IT’S THE SAME OLD ARGUMENT…AGAIN
Los Angeles Ca– If Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) beats Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs) in November in what will be their third encounter, and as he’s expected to do, the same question arises. When will he face Floyd Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs)? Who will win? From the couch in my living room Saturday night watching Floyd’s victory over Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs), although I believe he’ll be the betting favorite, I came to the conclusion that based on what I saw he loses the “hypothetical” bout with Pacquiao.
Will Manny Pacquiao ever fight Floyd?
In the aftermath of what some considered either a controversial and or tarnished victory (I beg to differ here), after reading numerous stories on various websites basically calling it a “great” and “dominant” performance by Mayweather, from my view I just didn’t see it that way. Floyd was effective doing what he normally does. In no disrespect to Mayweather’s phenomenal skills, the performance was nothing all that special. He threw one punch at a time, mainly a right hand lead that lacked power. Whenever he got hit with anything resembling substance he backed himself to the ropes. A recipe for disaster against the Filipino superstar.
MAYWEATHER IS SHOWING SIGNS OF AGE
Floyd still exhibits great reflexes, however at this stage I just don’t think he can fight at a fast pace. Pacquiao’s movement from side to side and ability to catch opponents in exchanges are his greatest assets. Floyd normally has the speed advantage in fights. Against Pacquiao he’d be fighting a southpaw with comparable hand speed, and who throws punches from weird angles and in combination. The fact that Floyd rarely commits to his punches is also a problem. If he commits, Floyd possibly leaves himself open. If he doesn’t he won’t hurt the Filipino and thats what he must employ to keep the fight at the pace he prefers.
“HANDS DOWN, MAN DOWN!
Ortiz was losing the fight, however Floyd’s punches lacked snap. Ortiz in my beleif was trying to counter the counterpuncher so he wouldn’t get caught by surprise. In the fourth round he landed a couple of good punches that got Mayweathers attention and backed him to the ropes. The sometimes weak mentality of Victor along with his inexperience in a fight of this magnitude let Floyd take advantage. I don’t need to explain what happened after Ortiz landed an intentional headbutt. Floyd took advantage of the opportunity and took care of business, something that true professionals are supposed to do. While Pacquaio is a gentleman inside and outside the ring, he’s also a true elite fighter who would never have let himself fall into that sort of trap. Lets make this clear. Whether his actions were perceived as being unsportsmanlike or not, Floyd is the one who acted like the true professional here. Never drop your hands when your opponent is standing directly in front of you!
DOES MY OPINION EVEN REALLY MATTER?
At this point I am not sure it really matters who I think is going to win. What matters most is if this fight even happens at all. If it does I hope that both guys bring their best effort and it lives up to all the hype, and is void of controversy. The last thing the sport needs is another joke fight where fans have to shell out $65 to $70 (some are saying $100) dollars and leave feeling, again, cheated out of their hard earned money.
-Kevin Perry