13-03-2010

Mark this date in your calenders, diaries, Pda's & laptops people coz its a date you should not forget. This date will bare witness to the greatest fight of the decade and potentially in the history of boxing. it has been compared to Ali Vs. Frazier, Ali Vs. Foreman & De La Hoya Vs. Trinidad, and is set to break every financial record that exist in boxing history. The American Dream will finally go head to head, fist to face against the Fighting Pride of the Philippines. The questions that has been frequently asked, will finally be answered.

MANNY PACQUIAO VS FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

Roach Wants Pacquiao to get an 8th title against Foreman

My my my. Is the sky really the limit? or did Freddie Roach tore it up and went higher. Buoyed by the success of his superstar protege, Freddie Roach has come out flaring saying that the Pacman's' penultimate fight will see him up his weight to 154lbs and challenge Yuri Foreman for his title.

"Yuri Foreman might be the opponent. It is a possibility, and then Mayweather in September. If they guarantee me that, we'll do that, but I need more of a commitment from Mayweather because he's not negotiating too well," Roach told the British press.

I guess it does make sense, both financially and reputation wise. Mayweather does not want to fight Pacman in March (pussy), so Pacman will go for title number 8, smashing the record for titles in weight class (which he recently set) and seal himself as a legend in the history of boxing. Floyd might then fight Shane Mosley in May, prepping himself up for the big showdown in September when two of the worlds biggest boxing stars collide. Roach is definitely a smart man. 154lbs may seem too much for Pacquiao, but I think he will be able to pull it off. One question though. Can Pacman fight Foreman at 154lbs, and then come down to fight Floyd? Wouldn't that have some sort of implications on his body? Unless they are planning the Mayweather fight at 154lbs (Mayweather vs De La Hoya was contested at 154lbs). Whatever it is, I think Freddie & Manny will be looking at this issues closely and see whats best for Pacman

Yuri, you better be reading this coz you might be next!!

Show Me The "Money"

Born into the bloodlines of boxing greats, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has established himself as one of the top performers in the sport. The undefeated, quick feet fighter has won 6 in 6 as well as numerous awards but is Mayweather, voted Ring Magazine fighter of the year in 98' and 07' really the best boxer of all time? Or just a load of hype built on the "American Dream" concept? I'll be revealing just what is it that makes him good, and the flaws that he claims does not exist to find out if he is indeed The Read Deal





















Fight Record: Wins: 40 Knockouts: 25

The former #1 pound for pound king started his ascent to glory in the 96' Olympics, coming in 3rd after a controversial defeat against Bulgarian Serafim Todorov. Beginning his career at featherweight, Mayweather scored some memorable wins against Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corales, Luis Castillo & Zab Judah before defeating Oscar De La Hoya in a fight that broke the record for most lucrative fight in boxing history. After a KO win against Hitman Hatton, Mayweather took a hiatus for 21 months and has since returned to the ring, winning his comeback fight against Manuel Marquez.

What Makes Him Good

Speed

Floyd is a dancer in the ring. His ability to dance around opponents, get in quick one two combos and get out clean makes it very difficult for his opponents to cope. Good body and head movement, coupled with quick feet co-ordination helps him avoid getting pummeled, while landing his shots well.

Defense

Mayweather has admirable defense that boxers like Cotto & Hatton should take note of. This is the main reason why Mayweather wins all of his fights. If you can't hurt him, you can't beat him. When was the last time you saw Floyd at the end of a vicious beating? or bloodied?

Confidence

Winning all your fights will do your confidence a whole lot of good. Floyd is known for being cocky & arrogant but in my opinion this has helped him. If a man truly believes he is the better boxer and that he can't get hurt or walked -over, he will achieve this feat. Boxers who even have the slightest doubt in themselves going into a fight has a chance of losing, but if they believe that they are the superior boxer, than not even a bigger boxer can stop them

But wait...

Power

Mayweather has 25 knockout victories under his belt, but most of those came against lesser opponents. His high profile matches have ended with a decision against Judah, a split against Oscar and a decision against Marquez. The KO of Ricky Hatton came in the 10th (Pacquiao KO'ed him in 2nd). Unlike some of the other top fighters who have had notable knockout victories within the first 5 rounds, Floyd's punches are touch and go punches which helps him rack up points, but against sturdy opponents like Clottey, Cotto & Pacman, he will struggle

Tolerence

Can Mayweather take big punches? No he can't. This may not seem like a weakness as Mayweather never taken too many hits but then he hasn't fought too many top fighters who are at their prime ( fought Baldomir when he was 35yrs, Gatti when he was 33yrs and Marquez when he was 38yrs). I, like many other fans out there, would love to see him face Pacquiao, just to see how he measures up against a prime fighter. I can safely guarantee you Mayweather will start fighting on the backfoot as early as round 4 as his body would not be able to cope with the pain inflicted by Pacman

So Mayweather...

Is a good boxer. He has had some remarkable wins early on in his career and the numerous titles do compliment his boxing skills. However, he is NOT the best, and only rate him 4th best in my current top 5, and a generous 8th within the decade. The only way that I can be proven wrong is if the former #1 P4P king faces the current P4P king and defeats him

Mayweather, that's my challenge to you.

Manny Pacquiao Vs. Miguel Cotto: Post Fight Analysis

Well the big match has come and gone. Many (except for me) were surprised at the way Pacman dispatched Cotto, in what was billed as the fight of the year. Sympathies for Cotto though as he wanted to go out with honor via decision, but the referee made the right choice in stopping the fight, with regards to fighter safety. Lets review the performance of both fighter, and I'll give you a glimpse of what the future might hold for these two warriors.

Post Fight Analysis: Manny Pacquiao




















I'm running out of superlatives for Manny. This fight was easily the best performance in his already remarkable career. This fight was nothing like what we saw against De La Hoya & Hatton, in the sense that Manny did not flurry his opponent with a barrage of non-stop punches, but tore him apart piece by piece, mercilessly. First round aside, Pacquiao dominated the fight impressively, dishing out deadly combos to Cotto, cutting and bruising him till he was literally a staggering flesh wound. The 3rd & 4th round knockdowns clearly showed that at 145lbs, Manny still has the power and ferocity to obliterate opponents. Cotto did sneak punches, jabs & uppercuts in, but Pacman merely shrugged it off, grinned and continued his onslaught. Manny's' stamina baffled the crowd as he showed no signs of fatigue right up to the 12th round, on-route to his TKO and I personally felt that he was only in 4th gear throughout. 10/10 for Pacman

Post Fight Analysis: Miguel Cotto


















Credit to Cotto for his lion like courage & heart throughout the match. No other boxers could ever take that kind of beating. Cotto had a plan, and it all looked bright after the 1st round. He got some good punches in, had a great defence against Mannys' attack and really brought himself well, but that was it. 2nd round onwards he seemed to have lost the strategy as everything went totally wrong. 3rd & 4th saw him go down once in each, taking some menacing looking punches from the Pacman. He looked to have come back from the dead in the 5th, composing himself and taking the fight to Manny, getting some good punches in which looked to have hurt the small Filipino. 6th onwards he lost everything again, and was constantly on the back foot, looking like he was "running away" from the Pacman. My personal opinion was that he could have have gone all the way till the end of 12, but the fight was stop after 55 seconds on the 12, when referee Kenny Bayless decided enough was enough and sounded the bell.

Pacquiao Verdict

Pacman has hinted that he might have 3 fights left before he retires, so we shall definitely see some big name opponents on the cards. A final bout against Manuel Marquez is on the cards, and I see Pacquiao winning that easily via KO. Then he may face either Shane Mosley or the highly anticipated, mouth-watering fight against Mayweather Jr. ( he'll knock both guys out, trust me). Whoever Manny's' future opponents may be, we can be sure that this record breaking, boxing extraordinaire will bring with him the kind of excitement and thrill that has made him a worldwide superstar.

Cotto Verdict

Miguel should not feel incredibly disappointed after this match. he did infact fight the #1 pound for pound boxer and managed to stay on his feet (almost) throughout the match. He is still a big name in the boxing arena and has a few exciting prospective opponents for the future. I feel Cotto should fight Margarito next, and prove to the world that Margarito did win the previous encounter with loaded gloves. If he wins that, then a fight against Shane Mosley might be up. A rematch against Pacquiao is possible although highly unlikely. Cotto is a very good fighter and I give him full credits for all that he has achieve, and see him returning to the spotlight in the near future.