A Typhoon From Southeast Asia

The reason for my explosive interest in boxing has to be attributed to this guy. I have been following him since his fight vs. Barrera 1 and he keeps on surprising me. Started his career at a weight of 106lbs, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao will go into his next match vs. Miguel Cotto at a catch weight of 145lbs. A quick research shows that he is one of only 6 boxers who have won 6 titles in 6 different weight divisions, and the first boxer to win the lineal championship in four different weight divisions (take that critics!). Lets break this guy down piece by piece and see if he is indeed The Real Deal.














Fight Record

Win: 49 Loss: 3 Draw: 2 Knockout: 37

Pacquiaos' first two losses came early on vs. Torrecampo 96' & Singsurat 99'. He has improved himself and stormed in the United States with wins vs. Jorge Julio & Manny Lucero. Pacman suffered his 3rd defeat at the hands of Erik "El-Terrible" Morales in 05'. Manny never looked back since, and picked-up memorable wins, twice against Morales & Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao also picked-up wins against Juan Manuel Marquez & David Diaz, before scoring the biggest TKO in his career, vs. "Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya. His last match vs. Ricky "Hitman" Hatton saw him destroy the Brit in the 2nd round ( Cocky @$$ Brit got his face smashed with a left!!).

Advantages

Speed

Pacquiao, best known for his lightning fast hands, is a master of combos. He can hit you with a 5 punch combination in seconds, leaving you sprawling on the floor, gasping for air. The words " Hes' too fast" has been used by his opponents before being "put to sleep". Although in his thirties, Manny has not lost his speed and continues to baffle analyst, as he seems to get faster & faster, much like a Chateau Haut-Brion which gets better with age. Future Boxing Hall of Famer, Bernard Hopkins said of Pacquiao, " Manny is the Bruce Lee of boxing. You can't tell where his shots are coming from".

Power

Asians boxers usually do not pact power punches, but an exception has to be made in Mannys' case. Manny has scored 6 knockout victories in the first round, and a further 26 knockout victories in the first 6 rounds, highlighting the fact that Pacquiao can easily crush opponents.

Versatility

Manny will write himself in the record books this Saturday, if he manages to defeat Cotto to claim his 7th title in 7 different weight division. I strongly believe that Pacquiao is at his best at 127lbs, but that won;t stop the "Mexicutioner" from climbing up. He has already claimed a victory at 147lbs against Oscar, and although the jury is out saying that Oscar was "watered-down", shadow of his former self, they can't deny the fact that Pacman stepped up, got his game on and gave Oscar the worst defeat in his 17-year career (even FM Jr. couldn't do that!!). A win against Cotto will silence the critics (for now at least) and establish himself as one of the most versatile boxers of all time.

Trainer

"Behind every great fighter, is an even greater master", a saying that fits the bill perfectly for Freddie Roach. The former trainer for Tyson, Hopkins & De La Hoya has transformed this one-trick Filipino into a complete killing machine. Pacquiaos massive improvements have been attributed to the Massachusetts mastermind, who will now engineer a record win for his prized protege.

Disadvantages

Defense

Pacman has rarely suffered cuts from his fights so its easy to conclude that his defense is second to none, but a closer look will reveal that he leaves himself open too much. When Pacman punches, hes' like a rabid hound, punching his way to a knockout victory but opening himself to counter punches. A smart game plan that includes counter punching will wobble Pacquiao.

Final Verdict

Manny has been labeled as "Overrated" and "Lucky" in light of his high profile wins lately but looking at the case presented above, one can clearly see that Pacquiao is a killer in the ring. With lightning fast speed, crushing power & deadly accuracy, I believe that Pacman will gobble his way to boxing history