instead just focus on his stamina and speed for the fight.
Pacquiao has got to come up with some kind of angle that he can use for this fight for him to have a chance against Mayweather, because all the things that he’s done in the past will likely come up empty against Mayweather on May 2nd at the MGM Grand. Mayweather won’t fall for the old in and out style of fighting that Pacquiao will be looking to use in the fight.
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