Freddie Roach: "I want the (Mayweather) fight at 145"

Well, Pac and Floyd can both be WW's and fight at 145 lbs. How is it that coming down 1 lb is going to hurt PBF but coming down a ton of weight didn't supposedly hurt Adamek? I'm just asking if you're being consistent in what you're writing. Pac can toss the WBO WW belt if he wants. Would that make it ok for you?

You know what, you're right. I shouldnt've taken that pot shot at your thread. My bad. It was a long night that night. You're a good guy and I respect you as a person and a poster. I'm sorry for that cheap shot. :good You and I are often on different sides, rooting-wise, for fights, but that is ok -- you're allowed to root for who you want and present their arguments. That's what makes the world go round. The forum is better for having you on it and I like to read your work. :thumbsup

Now, that being said, there are a couple of things with the "Pac/black fighters" thread I want to point out:

1. You say you should have named the thread differently or whatever but you could have gone back and changed the thread name and didn't.

So, isn't that a little coy on your part to both say you regretted the name but then not change it? I don't care if you do or not, but I'm pointing that out. You may not have wanted to since it would then, maybe, throw people off who wanted to follow the thread but not recognize it with a different title.

2. You're assuming Pac is ducking black/slick fighters and that he has problems with this style.

As others have pointed out, Pac might have not felt that Campbell or Guzman made sense for him, for whatever reason. Maybe he did duck them for just the reason you mentioned, but maybe he did not. I don't know. But the three people who have defeated Pac, and the JMM draw, don't necessarily fit your mold. So why is it assumed Pac will have trouble with the "slick" style when he's proven to have problems with Morales' style? Maybe that's a worse style for him?

On the topic of Morales, Cotto is in many ways a bigger, better version of Morales.

I always felt Mosley beat Cotto. But many don't feel that. IF Cotto won the fight, though, he won it because he "boxed" and moved well in the last four rounds, in a way that Mosley couldn't match. Isn't that "slick?" And doesn't it mean something that Cotto "beat" Mosley?

You are right, though, that Cotto's defense sucks. Can't argue that. He's always had that weakness.

On the other hand, Cotto has phenomenal timing. Some of the best in the sport, IMO. And he was in the best shape I've ever seen him in against Pac. And he boxed as well as I've ever seen him in the first round, and he did a good job on his bike in the later rounds. And Pac had to chase him, and Pac STILL won, even though he had to eat a lot of shots early to do so. Thus, even though Cotto isn't the prototype of a "slick" fighter, he can fight slick and box and do so at times against Pac. And Pac beat that style, beat the guy who defeated Mosley and who has amazing timing.

That has to count for something, or "complete" Pac's resume in some way. Doesn't it?

3. The tone of your posts in that thread were that if PBF defeats Pac, this shows that Pac would have lost against any of a handful of "slick" or black fighters. That doesn't follow, especially since PBF is much larger, naturally, than is Pac.

I've said this 1,000,000 times and I'll say it again: If Pac and Floyd were the same size and had the same reach, I would take Pac about 8/10 times. He is such a speed and power freak that he overwhelms people, even amazing boxers like JMM. Or Morales or Barerra. I do not think a same-sized PBF could deal with that. Hell, I don't know who could. That's not taking anything from PBF, it's just recognizing that Pac is an anomaly. He's like Neo or something in his physical gifts and ferocity.

However, PBF IS larger. This is why I think he beats Pac. But that's not the same thing as Guzman or Campbell beating Pac. It doesn't transfer, but that's what your piece feels like it's setting up, something like: "Now that PBF beat Pac, you can see that any good "slick"/black fighter would have beaten him."

No way, as that Julio or whoever fight on the Tyson/Lewis undercard shows.

Both PBF and Pac are freaks. One just happens to be a little larger than the other. To paraphrase that old saying, a big freak often beats a smaller freak. That's what I think happens in this fight, and that's why people who like Pac are not sure if they want him to take this fight. It's also, of course, why PBF targeted Pac.

Take care, and keep up the good work. :hat