Arm length/reach and the illusion of speed, and functional speed

that's why what makes Pac's handspeed so undauntable is also his footwork. Shane Mosley has like 2 inches in reach on Mayweather yet Cotto was able to handle it pretty well. On the flipside Pacquiao's speed overwhelmed Cotto over and over again. Not only when they were on the inside which is normal but even when Pacquiao was on the outside lunging in.

edit. actually Mosley's arm length is 25" so not 2 inches on Floyd, that was his wingspan. The point still stands though.

 

It's Pac's speed combined with his relentless punches from all angles, can't tell from where they are coming.

 

Let me tell you something...NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY has faster hands than Pacquiao. As far as who is faster out of him and Mayweather, to me, there is no contest. Pacquiao is WAY faster than Mayweather is. Check this out...Pacquiao knocked Miguel Cotto down twice. Twice. Mosley couldn't put him down, and he went down on his own accord against Margarito. So...why could Pacquiao do what those two guys couldn't? Does he hit harder than them? No. It was the speed. Pacquiao's speed overwhelms people. The speed overwhelmed Hatton, Cotto, De La Hoya, Barerra, Diaz...the list goes on.

 

It has something to do with timing too. On the first KD, Pac got Cotto while his feet are out of position so he just like pushed Cotto with his fist. That one doesn't need a lot of power. Of course, this has something to do with his foot speed too. He was able to get to Cotto right before Cotto landed his feet after throwing a punch. Just enough to throw him off-balance.

 

That left hook from the second knockdown was a thing of beauty. It sold me on how good Pacquiao is at 147. Cotto was just bewildered at how fast Pacquiao was and how good he was inside.

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As for arm length having something to do with speed, it doesn't. Speed comes from the legs mostly, where you can step fast, you can punch fast. The shorter arms just means you have to get closer.

A guy with longer arms can use timing to catch you, but he will benefit much more so from his legs. Take a look at the difference between the Klitschkos and Valuev. They're all massive, but Valuev's footwork is terrible in comparison. Hence, his punches are slow and predictable. The other two are much less so.

 

fam... ali reach is 78, not freaking 83, and mikes reach is 71, not 72, and no, mayweather arm length is not the same as wladimir klitschko. How biased and misinformed is this

 

Just like torque and horsepower, there is a spot on the power curves that intersect and make the two equivalent at that exact point.

Or that's just how it seems in my jacked up soup sandwich of a brain. before taking what I just said and thinking its anything close to a compatible comparison, keep in mind I've only worked manual labor my whole life and won't ever have a job outside that field, did HORRIBLE in school, and even though I got a bachelors degree...…. It's in ****ing history -- literally the easisest and only degree I was capable of achieving, and it was more of a white knuckle ride barely eeking that out my ass than it would be in a GTA reality scenario where I kicked the hornets nest, rung up six stars, have police cruisers, helicopters, National Guard -- everebody -- with a BOLO out on me in the midst of a week long crack binge.

 

Ali`s counter punching speed was slightly quicker than Tyson`s.

 

Like Loma.

 

Ali`s reach was the same length as Tommy Hearns reach.

 

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thank you.

 

Off the top of my head I can list 3-5 guys who clearly have/had faster hand speed than Pac. Pac WAS blazing fast, but like @mark ant said, it was the speed combined with his relentless attacking style, angles, and power that made him such a terror.

 

Name 5 fighters at 135 with faster hands.