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.