By Vitali Shaposhnikov: Slowly but surely, the amount of boxers who call Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2) a cheater in one way or another are adding up. His remarkable fairytale-like victories are beginning to appear fictional. While personally I don’t subscribe to badmouthing Manny Pacquiao for his vigorous training regime and unbelievable dedication, I do see what the naysayers are pointing at.
Generally, there are two theories going around amongst those who believe Pacquiao is being falsely portrayed. One theory was proposed and spread via Roger Mayweather, somehow assuming that Pacquiao was using performance enhancing drugs to enhance his career. Another, newer theory going around lately is that maybe his fights are fixed. To this writer, both are simply absurd.
Recently, Zab Judah (40-6-0), a professional world class boxer, came out with some accusations. “I’ve been watching the Pacquiao showdowns and, you know, I think a lot of them were staged,” commented Judah. I think that an in-shape and well trained Shane Mosley should knock Pacquiao out.”-(http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content9382.html).
Despite being careful in what Judah was proposing to the public, his message is very direct. Judah tried to avoid sounding rash and malicious, but ultimately he was taking some victories away from Pacquaio with mere personal speculation.
Interestingly, Judah makes a lot of sense in his statement. Say what you want, but when talking about some of their common competition, Judah made some interesting points which deserve discussion.
For instance, Judah discusses the difference between the way Joshua Clottey (35-4-0) and Antonio Margarito (38-7-0) usually behave in the ring and the obvious change in their performance and spirit when facing Pacquiao. Most of us would respond by saying that Pacquiao is a different class of opposition, with a tremendous punch volume and sensational power.
When those attributes are paired with Pacquiao’s awe-inspiring speed, he becomes the ultimate weapon in the ring. Simply outclassing his opposition, it’s possible that Pacquiao never even gave them a chance.
On the other hand, both Clottey and Margarito have been said to be able take a serious punch and give one back. They are both naturally bigger than Pacquiao and have traded with many good fighters before. So why is it that they remained motionless against Pacman? In spite of how Judah saw Margarito’s performance against Pacquaio, it was more than ‘nothing.’ As a matter of fact, Pacquiao was not without blemishes, stating that Margarito landed some shots that really hurt him in their fight.
But what about all of Pacquiao’s previous fights? Why are those who tend to lean towards the negative explanations of Pacquiao’s success forgetting to look at his earlier boxing career? It is essential to review Pacquiao’s rise to the top from early on, where he without a doubt showed everything that makes a champion.
Having said that, is Zab Judah right about concluding that Shane Mosley (46-6-1), being the seasoned warrior that he is, should be able to knock Pacquiao out without too much trouble?
I find it extremely difficult to call this fight. I certainly want to give Mosley the benefit of the doubt, and I don’t see this fight as being an easy one for Pacquiao. In fact, I expect this matchup to be easily one of the toughest fights in Pacquiao’s career. Mosley will fight when needed and will take angles when boxing calls for it.
I can see Pacquiao having some trouble with Mosley’s ability to keep Pacquiao at a distance with his jab and excellent back movement. There is certainly a chance that Mosley nabs the Pacman with something solid and sends him to the floor, something that is exceptionally awkward to imagine.
My above mentioned fight prediction seems fairly confident, so you may ask why I “complained” about this fight being hard to call. Mosley’s fight against Mayweather Jr. was too one sided. Mosley won only one round against Mayweather Jr. and struggled to make anything happen in the remainder of their bout. How will that Shane Mosley survive Manny Pacquiao?
I am afraid that if Mosley comes in trying to fight, the world will witness a legend fall, and even worse, get seriously hurt. Mosley’s best chance is to stick to something he has been perfecting for decades—boxing. Technical by-the-book strategic boxing of Shane Mosley may very well make the difference and give Manny Pacquiao and coach Roach serious trouble.
Will Zab Judah be right this time, calling a fall to a living legend in Manny Pacquiao via a knockout? Freddie Roach has a completely different plan, hoping to knock Shane Mosley out, in hoped of enticing Mayweather Jr. to make their mega-fight with Pacquiao finally come to fruition (http://www.pacquiao-vs-margarito-online.co.cc/2011/02/18/roach-we-are-going-to-ko-shane-mosley-to-show-floyd-mayweather-we-are-better/).
I always tend to listen to boxers who have seniority in the ring, as their time in the ring along with their experienced eye for boxing, is always of value when analyzing fights.
May 7, 2011, MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas will once again be swarming with Filipino merchandise draped over thousands of people, supporting their idol and countryman Manny Pacquiao. This should be a great fight, and is not to be missed!.