Monday, December 21, 2009

Can Manny catch Floyd?

When Manny Pacquiao faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. for their superfight, whether it be on March 13 or on a later date, the question fight fans will be asking is how Pacquiao will catch Floyd. Not only are these two fighters perhaps the two best boxers of this era, they also have contrasting fighting styles. Both are quick, explosive and very well-conditioned. It's alsmot impossible to fight two other fighters who trains as hard as these two. They however use their tools in the ring differently.
Pacquiao uses his speed and explosiveness to get to his opponents and excite fans with knockouts and all out aggression. Mayweather on the other hand frustrates his opponents and uses his skills and physical abilities to avoid getting hit and quickly-countering while controlling the tempo of the fight.
The opposite style these two possess definitely make for an intriguing and interesting match-up among two of the greatest ever. It's a collision of two opposing great forces that will definitely collaborate and produce a tornado-like impact in the history of boxing. Despite warnings of some that Floyd might just run the whole night and that this fight would be boring, this scribe thinks that Pacquiao will find a way to force the action and have Mayweather fight like he has never done before. Yes, I think Mayweather at some point will start fighting Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is as quick as Mayweather yet he is hard to read and time. If Floyd insists on his pot-shooting and shoulder roll technique, he will get hit with 4 to 5 punches and be able to retaliate with only a counter or two. Pacquiao will not stop coming either. So at the end of the day, Floyd can run, but he cant hide. And when the fight turns into a war, it will all boil down to one thing: Chins! Can Floyd's chin take Pacquiao punches? We already know Pacquiao will probably be able to take his after taking dome of the best shots from a strong welterweight like Miguel Cotto. Zab Judah even told me recently that Mayweather's punching power is not even part of the equation. Judah has fought both Mayweather and Cotto and considers Mayweather's strength to be his technical skills. If Pacquiao gets Floyd in a war, which I believe he can, then that's when he catches Floyd.
The real question now however is, will Floyd sign the contract to fight Manny on March 13? Or will Pacquiao need to keep giving chase?

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