Lightweight Pac shocks the world!

posted at boxing capital dot com
december 8, 2008
[link]

Chinibog ng buhay. He's got eaten alive. The flavour is totally lost in the translation, but the colourful Filipino phrase explains the manner in which Manny Pacquiao (now 48-3, 36 KOs) literally annihilated the much bigger Oscar De La Hoya (now 39-6, 30 KOs) in their welterweight bout Saturday night (6th December 2008). Pacquaio has not only eaten Oscar alive; he also made Oscar continually eat lots of his trademark straight lefts and every other punch in his repetoire.

This Pacquiao achieved in spite of leapfrogging a division and meeting De La Hoya at a weight class many believed too big for him. Everybody, this writer included, dismissed the fight beforehand as a huge mismatch and a farcical event not worthy of any attention. But, because of the manner in which the reigning pound for pound king systematically broke down and eventually disposed of his highly favoured opponent, the fight did not look anything remotely farcical; quite the contrary in fact. It was a brilliant exhibition of a game plan that was masterfully executed to perfection, nullifying the huge size advantage of one by exceptional fast hands and feet and tremendous heart by the other.

The boxing experts and self-styled critics were right in one thing though, that the fight was a huge mismatch. It did turn out to be a huge mismatch. Only, they were wrong about who was going to get outmatched badly.

The first round saw the two fighters sizing up each other. De La Hoya tried to establish his left jab, the respected launch pad of his attacks, while Pacquiao tried to measure his reach to that of De La Hoya's as well as the spaces he would need in launching his own attacks from a variety of angles. De La Hoya gained a little success in sticking his left jab early on the first round but failed to build from it as Pacquiao proved to be too slippery for him.

As De La Hoya miserably failed to set up his jab in the early going, Pacquio successfully established his trademark straight left during the first round, which would pose constant problems for De La Hoya throughout the fight. He had no answer to that beautiful roll of his little opponent-a swift straight left to his face, quickly followed by a side step to his right side and a pivot-when moving in, sometimes under his left jab.

That sublime movement simply dictated the complexion of the whole fight. Pacquiao was everywhere in the ring and De La Hoya never had a stationary target, save for very few occasions. After three rounds, where every indication that De La Hoya's legs weren't there and he was no match to his lightning quick opponent had all been laid-out and exposed totally, Pacquiao then stepped up his attack in the fourth.

He was all over the ring hitting De La Hoya with every kind of shot find in the book: a right jab, a double right jab, a quick left cross to the face, a right hook to the temple and everywhere else along with a barrage of lefts and rights to the body. The Pinoy whirlwind almost connected at will from every conceivable angle. The compubox statistics recorded his power punches connecting at an astonishing rate of 59% compared to 31% of De La Hoya. It was simply a demonstration of utter dominance.

De La Hoya for his part tried his everything to find Pacquiao with his left jab. But you can't hit somebody who is not there. Pacquiao was constantly moving all the time, side to side, repeatedly darting in and out of range and always keeping De La Hoya busy in finding his balance and the mark for his much vaunted left. But Pacquiao was as invisible as he was ferocious in his assaults. By round five, it appeared that Oscar was fighting a losing battle and by the sixth, he already lost it. He was being outclassed totally and the Pinoy lefty was all over him, pummelling him with everything from all angles. De La Hoya did have some moments against Pacquiao: two big straight rights, each in the third and the fourth in addition to three left hooks all to Pacquiao's head during the fifth. But aside from those De La Hoya's very few moments of success in the bout, it was all Pacquiao's show.

At the closing round of the first half of the bout, De La Hoya seemed to have lost his will to win and the threat of his left hook and him being a much bigger guy was gone. Oscar has no answer to the puzzle that was the beautiful straight left of his opponent. He'd already been defeated mentally and all resistance and threat he could pose had been nullified by Pacquiao's speed and brilliant game plan.

But the man who has faced the best fighters his weight reach could offer during his best years in boxing still fought gamely and courageously stood at the seventh round bell. The round that followed saw Oscar receiving the worst beating he had in his entire career. Anyone who has followed boxing for the last fifteen years would get a shock at witnessing the one-sided action orchestrated by Pacquiao in the ring, at the expense of the great De La Hoya. The Golden Boy, with 16 years of illustrious career that was built on facing the best of the best, has never been so hittable like that! It was target practice for Pacquiao and De La Hoya was not fighting back; he’d simply had enough. The fight should have been stopped right there. But his corner wanted another round to launch De La Hoya's last act of resistance as well as his final attempt to carry on his puncher's chance; they warned him they were stopping the fight if he didn’t start throwing punches.

However, the eight round, save for a weak flurry unleashed by De La Hoya in the opening seconds, was pretty much the same as the previous round with him getting the worst battering of his career. The fight was stopped at the end of round 8 at the advice of the ringside physician.

Shocking as it was, the brutal, one sided victory will be etched in the annals of boxing history as one of the astounding upsets and a great feat by a hugely underweight fighter. There is no need for a further debate; Pacquiao's name can now be mentioned in the same breath as Henry Armstrong (149-21, 101 KOs) and Roberto Duran (103-16, 70 KOs). Manny's total demolition of super welterweight Oscar in his tenth weight class was a first in history and will probably remain unequal for many decades to come.

A walk in the Pac for Oscar?

posted at boxingcapital.com [link-a walk in the pac]
December 1, 2009

Oscar has experienced it first hand and he himself was a victim of it. A younger, quicker and naturally smaller guy who tried his skills and luck against a naturally bigger opponent in Bernard Hopkins (49-5, 32 KOs) four years ago. Oscar’s skills enabled him to build an early lead until the then undisputed middleweight champion caught him with a big left hook to the solar plexus in round nine and the game was over.

Oscar couldn't breath and he couldn't stand, the boxing golden boy has learned it first hand: a good big guy will always beat a good little guy. That’s the age old saying in boxing. That was the reason why divisions were created. While there were reasons why Archie Moore (185-23, 131 KOs) dared to trade punches off with Rocky Marciano (49-0, 43 KOs) - his was an admirable journey into a higher level of competition from middleweight to heavyweight - the inherent danger in it tells all about the mismatch. Natural heavyweight Joe Frazier (32-4, 27 KOs) had a walk in park when light heavyweight Bob Foster (56-8, 46 KOs) dared to trade left hook with him.

4 inches taller, 6 inches longer and three divisions bigger, the size advantage goes all the way in favour of Oscar "Golden Boy" De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs). Add to that the fact that his December 6 opponent, Manny Pacquiao (47-3, 35 KOs), started his pro career at light flyweight while he, on the other hand, has campaigned as high as the middleweight and you'll see the word mismatch written all over it. Everything points to the bout as being a mere walk in the park for Oscar.

Freddie Roach would disagree to that, of course; he has too. The money on the line for the coming fight is just too great to ignore. For anybody who has taken time to campaign that Oscar can no longer pull the trigger will always weave arguments to trump up the mighty chance of his man. While it's hard to see how the Filipino whirlwind could take De La Hoya out and negate the obvious size discrepancy, it is interesting to see there were more people now who acknowledge the validity of Pacquiao's chance for an upset.

Yes, that chance is small, but very real.

While the size factor goes all the way in favour of the Golden Boy, the stamina factor goes Pacman's way. The Filipino knock-out artist is a rare breed of an athlete who fights harder and harder as the rounds go on. Pacquiao is a fierce warrior who throws hard combos after hard combos every round without having to worry about getting tired. Manny’s ferocious aggression is in a class of its own and his ability to carry-out fierce and non-stop offense all throughout the fight is extraordinary.

Oscar, on the other hand, has a history of getting tired during the later rounds of a fight. If Pacman can withstand the early assaults, expect him to get fiercer, stronger and faster during the second half of the fight and for Oscar to start to fade.

One of Pac's best weapons in this fight is Freddie Roach, who has the best comprehension of the strengths and weaknesses of the two warriors set to clash on December 6. Roach’s first hand knowledge of the flaws in De La Hoya’s offense and defense, as discovered up-close when he trained Oscar for his bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25) will certainly be a major advantage to Pacquiao. Roach knows what areas need to be covered. He knows when to get in under what kind of punches and when to get out after delivering the punches. De La Hoya's style is an open book to Roach.

Another thing that favours Pacquiao is the speed factor. Pacquiao's ability to carry his speed in his higher weights is supernatural. He seems to be very comfortable in whatever weight he jumps in. While other fighters slow down whenever they jump up a division, Pacquiao is such an anomaly that he gets even more relentless. The way he hammered David Diaz (34-2, 17) into complete submission, employing his vintage, violently overwhelming non-stop punching and fierce aggression, was a testament of how dangerous Pacquiao could be in his new, higher weight. Of course, Roach and Pacquiao know that the welterweight division is not the lightweight division and that it would take tremendous pounding to take De La Hoya down. And that's one area that Roach is going to cover, knowing that De La Hoya has had problems in dealing with fighters who have faster hands and feet than the Golden Boy himself.

While the weight factor favours De La Hoya greatly, the weight division they are set clash in may actually favour Pacquiao. Oscar has never fought as low as 150 lbs in the last seven years. This means he has to shed more body mass, including muscle, to make the weight. If luck is on Pacquaio's side, he'll be facing a weight drained opponent on December 6.

The factors that favour Pacquiao may give him a chance on December 6th. It may be a very small chance, but here is a guy who has built his career on beating heavily favoured opponents.

Of course, it is still hard to see how lightweight Pacquiao would be able to absorb super welterweight blows. At the end, Pacquiao fans may only be able to hope that Roach is right in saying Oscar can no longer pull the trigger.

Q&A with IBF-IBO World Flyweight Champ Nonito Donaire

published at boxing capital dot com
link

Donaire, of Filipino descent and now based in the States made waves last year when winning both of the aforementioned titles. His win over the fancied Vic Darchinyan (W TKO 5 – July 2007) was impressive enough to be bestowed with honours by Ring Magazine, such as ‘Knockout of the Year’ and ‘Upset of the Year’.

Nicknamed ‘The Filipino Flash’ Donaire is currently 19-1 (12 KO’s) and has made one defence since his stunning title winning victory – beating Mexican Luis Maldonado in an eighth round stoppage in December 2007.

Next up for Donaire is a title defence against South African, Moruti Mthalane, a challenger that brings a 22-1 (15 KO’s) record to the ring, in a fight taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas.

BOXING CAPITAL: You haven't fought since December last year. Can you tell us the story behind this long inactivity?

Nonito Donaire: To make a long overdrawn story short, I was scheduled to fight in Dubai in April but due to financial reasons the promoter couldn't put it together. In addition, Gary Shaw, my promoter then was not able to provide the 4 fights in a year as stipulated by contract. So after giving him ample time to schedule me a fight, I decided to move my career forward with a new promoter - Top Rank.

BC: You are 25 right now. Can you say you are at peak?

ND: I feel that I am a lot stronger than before but only near my peak. It's just a matter of time until I get to my full potential.

BC: How are preparations going for the Mthalane fight?

ND: Great. I have had great sparring and have been running consistently. I'm mentally and physically prepared for this fight. I'm ready.

BC: While the papers are saying that Mthalane is a "worthy challenger," his record is not impressive at all. There are no notable names in his resume aside perhaps for Hussein who has fought only one fighter of top caliber in his entire career (that fighter was Arce who KO’d him twice). What are your thoughts about this?

ND: I didn't have any notable names in my record before I fought Vic Darchinyan. All I know is that he's gonna give it all he has because he has nothing to lose. I never underestimate anyone.

BC: Reports say that Mthalane has good hand speed, footwork and jabs. It seems he can also take big punches. How do you plan to fight him?

ND: I feel right now I am the strongest in the 112 division (flyweight). And as long as I can land my punch, I know I can take him out.

BC: Any predictions about your fight against the South African?

ND: I always try to go for an early knockout.

BC: Reports have it that you're planning to move up in weight after this fight. Assuming you beat Mthalane, who would you like to fight next at 115 (Super Flyweight)?

ND: There's a lot of big names in the 115. We have Arce, Mijares, Montiel.

BC: Your thoughts about the Mijares-Darchinyan bout?

ND: Mijares is too smart for Darchinyan.

BC: A boxing site has quoted Darchinyan into saying "when I knock out Mijares, line-up Donaire next. I owe him one." Any comments about this?

ND: I'll fight anybody but that really depends on my promoter. A fight with Darchinyan if he beats Mijares would be fun.

BC: We all know that you lost your Olympic stint to a Fellow Filipino-American, Brian Viloria, who is also an active fighter at the moment. Is there any chance you would share the same ring with Viloria once more?

ND: There's a possibility of that happening because we are under the same promoter, but really there is nothing I can gain from that fight at this time.

BC: Your take on the coming dream fight between Oscar De La Hoya and fellow Filipino, Manny Pacquiao?

ND: Manny Pacquiao! I have to admit that De La Hoya has the height and weight advantage but Pacquiao certainly has the speed advantage and however strong your opponent is, if he can't land that punch it's nothing. Besides, Pacquiao believes in himself 100% and that kind of determination wins fights.

BC: What do you want to say in closing for your fans?

ND: I want to thank all my fans for their continued support. Look forward to Nov 1 when I put it all in the ring. Mabuhay!

Hopkins schools Pavlik, silences critics

Posted at boxingcapital.com
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As the fight ended, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins stared coldly to the members of the media in attendance. With sweat cascading down his grim face, The Executioner delivered a strong statement to the media—a great majority of whom had predicted that the night would see the closing of his career—that they were all wrong.

Dead wrong, to put it correctly.

The question of whether Hopkins’ 43 year old legs could still keep up with a much younger, hungrier and stronger fighter had just been answered emphatically. And Hopkins told the media in his act that he was not their grand ad with nothing left in his arsenal but phony tricks and other boring maneuvers. With his dominating performance, an accomplishment that “would give hope to the hopeless” as he put it before the fight, the aging future hall of famer has showed to the world that he was actually a 30 year old body with the superior ring intelligence of a 43 year old veteran.

Hopkins, who now improves to 49-5-1, 32 KOs, schooled Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik in a 12 round bout at a catch-weight of 170 lbs with his terrific hand speed, superior footwork, superb defense, and greater overall ringcraft. The lopsided Hopkins victory handed Pavlik, now 34-1, 30 KOs, the first loss of his career, which was built on terrorizing the middleweight division with his heavy right hand and knocking out opponent after opponent. This was the reputation dangerous puncher Pavlik was supposed to bring to the Hopkins fight, but failed to live up to.

The fight was very lopsided with the final scorecards of 118-106, 117-109 and 118-108 all in the favor of Hopkins. It was a very dominating performance for the aging veteran all through out the distance. It was a Hopkins show from round one to the final bell as Pavlik failed to deliver anything significant that would force Hopkins to abandon his game plan to suit his. The masterful display of boxing artistry and quick left hooks even silenced the pro-Pavlik crowd who were chanting his name in round two.

The complexion of the fight never changed from round one to round 12, aside from the occasional flurries Pavlik would let out, which, unfortunately for the Pavlik fans, were very few and far between. Pavlik would throw a left jab and Hopkins would either counter and hold or dance away after countering with a quick left or right.

From round one to four, Pavlik tried to catch Hopkins with his lead lefts and straight rights but failed to land anything of significance. He did connect with his left jabs several times in these rounds but never managed to build on it. Hopkins was simply masterful in his game of not getting hit while punishing Pavlik with his quick left hooks upstairs and one-two combinations everywhere else. The most notable actions in the first four rounds of the fight occurred during round two as Hopkins connected with a quick left hook to the chin that hurt Pavlik. A flurry followed and another hard left hook connected for Hopkins. Pavlik looked in trouble and Hopkins was poised to dictate the complexion of the game: beat Pavlik to the punch; don’t engage for too long; either hug or dance away quickly; and never let Pavlik finds comfort on working his way behind the left jab. Something Hopkins would execute masterfully until the final bell.

The story of schooling and manhandling continued during the second third of the fight as Hopkins proved to be too elusive for the Youngstown native. The target was there for the left jab, but Hopkins would no longer be available to receive the big right even before Pavlik unloaded it. It was very frustrating for The Ghost and the crowd were now chanting Hopkins name. The fight, however, had started to become interesting as Pavlik was now having success, albeit sporadic, in bringing the fight to Hopkins. Pavlik had increased his work rate and Hopkins has slowed down his pace. Could this be the point that the tide would turn to the favor of the youngster as said by some analysts who theorized that Hopkins legs would betray him at the second half of the contest?

However, Hopkins skills, intelligence and speed were simply several notches above Pavlik’s. There would be occasional roughhousing from rounds six to ten—a kind of fight that was supposed to favour Pavlik and his underrated uppercuts—but Hopkins would prove to be too slick and smart for him. The referee took away a point for Pavlik for hitting whilst holding during round eight only to even it for The Ghost as he deducted a point for Hopkins for holding in the following round.

Round 11 was the most interesting round for Pavlik as Hopkins turned to clinching. It was Pavlik’s best round. Hopkins would throw one and then clinch. But by doing that, he never allowed Pavlik to connect flush. He would give one, take one and hold. Was The Executioner now abandoning his brilliant game plan due to his supposed inability to mount a sustained offensive assault or was he feeling the power of Pavlik who had now connected with several telling shots to his body during the previous rounds? The answer would be neither; Hopkins was simply conserving energy as he planned to finish round 12 and the fight strongly, thereby proving all the media critics wrong – Hopkins was spitting defiance to all those who said he couldn’t last 12 rounds with a younger and supposedly stronger fighter.

Hopkins engaged, stood in front of Pavlik, exchanged flurries and mocked Pavlik, who just couldn’t connect with his much touted right hand. It was the most exciting round of the fight as Hopkins connected with some hard shots, rocking Pavlik. The action heightened with ten seconds left on the clock and the older Hopkins simply appeared to be the fresher of the two.

“Whoever I fight now, I’m going for the knock-out,” Hopkins said during the post-fight interview. He also said he wants to fight Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, Jr. again. As for Kelly Pavlik, it’s back to the drawing board.

Who is the boss at 175 now?

Posted at boxingcapital.com
link: click here

A breath of fresh hope for the light-heavyweight division was seen by the world of boxing last night in Nevada as Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) outworked, out-sped, out-jabbed and out-pointed Antonio Tarver (27-5, 19 KOs) for the IBF and IBO belts in a fight that could be summed-up by one word: speed. Though it is logical to conclude that the fight has not produced a king yet for the division that has been debased by senior fighters who loved to fight at an invented sub-division of catch-weight, there is no argument that we have witnessed (one of) the division’s future, who could lay strong claim to the throne in the near future.

While the light heavyweight division could not lay claim to being the most seeded, as such distinction belongs to either the welterweight or the lightweight divisions, it is a home to many great and borderline great names that could each make a case for them as being the leader of the division.
Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs), Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs) and Bernard Hopkins (48-5, 32 KOs) —the veteran blood at 175lbs are always there ready to take on anybody who dare claim the mythical title. Adrian Diaconu (25-0, 15 KOs) and Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) — the fresh blood at 175lbs are also poised to claim the kingship after they are through with their forthcoming respective bouts. Of course Glen Johnson (47-12, 32), the guy who unofficially defeated Dawson, will always blot Dawson’s résumé until rematch is given. Tarver is out of the picture for now.

There will always be the case for Calzaghe who was ranked number one by the Ring Magazine after his successful first outing at light heavyweight. Calzaghe is fighting Jones next month in what will be his second fight at light heavyweight and reports that the Welsh southpaw is planning to retire after the Jones fight has only left a big question as to his supposed status as top dog. There are a lot of young good guys in the division who are aching to be given the chance for a career-defining fight.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KOs), who was interviewed while watching the Tarver-Dawson bout at ringside, could make an argument about it all day and shout to the world that ‘Bad’ Chad is the current number one fighter in the mythical pound for pound rankings, but until some issues and unfinished business is settled, the division will remain what is it — a free-for-all division; and Mayweather, a retired loudmouth who should stay retired.

We are now looking forward for some good light heavyweight rumblings next year. In order for him to strengthen his standing at the light heavyweight ranking, Dawson should give Johnson a rematch and settle not only the issue about his chin, but more than that, the issue who really the better fighter is. He could also choose to fight first the winner of the upcoming Pavlik-Hopkins match next week and then share the ring once more with Johnson. Either way, it will be a tall line-up for the speedy boxer and a great treat for the boxing loving people.

It will be very hard for any knowledgeable boxing fans to take Dawson seriously knowing that Johnson has given him the worst beating he had in all his fight. There were several times in their fight where Dawson looked spent and ready to go. But how the judges scored the fight a big UD for him is a matter of mystery. Dawson simply has to settle the score.

Dawson could easily be the best overall fighter in the division today, but other top fighters in the division could give him some stylistic nightmares, given that he doesn’t have the power to deliver a stoppage or even just bother any of them with his light punches. Both Calzaghe and Roy Jones have the skills and reflex to cut his way off and tie him behind the ropes; Pavlik and Johnson are great swarmers; while the unbeaten dangerous puncher Diaconu could match him in a game of busy-punching and out-match him in a game of banging. A win against two of these guys would certainly solidify his status at light heavyweight. Especially if those wins were against Johnson and Pavlik. It is only then that we could take Mayweather’s pronouncement a little bit more serious and exclaim “we have a leader!”

The battle for light heavyweight supremacy rages on!

(A preview of the coming Dawson-Tarver bout)

Posted on boxingcapital.com
link: click here

He would badmouth ‘Bad’ Chad whenever he gets the chance and the youngster would strike back with his own words of wisdom to the guy he called “old news” by saying “your mouth can’t fight for you once you get in that ring.” The tactic for Antonio Tarver (27-4, 19 KOs) is very obvious; he wants to get into Chad Dawson’s (26-0, 17 KOs) head. Tarver was hoping for Dawson to lose his focus, forget about boxing and go all out and reckless on October 11.

The psychological ploy suits 39 year-old leftie Tarver perfectly as that the brightest spot for him to win the fight is to brawl, work the body and test Dawson’s chin. Considered by some as the future of the 175 division, ‘Bad’ Chad for his part, is expected to rely on his speed and busy punching to outwork the crafty veteran and hope for Tarver’s legs to go somewhere on the distance.

The question of age is there for Tarver hanging like a Damocles’ sword right above his head. If we are going to believe Dawson and the number, being 39, is indeed ‘old news’ especially in this combat sport where speed is an imperative skill to earn the ‘W’s’. By the looks of it, 26 year-old Dawson is very lucky he is fighting on Saturday night against an older version of the guy who destroyed the Roy Jones legend. Dawson is fast, can throw a variety of punches from many angles, and has a reliable straight shot. More than this; he’s a mean work machine and he can bang and brawl and box at the same time. He is bad news for a guy who is pushing 40. Or so it seems?

The question of age remains to be seen as Tarver looked like his old self in his last outing against Clinton Woods (41-4, 24 KOs) while Dawson looked terrible in his last fight against Glen Johnson (47-12, 32 KOs). ‘Magic Man’ Tarver may be old in number but people seemed to forget that he started his pro career at the age of 28. If their last performances against their respective opponents is any indication, Dawson is set to rendezvous with old but bad news come fight night on Palm’s Casino in Las Vegas. Bad Chad is fool to believe he would be facing a shot Tarver. Aged? Yes. But Tarver is still young.

Tarver possesses all the tools to make ‘Bad’ Chad look bad. He’s wily, skillful and experienced enough to weather whatever storm Dawson is planning to unleash in Nevada. His last three fights were a testament not only of his capacity to rebound in big leaps after a big defeat but also of his staying power in the ring. His KO4 win against Danny Santiago (29-4, 19 KOs), though certainly inferior and seemingly trivial compared to his signature KO2 win against Roy Jones, Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs), has an obvious story to tell; one well placed shot and you are in trouble. The way he hammered and sent Woods into submission also tell a similar story.

In his horrible performance on the Johnson fight, Dawson has exposed himself to the world that he is very beatable, even to an old man. The way he was hurt several times by Johnson in his last fight led to many to believe that his chin is weak and that he has the tendency to bow down under pressure. He was lucky enough to get away with a UD victory in a fight where many felt he lost. His mindset, motivation and confidence in this coming fight can also be questioned as he refused to rematch with Johnson and turned down a big payday fight against Romanian Adrian Diaconu (25-0, 15 KOs).

But yeah, Dawson is the better overall fighter between the two. He’s more complete though his capacity to adapt and reformulate his game to the other fighter’s offense is as questionable as his chin. But being the younger and certainly the faster fighter between the two, expect him to put on the pressure and bring the fight to Tarver early on in the fight. He would try to wear Tarver’s body and hope for the legs to go away along with it. He has the footwork and speed to confuse and beat Antonio to the punch. If Dawson can survive the first three quarter of the fight, there is a big chance for him to win by UD. Expect Tarver to welcome the aggression gladly as it would boost his chance to connect to the chin. If Dawson’s chin is really as weak as it seemed to be on the Johnson fight, then it’s over for him inside ten rounds.

It’s going to be an exciting fight between the two southpaws who will be battling for the IBO and IBF light heavyweight title.

Mosley KOs Mayorga one second before the final bell!

September 28, 2009
posted at boxingcapital.com
link: click here

It took ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley (45-5, 38 KOs) five rounds to finally get his rhythm and overwhelm Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 23 KOs) with his slick boxing and roughhousing in a fight that punctuated by the 37 year old Mosley with a spectacular knock-out win one second before the final bell. While the fight was light-years away from the intensity and brilliance of the first Julio Cesar Chavez (107-6-2, 86 KO’s) - Meldrick Taylor (38-8-1, 20 KOs) contest, one could not help but draw a vague parallel between the two fights. Mosley beat Chavez by a single second in the record.

Mosley spent the first three rounds shaking-off ten months of ring rust and figuring out Mayorga and his right straights before he finally started to heat up with a one-two combination to open the fourth round. Mayorga ruled the first three rounds with his trademark antics and right leads.

The California native was for most of the first quarter well within the range of Mayorga and thus fell prey to straight rights which caught him clean several times. Mosley tried to box the Nicaraguan early in the first round but the guy who conquered his conqueror just kept landing his wild and wide straight rights. Mayorga surprisingly outworked the master craftsman on the first three rounds. Mayorga was even able to roll away beautifully with a straight right thrown by Mosley during the second round.

The all-American smile of Mosley’s was not there and he looked to be in a slight trouble as Mayorga was commanding the fight strongly. Mosley’s corner advised him to duck under Mayorga’s punches and work the body, which would eventually pay off for him midway onwards.

Ring rust now shaken off, the fourth round served to be his warm-up to the restoration (albeit not completely unlike his younger years) of his old rhythm on the fifth. He was now ready to get inside Mayorga's wild punches and dig downstairs and throw more upstairs. Also, he was now ready to take one in order to give two. Old Mosley was back.

The fourth and fifth rounds saw Mosley connecting with several hard shots to the head and body, which forced Mayorga to step inside and clinch. Mayorga was now too close for his wild but powerful straight rights to land. He was throwing away his only hope to win the fight against the future Hall of Famer. He was giving up the tool that overwhelmed the ferocious KO artist Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KOs) and the classy Vernon Forrest (41-3, 29 KOs).

Mosley didn't have to work hard ducking under the punches as Mayorga was clinching on several occasions during the middle rounds courtesy of different kinds of crushing punches he landed to the head and the body. The fight seemed to be a wrestling match as Mayorga continued to hold on in the sixth. Mayorga had now slowed down and Mosley landed a big three-punch combination that set the crowd roaring. Mosley was now the boss; he was baby-sitting the Nicaraguan loudmouth.

The infighting clinic continued to the seventh and eighth. Mayorga ate lots of left and right hooks and his body received similar punishment. Mayorga landed some of his own but the master craftsman Mosley was several notches above him in speed, defense and overall infighting ability. El Matador was visibly shaken off and tried to feign supremacy and control by raising his hands at the end of round eight but no one was buying, certainly not Shane.

Mayorga appeared to have caught his second wind at the ninth and tenth rounds. Mayorga was able to land some ugly punches to Mosley, who now seemed to be a little confused. Was it a sign of aging or the punches he was taking has now taken its toll on him? Probably both, as Mayorga closed the ninth round with a beautiful uppercut.

Mosley temporarily switched to the southpaw stance on the next round. It was either to confuse his opponent who was making a strong comeback or to shake-off his own confusion. But it paid-off as he was able to outwork Mayorga on the inside. Mayorga connected his own punches, but it was ‘Sugar’ Shane who got the better of the exchanges here. There was now fierce inside fighting between the two.

It was again an infighting lesson in the eleventh for Mayorga as Mosley connected with a beautiful right hand. The action was followed up by the two fighters by exchanging powerful body shots, culminating in both fighters being warned by the referee for low blows. Mosley connected flush with some clean head shots and Mayorga twice raised his hand to the crowd. Mayorga was projecting the usual bravado but who would buy it as Mosley was clearly winning most of the round?

Going into the twelfth and final round, Mosley was leading on the scorecards of two of the judges but his corner didn't want to take the chance. They wanted Mosley to mix it up and finish the fight in a strong fashion. This saw more wrestling and body shots for the two minutes of the round until Mosley caught his opponent with crushing right hands that shook the Nicaraguan terribly. A beautiful combination followed up and Mayorga crashed to the canvass with the clock now ticking down to the final seconds. With less than ten seconds left Mayorga got up but looked spent. A devastating left hook from Mosley sent Mayorga down again. He didn't bother to get up.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:59 seconds of the 12th round. It was a very impressive KO win for old Mosley, proving to the world he can still win a grueling fight with his strong chin and big punches despite his advancing years. An immediate fight with Antonio Margarito (37-5, 27 KOs) or a rematch with Miguel Cotto (32 -1, 26 KOs), would be very interesting, although it does seem remote possibility for now with their impending busy schedules.

The official scorecards of the three judges on the time of the stoppage were: 105-104 for Mayorga, 105-104 for Mosley and 107-102 for Mosley.

Pinoy lawmaker presses to stop Pac-Hoya

September 28, 2008
Posted on boxingcapital.com
link: click here

The whole country was startled last night by a rather unwelcoming news that a lawmaker has asked a Philippine sports regulating body to temporarily cancel the boxing license of Manny Pacquiao because of "a possible mismatch" in his coming bout against Mexican-American Oscar De La Hoya.

The report, which headlined a primetime news program of a major free-TV network in the country, said that Philippine lawmaker Rufus Rodriguez has asked the Philippine Games and Amusement Boards (GAB) to temporarily suspend the boxing license of the country's premier athlete.

The next morning, several newspapers have quoted Rodriguez into saying that Manny can't "even shake Oscar" and that he's "afraid that Oscar can hurt Manny very badly."

Rodriguez is pressing the GAB to immediately act to stop fight and "save Manny".

The lawmaker who described Pacquiao as a national treasure also said in interviews "the (Philippine) government will be put in a bad light" if "something bad happens to Manny in that fight." The fight, whose tickets were all sold out in just several hours upon availability, is scheduled on December 6 this year at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

GAB Chairman Eric Buhain clarified that Rodriguez is merely concerned over the safety of the country's boxing hero. "The GAB and the House of Representatives want Manny to be more cautious in this fight," said Buhain in interviews.

Pacquiao, who started his pro career at light flyweight, is viewed by boxing experts as an underdog in his coming welterweight fight against the boxing Golden Boy. De La Hoya, on the other hand, has fought as far as the middleweight in his career.

Experts were saying that the huge size discrepancy between the two is what making the fight a gross mismatch.

Buhain has clarified in recent interviews that GAB will not suspend or withdraw Pacquiao's license. The GAB chairman stressed however that the issues raised by Rodriguez is legitimate.

Last July, the GAB has passed a resolution to the Philippine House of Representatives, which expressed its opposition to the fight.

The GAB only stops fights when it sees a boxer is unprepared for the match according to Buhain.

Buhain has sent letters to Team Pacquiao asking the latter to give GAB regular updates on Manny Pacquiao's preparation in US.

In local politics, Rufus Rodriguez is a member of an opposition party while Pacquiao had just signed his membership to the ruling party several days after his victory over David Diaz.

Of Respect & Legacies

September 17, 2008
published at boxingcapital.com on september 19, 2008
link: http://boxingcapital.com/News_Article_190908Ofrespectandlegacies.html

Only but few give respect to the courage in facing greater odds. The fans, especially of this naturally brutal sport, tend to ridicule with sadistic tone the fighters who dare step into less explored terrains. The essential feature of the game that separates people of different sizes for safety purposes is one of these sacred grounds that nobody dared to mock. Until there was Henry Armstrong.

Nobody could argue against moving up in division to seek greater challenges and fatter bank accounts. It’s natural nowadays to see fighters capturing titles in three or even four divisions. But leapfrogging multiple divisions to fight much bigger guys is not natural. A featherweight titlist going up against a welterweight champion is simply crazy.

But Armstrong was both crazy and great. And only but very few could do what he managed to do: capture titles spanning three weight classes all at the same time, during an era when there were fewer divisions.

Boxing have never been friendly fans. They don’t welcome with open arms new ideas that mock the sport and its features. They mock you. They don’t roll out the red carpet for fighters who dare cross the line of widely accepted conventions. They roll litanies of contempt for you. They only become friendly when a feat of historic proportion is done. But then, there was Armstrong. Then, there was Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and few others who have followed suit and set their own records in boxing history.

These fighters have had their own shares of critics and detractors. It’s never easy to win a great number of boxing loving populace if you’re not Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali or Ray Leonard. Taking on greater challenges and bringing your game to a new level may be a mark of a great fighter but there would always be some skeptics around. For one, it’s always stupid to take on bigger opponents when you can have plenty of them in your natural weight class. It’s not natural to take on guys who comfortably reside on several divisions north of yours. Oscar De La Hoya can only expect a lukewarm reception for his choice of fight in Manny Pacquiao on December 6. The gutsy Pinoy on the other hand, can never hope for a better audience aside perhaps for Freddie Roach, his legion of Pac diehards, and his beloved president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The reason being is that it’s not natural to do so.

But what is natural in boxing? Rocky Marciano carried lethal power into his unnaturally small hands. Thomas Hearns, who packed his right hand with vicious power, was an oversized welterweight and light middleweight. Sam Langford was known for his murderous power and long arms. Willie Pep was almost supernatural in his ability to get away from your line of sight in an instant. Ceferino Garcia could KO people with his long, swinging and wide uppercuts while other users of such technique could only dazzle their opponents with it. And of course, there was Muhammad Ali’s chin and body, which can absorb tremendous punishment that could immediately put lesser mortals in a body bag. Buster Douglas’ victory over Mike Tyson was not natural either.

Freaks of nature are a fixture of this sport. They happen to be the elite of the elites. Whoever believed Roberto Duran could beat Iran Barkley—the guy who twice beat Hearns who was the same guy he himself could not beat—at middleweight? Nobody in his right mind would place his bets on Duran considering that the bout was at Duran’s 9th weight class.

Thomas Hearns has set the benchmark for capturing titles in multiple divisions. He has set several firsts in this sport: the first guy who has ever won four titles in four divisions; the first guy who has ever won five titles in five divisions; the first guy who has ever won six titles in six different divisions.

De La Hoya was also a six division champ and Floyd Mayweather was a five division champion. Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, has captured four titles (or five including the featherweight lineal title he earned by demolishing Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003) in a span of eight divisions.

It’s easy to see what motivates De La Hoya in picking the Pacquiao fight which is not worthy of his stature and legacy: money. Pacquiao may well be the best fighter in the pound for pound rankings today but the huge size discrepancy between the two is a huge turn-off.

But then again, freaks of nature are a fixture in this sport. Leapfrogging multiple divisions and winning titles was unheard of until there was Armstrong. Winning titles in a span of nine divisions is unheard of until there was Duran. Capturing four, five and six titles in four, five and six divisions was unheard of until there was Hearns. A former flyweight titlist winning belts in super-featherweight and lightweight was unheard of until there was Pacquiao.

While it’s hard to see how Pacquiao could pull-off a win against the much bigger Mexican-American, it’s laudable enough that he has enough balls to face De La Hoya in his 10th weight class. But who knows? Manny’s nickname wasn’t really “Pacman.” It’s “upset.”

Money defies logic

MONEY DEFIES LOGIC
Ericson Sarmiento Dela Cruz
erik_boxing@yahoo.com

posted at boxingcapital.com on 02 Sept 2008
link: http://boxingcapital.com/News_Article_DLHPac_Erik010908.html

Seven years and 25 pounds ago, he was at the undercard of the sports biggest star who was then fighting Javier Castillejo. It was the night when Manny Pacquiao announced his arrival to the US boxing scene by dispatching south African Lehlo Ledwaba with powerful, accurate and lightning fast combinations to win the IBF super-bantamweight title via six-round stoppage. That stellar win by the fiery Filipino knock-out artist was even magnified many times more by the amount of exposure he got for fighting that same night with his boyhood hero: the legendary Oscar De La Hoya.

Now, the Filipino speedster who was introduced to the world that night with his mispronounced name is set to fight the same guy who helped him banner his name and boost his marketability across the boxing world and business conglomerates. He was then a super-bantam; Oscar then was already comfortably fighting at the light-middleweight division. The 154 lb weight limit. It was six divisions north of Pacquiao’s 122 lb division. To even think of the possibility of a match-up between the two at that time was downright idiotic, if not complete lunacy.

But boy, here are the two biggest stars of boxing separated by many divisions set to clash on December 6 this year. Everything has reportedly been ironed-out, paving the way for what could be one of the richest fights in history.

On the surface, the biggest stumbling block that seemed keeping the much hyped fight from happening was the huge size discrepancy. Manny is (now) a small lightweight and Oscar has comfortably campaigned at light-middleweight for some years now. But no, size doesn’t matter when money talks. It was not the size, which, by logic and any philosophy should dictate match-ups. It was, unfortunately, the greed. Both camps had a hard time convincing the other to accept their offer and counter-offers about how the purse should be divided. A $100 million dollar fight is too lucrative for Oscar and Manny to just turn their back on.

When money talks, size doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that the electrifying Pinoy performer has started fighting at 107 and the most celebrated figure in boxing at 130. It doesn’t matter that Pac is now a bloated lightweight and Oscar a bona fide junior middleweight. It doesn’t matter that Pac is fighting in his 10th weight class and Oscar is going back to the division he ruled some years ago. It doesn’t matter that Pac would report between 142-145 lbs come fight night and Oscar between 160-165 lbs. The size discrepancy is too huge. By logic, the fight is a total mismatch and should not happen. But here is where money comes to fix everything. The god money can defy logic. The god money can defy everything.

There are reasons for divisions; the same reasons why other safety measures were instituted to moderate the innate brutality of the sport. The same surgical brutality that impaired Freddie Roach speech. Roach should have known better when he called out the fight. He’d be putting his most prized fighter’s health and career in jeopardy! The sport is too brutal and the damages it inflicts to fighters are irreversible. Ray Robinson could only be so sorry for the life of Jimmy Doyle. But anyway, discounting death aside as it seemed to be a remote possibility on the Pacquiao-De La Hoya match, $20 million is a good figure to laugh your way to the hospital.

That would be a hell lot of money. But is it worth the damage he is going to take that could possibly end his illustrious career? Pac fans could only hope that Roach is not mistaken in thinking that Oscar can no longer pull the trigger as he once could.

People are using De La Hoya’s last ring action as a springboard for a rather outrageous claim that Pac could upset the Barcelona Olympic gold medalist. Roach even went further by saying that his guy could KO the man he helped shaped up against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Steve Forbes, a small guy hand picked to give Oscar some kind of a hard sparring session, was “surprisingly” able to redden the face of the Golden Boy. But Forbes was there to lose, and Oscar, with little respect to the sting of his opponents’ punches, left his face open in search for openings. To think that Oscar would do the same against the pound-for-pound king on December 6 was downright stupid. The 35 year old fighter who “unofficially” beat Floyd Mayweather last year was too smart of a fighter to let the most devastating puncher in the business nail him with flush clean shots. If there was something that Oscar was known for aside for his exquisite left, was his ring smarts and fight complexion awareness. The final scorecards of the De La Hoya-Forbes sparring were very telling: 120-108 and 119-109 twice. Its very lopsided and a testament of how De La Hoya merely toyed with the undersized and underpowered but very game Forbes. He can no longer pull the trigger? Pac fans could only wish Roach was correct.

Pac’s last outing, on the other hand, was a very electrifying performance and a complete dominance of his bigger opponent. He was all over Dangerous David in every seconds of every round nailing him with every kind of shots. The performance was too good that people have dreamed of the same outcome against lightwelter king Ricky Hatton and the legendary Oscar De La Hoya. But sorry to Pac’s legion of loyal fans, Oscar was no David. The difference between the two is wider than the pacific.

Oscar may already be past his best. The sting of his left hook may had already been diminished, his footworks many no longer be as flashy as before, and his defense may no longer be as solid as it was once, but his good chin and first-rate ring awareness were enough to beat a naturally smaller man, specially those who started their career at 107. The power of his left, diminished as it seemed, was more than enough to bother small guys. He may no longer be as effective as the Oscar before the Mosley fight, but he was still the same Oscar who was able to effectively close the gap between him and the flashy and defensive master Floyd.

The fight is too easy for businessman Oscar as it was too dangerous for lightweight Manny. It could be nothing more than a farcical exhibit of one guy trying to make it look competitive and the other guy trying everything to overcome the great odds.

Oscar had many choices of fights to close his 16 years of illustrious career—fights that could very well be risky but meaningful. There is no shame in losing to Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito or Paul Williams, especially at this advancing stage of his career. Unfortunately for true boxing fans, those fights just happen to be less profitable than the Pacquiao fight.

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FEEDING THE WOLVES

(April 8, 2008)

It wasn’t the usual hype that often characterizes an asian-latino antagonism in this sports; the usual hype that guarantees a massive sell-out. This one was worse than that. Drawing in to the core of the campaign a false sense of national pride and esteem, the promoters have successfully spelled the commercial success of the fight. A predetermined success that will keep boxing fans and bystanders mesmerized for weeks.

The selling line: Invasion: Philippines Versus the World, a spin-off of the Filipino-Mexican war in boxing which is actually a war for commerce inspired by the huge hit of Manny Pacquiao’s triumphant campaign in retiring Mexican greats. Again the people were at frenzy in (re)defining their phenomenal selves as their countrymen in gloves had clean swept the fight, thwarted the invasion, and kept the “supposed dominance” of Filipinos in divisions south of lightweight a clean mythical record.

There is this false sense of national pride and esteem created by the powerful manipulative media. Charmed by the victorious campaign against foreigners, the people have seemed forgotten the core values that once characterized the nobility of competition. Gambling, materialism, commercialism and politicking were simply everywhere ridiculing at face the people and the sports itself. Welcome to the world of professional boxing.

Equally detestable to these manipulations by the promoters is the design to boost the marketability of the fighters at all costs. The Golden Boy Productions who has invested lightly and cleverly into the project Invasion has now several bankable big names under its roof. The future is bright for these boys, especially in commercial terms. Of course, the future also promises to pad the bank accounts of the promoters.

And these couldn’t be made had not they fed the wolves with patsies. For one, mismatches were written all over the undercards as well as the main event.

Caril “El Raton” Herrera, who tested AJ “Bazooka” Banal in a super flyweight match, got totally destroyed by the Filipino in the fourth. People might think that Herrera was a worthy opposition to the fiery Filipino knock-out artist as he was donning an undefeated record going into the fight. Looking beyond his numbers, 21-0 (13KOs) going into the fight, one could wonder how on earth he got the ticket to take on Banal in his hometown. The level of his opposition was very poor to say the least. His supposedly tough reputation was built on feasting on class D-E fighters (most of whom have losing records). The best record of any opponent in his resume was 8-1-1. On the other hand, Bazookas record was a lot more respectable. He beat guys with decent records. He has two undefeated real fighters in his resume. Furthermore, Banal has already ventured outside his country unlike Herrera who has fought his entire career in his hometown Uruguay.

That Herrera was TKOed in the fourth without even putting on a decent fight says everything about the mismatch.

One could argue that anybody who could punch has a chance against Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista. That could very well be true as Boom Booms recent shocking lost was against a big puncher in the person of Ponce De Leon. Bautista’s bout could easily be picked as the closest among the bouts as Mexican Genaro “Duro’ Camargo was a puncher with notable KO record in his résumé. However, Camargos name was nowhere to be found in the top ten rankings of any boxing sanctioning bodies. Breaking down the departments: Power to power, punching technique and accuracy, Bautista was more talented than Camargo.

That Camargo was TKOed in the second without even putting on a decent fight says everything about the mismatch.

The main bout was the saddest among the bouts featured in the Invasion. Reigning WBO Bantamweight Champ Gerry Peñalosa put up a clinic and eventually dismantled in the eighth former WBO champ Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (72-10-0 going into the fight), the same guy he KOed in six rounds eight years ago. Despite of media blitz campaign by the Golden Boy Productions reconstructing Vorapin’s career as a formidable one, the outcome of the fight has still screamed of one clear thing: Vorapin doesn’t even have the right to be in the same ring (once again) with the iron-chinned, smooth tactician Filipino champion. The 31 year old Thai — whose 82-fight career speaks that he is a lot older than 36 year old Peñalosa — was grossly outclassed, totally outmaneuvered, completely out-jabbed and severely overmatched. Vorapin didn’t even win a single round in my scorecard.

That Vorapin was TKOed in the eight without even putting on a decent fight says everything about the mismatch.

Not to take anything from the Filipinos as they have trained well and valiantly fought for the country, for themselves and for the promoters, the fight had been a testimony of their spirit and readiness to take on bigger fights. Banal is now ready for a world championship fight. Bautista is back. And Gerry Peñalosa continuous to dominate the bantamweight division.

The fight over-hyped as Invasion: Philippines Versus the World has indeed bannered the name of these fighters across the boxing world and has increased their marketability. Everything at the expense of real fights and genuine sense of national pride and esteem.

MOVING UP IN WEIGHT

(November 4, 2007)

Gabriel “Flash” Elorde ruled the super-featherweight (130 lbs) division for seven years. He was a master, beating the crap out of everyone sent out to challenge him. He got bored of his strings of victory after victory one day and decided to challenge the reigning world lightweight (135 lbs) champ Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz stopped Elorde in the 14^th round. After two years, Elorde tried to wrestle once more the lightweight crown against the same man but got again KOed in the same round.

Elorde may had the built to fight at 135 as he was already fighting p winning bouts in this division while holding the 130 lb title at the same time (back in those days, a fighter can hold two or more division titles at a time). On the other hand, it can also be said that 135 may just had been be too big for him as he started fighting at bantamweight (118 lbs).

Flash was the greatest 130 lb champion of all time no question, the very same division pacquiao is currently ruling at the moment. Pacquiao’s plan to try himself at lightweight as he was now having a hard time making the 130 lbs limit has raised so many questions in my mind. I can’t help but draw a parallel comparison of the two. Flash started his career at 118 but failed to capture the 135 belt on two occasions; Pac climbed all the way up from 107 and is now planning to capture the 135 diadem.

Can he do it? Natural size is a big issue here.

Manny Pacquiaos recent big win, but un-stellar performance, against Marco Antonio Barrera has one obvious thing to tell: his failure to stop, or even deck, the Mexican fighter in 12 full rounds. Before the fight, Pac telephoned his wife and told her of his having difficulty in making the 130 lb limit. He said that this may be the last time he would fight at 130. During the post fight presscon, Pacs trainer Freddie Roach created a stir when he broached the subject of moving up in weight. Juan Diaz, three-belt holder of 135 lb division, jumped in to the issue and called up Pac for a winner-take-all bout at, of course, lightweight.

Dead in the weight

Pacs questionable conditioning (because of shortcuts in making the training camps) and serious weight drain might be the culprit for his lacking of power to KO Barrera during the rematch. Before the bout, the TV guys reported that he had to shed two more pounds (or was it just .5 lb?) hours before the weight-in. This raised my brows and bolstered my prediction that the fight would go the full distance, with a possible win by Barrera on points.

Admittedly, I was wrong about the Barrera win prediction (a wild prediction as I am a fan) but the fight did go the full distance with Pac chasing Barrera all night and trying to hurt him bad with his combos. But he just can’t stop the guy! Not that the guy was running all night but for some reasons, Pac can’t summon his proverbial deadly combos to deliver the stoppage. And this may be a sign of bad things to come.

Pacquiaos’s first two losses were blamed to weight problem. Now, Pac is being hounded by the same problem he encountered in his first two losses.

Pacquiao has already announced in national TV that he would face first Venezuelan Edwin Valero before moving north in weight class. Valero was a slugger, with a good record of 22-0, 22 KOs. Many were saying (read: dreaming), especially the Mexicans, that this may be the man at 130 who could beat Pac by KO. But no, the guy was a one dimensional lefty—very much like the unpolished Manny Pacquiao of years ago—who throws wide and wild punches and with a very flawed defense (Right, he’s like Manny before Roach took him). But unlike Pacquiao, Valero was too slow in his feet and in throwing his bombs. That won’t work against a monster whose main asset was power, speed and granite chin.

The Diaz hype

I have not bought into the idea of Pacs moving up in weight until this Juan Diaz hype. I believe that Pac has first to get his third world title at 130 before challenging any of the 135 guys, which in itself, would be a formidable assignment seeing the Pacman started at 107. That is if we are to recognize the filthy sanctioning bodies as the legit authorities in ranking fighters and in awarding championship belts. Pacquiao earned his belts at flyweight (112), superbantamweight (122), featherweight (126) and 130 lb divisions, the last two being Ring Mags’ Peoples Champ titles only. He has still yet to capture his “legit” third world title. Of course, there is no question that the Gen San lefty was the lineal champ at 126 for beating King Marco and the recognized ruler of 130 for thrashing Morales twice and Barrera once. But for history, I would love to see Pac gunning for his legit third world title at 130.

In history, No flyweight champ has ever hold a belt at super-featherweight class. And knowing the landscape of 130 lb division, it would be an easy task for the hard-hitting southpaw. No current belt holder at 130 could possibly give Pac a tough night in the ring, much more beat him: Edwin Valero was slow, Joan Guzman was just a feather-fisted loud mouth with a questionable chin and Juan Manuel Marquez was the same guy he decked thrice at 126 in just the opening round. A fight he won—which would have made him a three-division champion—although the judges scored it as draw.

Which lead me to conclude that the real competition for Pac was in the division five pounds plus, the lightweight.

Serious trouble, serious competitions

If Pac were to fight Juan Diaz at 135 lb division, he would be up for a very serious trouble. The reason: Natural size.

Seeing the Pacman climbed up from 107 lb division, the 135, his eighth weight class if ever, would be too big for him. It is almost certain that his power at lightweight would never be as monstrous as it were in lower weight classes. At 130 Pacs power was great. Great as it was the punching power that gave iron-chinned Morales his first taste of the canvass. Great, but far from being monstrous as it was at 122. It is interesting to see how that power would now translate to 135. One lightweight said in an interview days before the Barrera rematch that he didn’t feel the power Pac is known for in several rounds he sparred with him. If that was any indication, Pacquiao is up for a serious trouble at 135.

However, it is also important to note that Pac has never shown any problem in his new weight. He always appeared to be comfortable at any weight he has fought. He demolished the great Barrera in his first fight at 126. He was simply a monster at 122, whacking out each and every opponent (note: he climbed up to 122 straight from 112). He demolished Morales twice at 130. And since he’s comfortably fighting at around 144 lbs every time he fights at 130, courtesy of the rehydration process after the weight-in, we can say that Pacquiao can indeed fight at 135.

He can fight, yes. But can he fight at lightweight, his eight weight class, the way hes fighting at the lower weight classes? He can fight, yes. But dominate? No. He may win some, lose some, but the lightweight is where the real competition for him.

ANG HULING PARADA PATUNGONG HALL OF FAME

(October 13, 2007)

Wala na ngang natitira sa tangke. Matapos ang 12 rounds, malinaw kung saan na patungo ang karera ni Marco Antonio Barrera. Ang pamamahinga ay isang katotohanan at wastong desisyon lamang na ito’y yakapin. Hindi na siya ang parehong kampiyon ng nakaraang mga taon na may katulad na lagablab ang mga kilos, suntok at determinasyon sa ibabaw ng ring. Iniwan na siya ng mga ito; pahiwatig na kailangan na niyang iwanan ang daigdig na niyakap niya, at yumakap din sa kanya, sa loob ng maningning na 18 taon. Tapos na ang parada at kailangan na niyang magpaalam. Kailangan na niyang hubarin ang pares ng gloves.

118-109, 118-109, at 115-112 (teka, Barrera-Pacquiao ba ang pinanood ng Judge na ito?), malinaw na ipinakita ng mga scorecards ang naging hitsura ng laban: lubhang makaisang-panig. Bagamat apat na rounds (rounds 1,4,5 at 8) ang ibinigay ko kay Barrera sa huling laban niya, lubha pa rin itong makaisang-panig. Hindi na siya ang katulad na Barrera na nakipagpalitan ng mabibigat na kamao kay Erik Morales sa kanilang klasikong trilogy, ang Barrera na sistematikong nagpayuko kay Naseem Hamed sa isang labanang napaka-taktikal at lubhang-metodikal, o ang kilala nating Barrera na may hindi mababaling determinasyon upang manalo. Parang hindi siya ang naglalaro sa ring noong lingo ng Oktubre-7. Kunsabagay, ganito rin halos ang larawan noong 2003.

Gayunpaman, nakamamangha na hindi siya napatumba ni Manny Pacquiao, ang puncher na nagmamay-ari ng pinakamabagsik na kumbinasyon sa daigdig na boksing ngayon. Kung ito ang naging layon ni Barrera, ang lumaban hindi upang manalo kundi ang tapusin ang buong distansya ng 12 rounds, tagumpay siya. Masakit sa matang panoorin ang huling kalahati ng labang iyon para sa mga Barrera fans pagkat iisa lamang ang naglalaro upang manalo habang ang isa ay umiiwas upang hindi masaktan. Kung ito ay isang indikasyon, tapos na nga ang boksing para sa kanya.

Pero walang knock-out o knock-down, natutuwa ako doon. Ang lahat ng mga dakilang boksingero ay may mga huling mahuhusay na laban o ang parada ng pamamaalam sa ibabaw ng ring. Kung ang pananatiling nakatayo sa kanyang mga paa sa kabuuang distansya ng laban ang paradang iyon, mahusay na gabi pa rin. Hindi ko kukuwestiyonin ang puso ng Baby-Faced Assassin. Ang Hall-of-Fame ay isang masayang hantungan.

Sa kabila ng umaabanteng edad at tila-gastadong katawan, may mga sandali pa rin sa laban na nagpapakita na ang mamang kalaban ni Pacquiao ang kinikilala bilang tagapagmana ng pangalan ni Julio Cesar Chavez. Mga sandali kung bakit siya ang tinaguriang pinakamahusay na mehikanong manlalaro ng kanyang henerasyon. Nakita sa rounds1 at (lalo na, sa round) 5 ito, bagamat limitado, ang bagsik ng kanyang panukat para sa mga perpektong counter-punches, mga kumbinasyong nakakapagpalito, at mga footwork na nakapagdidikta ng takbo ng laban. Tumatama subalit parang hindi iniinda. Mga marka ba iyon ng katandaan? Mga lamat ng maraming pinagdaanang giyera? o sadyang matibay lamang ang kalaban? Huh! Kung nagtagpo lamang sa parehong edad at naging magkapanabayan ang dalawang boksingerong iyon, maaaring iba ang naging kinalabasan ng laban.

Ang rounds 6 hanggang matapos, maliban lamang sa round 8, ay purong palabas ni Pacquiao. Hindi na niya nasasabayan ang ipo-ipong suntok. Wala na sa lugar at perpektong sandali ang mga footwork at counter-punches. Mga tanda na hindi na siya lumalaban upang manalo. Naglalaro na lamang siya upang makumpleto ang buong distansya ng nakatayo sa kanyang mga paa. Sumusuntok upang manatiling buo ang hangarin na hindi lubusang masaktan.

Ang hindi lubusang masaktan. Iyon na ang naging laban niya. Sapagkat hindi ko alam kung bakit patuloy pa ring pinapayagang lumaban ang boksingerong ito na nagkaroon ng operasyon sa ulo. Hindi lamang simpleng gamutan kundi isang todong operasyon. Kinailangang buksan ang kanyang utak, tanggalin ang mga namuong dugo at patungan ng titanium plate ang bahagi ng bungong tinanggal. Sa kanyang kalagayang medikal, isang tahasang paghamon kay kamatayan ang pagharap sa isang Manny Pacquiao sa ibabaw ng ring. Dalawa ang kanyang kalaban: ang pinakamalas sumuntok sa timbangan ng pound-for-pound at ang babasaging kalagayang medikal.

Kung hindi puso at tapang ang tawag doon, hindi ko alam. At matapos nga ang tantyahan sa unang anim na rounds, tamang desisyon lamang na umiwas sa mga natitirang rounds. Sapagkat kung may boksingero sa kanyang weight reach na may kakayahang magbigay na permanenteng lamat sa katawan niya, o maging ng kamatayan, ito ay si Pacquiao.

Lumaban ba siya hindi upang manalo? Anuman ang sagot ay ayos lang; ang huling parada patungo sa Hall of Fame ay magandang laban pa rin.

WHY THE BABY FACED ASSASSIN WOULD BEAT THE PACMAN?

(July 19, 2007)

Concluding that he’s done is but logical; that the many brutal wars he has fought has finally caught up on him. With that tear and wear thing, anything that is less than a miracle won’t do to pull this one off. Not against a pound for pound king who happens to own the most devastating punches in the business.

Or so they say.

It is safe to say that Mexican star Marco Antonio Barrera’s 18-year illustrious career is fast drawing to an end. Looking closely on his last fights, the 33 year-old Baby-Faced Assassin has significantly slowed down; the sting of his left hook has considerably diminished as well as the power that once defined him as a very dangerous pressure-puncher. The odds are all against him. His best days in the squared ring may be finally over, but if there was something that has not left this future Hall-of-Famer, it’s his heart—that unwavering courage and unbreakable will to win he displayed in his classic trilogy with Erik Morales. That is something that will be tested once more in his coming rematch against Manny Pacquiao.

Many felt that this fight against Pacquiao would be the nail that would seal the coffin of his career. Considering the loads of tough fights he has endured and his now advancing age, it seems that only a miracle can make him win against the Filipino southpaw who, as others loved to put, is at the pinnacle of his career.

Barrera will go to the rematch coming off a loss against compatriot Juan Manuel Marquez (though I personally scored the Marquez fight as a draw; or even a possible narrow win for the Assassin had the ref not penalized him for throwing that stupid punch while Marques was down). Prior to this fight, his two outings against Rocky Juarez were very telling: the master boxer-puncher has remarkably slowed down.

Preview of the coming rematch

But if there was a fight that could best serve as preview of the coming rematch, it was the first fight. Barrera’s total demolition in the hands of the Pac Man in their 2003 meeting was so complete and brutally devastating that many had predicted the downfall of his glorious career and the end of his days as an elite fighter in the pound for pound ranking. He was simply out-jabbed, outclassed, out-sped and overpowered by the hard-hitting Filipino whirlwind. Pacquiao, who was a very hungry fighter back then, brought out the fight to Barrera by relentlessly beating him down throughout the game. Although seemingly uncertain how he would keep up from the heat Pacquiao has brought in the ring, he refused to bow down and continued to fight amidst total confusion. But the hungry Pac monster proved too much to handle. The stoppage inevitably came in the 11th.

But that was just now a footnote to the coming Pacquiao rematch. Expect Barrera to come more determined. Unlike in their first meeting where Pacquiao was the hungry fighter, it was Barrera who needs this fight more than Pacquiao so he could close his career in a high note.

And no, he was not a done fighter yet. How many times he had made the experts looked fool by proving them wrong? Every time they would say Marco’s done, he would annihilate his next opponent. Every time they would say that his days as a world-class fighter were over, he would resurface as a totally different fighter. He’s a very smart fighter who actually learns from his previous defeat and come back a better fighter in his next fight. This amazing capability of re-inventing himself has made the world a believer once and again.

The face-first left hooking brawler

Barrera debuted in pro boxing in 1989 at the tender age of 15. He won his first 43 fights, 31 by knock-out, slashing through the bantamweight and super-bantamweight division. Back then, the Baby-faced Assassin was a typical Mexican brawler who charges with his face first and let that vintage left hook fly to the body. His career shot into prominence in 1995 when he defeated on points the much respected Daniel Jimenez to earn the WBO super bantamweight belt. But it was his 1996 war against Kennedy McKinney that sealed his distinction as a(n exciting) boxing superstar. Both men hit the canvass in the closing rounds before Barrera finally punctuated the brawl by KOing McKinney in the 12th. Barrera busied himself in this year by knocking-out three more opponents before tasting the first defeat of his career latter in this year at the hands of Junior Jones.

Jones demolished Barrera in a strong fashion by peppering him with right crosses. The cross rarely missed and by the 5th, the Assassin was humbled. Jones simply shattered Barrera’s aura of near-invincibility, from which the Mexicans career was built upon. The pair clashed again after few months in a more tactically fought game. Barrera also lost the rematch, but after displaying significant improvements in his defense and overall boxing skills indicative of his metamorphosis from a face-first wild brawler into a more complete boxer-puncher.

Barrera went on a roll after the Jones rematch by knocking out seven more opponents (one of which was declared no-contest) and decisioning another one. Then in 2000 Barrera met the rising Mexican star, Erik Morales, in a unification battle for WBC-WBO super-bantamweight title. Everybody knew what happened in this fight. Many felt that the Baby-faced assassin won the game but Morales claimed the victory.

Shocking the world

After the first Morales fight, where many were claiming that the new kid had just supplanted him as Mexico’s boxing star, Barrera blew up Luis Freitas via round one KO. In his succeeding fight, he had again showed remarkable boxing skills against the respected Jesus Salud by schooling him with his terrific defense, superb jab and excellent footwork before finally scoring a TKO in the 6th. Then Barrera shocked the world by masterfully demolishing Prince Naseem Hamed in 2001 in their featherweight battle. Barrera went into that fight as an underdog that nobody gave him a chance against the great and unbeaten Prince. But Barrera proved the world wrong by displaying masterful skills, showing great patience, and applying more science in the fight. That was a totally different Barrera the world has witnessed: gone were the first-face charges and brawling attitude in the ring. A complete master craftsman was born; his place in the pound for pound elites was cemented.

A master craftsman

The master craftsman went on further in his career by defeating foes either by engaging them in a brawl or by methodically breaking them down in the process. That guy can now comfortably shift styles between a hard-charging brawler and a master boxer-puncher—something that he employed with a great degree of success in his succeeding bouts.

Of course, everything in his vast arsenal was nullified by Pacquiao in 2003. After his shocking lost to the Filipino lefty, people were calling for his retirement and experts were in unison saying that he’s done. But he proved them wrong again by racking successive wins either by KO or by decision. He KOed the slick boxer Paulie Ayala in the 10th and decisively beat the heavily favorite Erik Morales in a super featherweight title fight where he abandoned his slick counter punching and reverted back to his aggressive brawling style. Also, he dismantled Mzonke Fana in two rounds.

Barrera was such a great fighter that he knew how to turn his losses into win by actually learning from them and tremendously improving afterwards. He definitely has an edge against Pacman in terms of overall boxing skills and ring smarts. But can he keep up with the trademark relentless pressure Pacquio would apply to him? He needs to be extra cautious this time around.

Can he win this one? At 33, Marco is still a very dangerous fighter. That sharp, slick, perfectly-timed right hook that sent Marquez down in his knees in the 7th round of their last fight screams something: he is still that dangerous despite of his advancing age and seemingly wearing body. Would that work against Pacman? Barrera is set to prove the world wrong again.