by Bobby delaCruz: There is no boxer at the moment that is more closely watched and monitored than Manny “the Pacman” Pacquiao. This is the benefit, or maybe the curse, that comes along when you are currently regarded as the greatest pugilist in the world. Even his recent change of do generated a volume of comments from boxing fans around the world. An attention which could be likened to what Brad Pitt had experienced from movie fans around the world when he decided to chop off his locks back in the mid-1990s.
If Pacquiao’s locks could generate such attention and criticism, it is no surprise that boxing fans, especially the hardcore ones and pundits, would scrutinize the skills of anyone who would glove up against him. Is the opponent befitting to box against the best of them all? Is this the guy who could finally disturb Pacquiao’s rhythm in the ring and give him problems for most of the rounds?
Pacquiao is scheduled to slug it out with Sugar Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. The matchup has generated some level of disgust from hardcore fans who argue that Mosley’s chance of winning the fight rests only on a single lucky punch, a punch that all boxers rely upon especially when they are well behind on points. I agree with this assessment. I see Pacquiao having no problem leading the dance while Mosley will be relegated to simply follow Pacquiao’s lead and accrue a grotesquely disfigured face along the way similar to what befell Diaz, De La Hoya, Cotto and Margarito.
Instead of Mosley, critics have provided a short list of fighters who they believe are suitable to box against the pound-for-pound king. They are, in order of significance, Floyd Mayweather, Jr, Sergio Martinez and Juan Manuel Marquez. These boxers have the most chance of providing Pacquiao enough problems in the ring to make the fight look more competitive. Not only do these three have superior boxing skills but they also have a keen sense of awareness on what is going on in the squared arena once the bell rings. Superior skill and ring intelligence are necessary to mess up Pacquiao’s rhythm in the ring which could spell defeat for the pound-for-pound king. I definitely agree about Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez. The fighter, however, who is not fitting to box against Pacquiao is Sergio Martinez. This is neither for lack of skill nor for lack of ring intelligence, but simply because of his size. I’ve read some articles describing Pacquiao as a coward and a cherry-picker because of his avoidance of Martinez.
Pacquiao fears no man. He will fight anyone place in front of him anytime and anywhere, and that includes Sergio Martinez. But just because he could doesn’t mean that he should. We observed from his fight against Antonio Margarito, who outweighed him by 17 lbs and towered over him by 5 inches, that although he pummeled Margarito for most of the 12 rounds, he couldn’t knock him out because Margarito’s size was able to absorb most of his punches. On the contrary, the few punches that Margarito landed on him really hurt him. This is Physics at work. F = (m) x (a), which means, Force = (mass) x (acceleration). The bigger the boxer’s mass (or weight), the bigger the force his punch will carry. This is the main reason why in a sanctioned fight both fighters are encouraged to have the same weight or at least be in the same weight class so that their punches will carry about the same destructive force. Otherwise, if there is a noticeable disparity in size, the smaller fighter would have to work harder and his health will be in more jeopardy compared to the bigger boxer. For a Pacquiao-Martinez matchup to be fair, both pugilists must have about the same weight. But we’ve seen Pacquiao peaked at 147 lbs in his last fight against Margarito, a fight having a catch weight of 150 lbs. The 147 lbs is the maximum weight that Pacquiao’s ectomorph body type can support without compromising his speed and his stamina. Any heavier than 147 lbs and he is no longer the Pacquiao that we came to see and admire. Any heavier and it will be just an ordinary boxer in the ring. Any heavier and the Pacquiao-Martinez matchup will simply be a fight that is absurd. If Pacquiao’s critics really want their man Martinez to fight Pacquiao, then persuade him to come down in weight and meet Pacquiao at 147 lbs and not the other way around. If, by a slim chance, Martinez wins, then at least he won against the true Pacquiao and not the slower version.