Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez and Alvarado-Prescott, Bradley-Casamayor breakdown

Manny Pacquiao will face off against Juan Manuel Marquez in a third bout of there very exciting trilogy. The first two were action packed as we all know. Marquez proved he had heart in the first one, Getting KD'd three times in round 1 to come back and get a draw, In which many thought he won. The second fight was very close too. In which Pacquiao won by a very close SD. Here is my breakdown on the fighters.:

Manny Pacquiao ( 53-3-2 ):

Basics: Arguably the greatest fighter today ( Floyd Mayweather and Maybe Martinez are the only others possible ). He has held titles from Flyweight all the way to light middleweight. And oddly he has managed to carry a lot of his power and speed with him. Most believe his best weight is higher up ( Lightweight-LWW ) where he got his win to Marquez ( Jr Lightweight ), Took David Diaz's Title ( Lightweight ), and bet Ricky Hatton ( Pretty sure Light Welterweight ). Pacquiao has shocked the world each time out, Stopping Barrera in 2003, Beating JMM in there rematch, Winning a lightweight title from David Diaz, Beating De La Hoya, Stopping Ricky Hatton Brutally in 2, Moving up to welterweight and stopping the much bigger Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Doing all this with ease leads to suspicion from some critics and recognition from others but nevertheless Pacquiao has had a very good career, Achieved a lot despite not having a superfight with the other current great Floyd Mayweather. A combo of his Southpaw style ( Able to switch ), And ability to Box or Brawl makes him a versatile fighter that rarely struggles. Especially in the higher weight classes.

Style: Very Good. Can Brawl/Box. Usually Southpaw but can switch.

Resume: Very Good. Hatton, Cotto, Margarito, Barrera, Morales, Marquez, Margarito, and faded Mosley and De La Hoya.

Power: Very Good.

Ranking: 1-2 P4P


Juan Manuel Marquez ( 53-5-1 );

Basics: One of the greatest current fighters, With his biggest achievement being simply having a style that gives Pacquiao trouble. Without that he wouldn't have as much of a legacy. A shot Barrera almost defeated him. ( At least I thought ). I mean no offense in this statement, Juan Manuel Marquez is one of the greatest fighters today, But I have to say I feel he is slightly overrated, Sure he has some good wins like Katsidis, Casamayor, and Diaz but he almost lost to shot Barrera and did loose to Chris John ( Although that wasn't his best weight ), also A difficult style for Pacquiao but where would he be without the Pacquiao fights? He would still be one of the greatest today but not where he is now. He will also be fighting at a 144 catchweight, 3 LBS from Welterweight, and 10 Lbs from his best weight, Lightweight. He only saw him at/near Welterweight once and that was verses Floyd Mayweather, Where he suffered a one sided loss and didn't look as good as normal. So I believe weight will be a factor against him, Plus he is 38 going on 39. So Age is another factor, I just see his odds of winning way lower then they were in 08' or 03'.

Style: Orthodox

Power: Good.

Resume; Good. Losses to Mayweather and Pacquiao. Wins to Michael Katsidis, Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz ( He Really struggled in first bout, He was behind on my card when he stopped Diaz, And then Won a UD in rematch ), Marco Antonio Barrera, Rocky Juarez, Orlando Salido, ect....

Rating: Top 6 P4P

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Now on to Prescott-Alvarado. This fight means a lot for both fighters, Alvarado needs a big win to jump from top prospect up to contender. And Prescott needs to get back on track from an extremely close UD loss to Paul McCloskey in September. Alvarado has a few good wins to guys like Ray Narh but really hasn't fought any great fighters. I have expressed how I like this matchup before on here so here is the fighter breakdowns:

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Mike Alvarado ( 31-0-0 ):

Basics: Alvarado is a great prospect taking a huge step up, Sure, He has wins to Gabriel Martinez and Ray Narh but them wins prove very little. Gabriel Martinez is known by a few handfuls of hardcore fans, Prescott is known for KOing Amir Khan in 1 minute of the first round ( 3 years ago ) that made him known in the UK, Of course he was later " exposed " by Kevin Mitchell he is still a well known name on Alvarado's blank resume, And if Alvarado wins he will become more known to Casual, and even some hardcore fans. Alvarado is my favorite prospect, Despite being in one of the best divisions today, Light welterweight, Which is also home to Amir Khan, Tim Bradley, Lamont Peterson, Paul McClosky, Lucas Matthysse, Marcos Maidana, Kendall Holt, Danny Garcia, Bredis Prescott, Erik Morales, and Devon Alexander! He is a very good boxer, He has power but has yet to KO top guys ( Couldn't KO Gabriel Martinez ).

Here is part of his fight with Ray Narh - [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4RpIl7hsEA[/ame]

Resume: Bad. Only real name in Gabriel Martinez and maybe Ray Narh.

Power: Decent. Not against top opponents really.

Style: Orthodox

Ranking: Top Prospect. Top 12 LWW or so.


Bredis Prescott ( 24-3-0 ):

Basics: Known for being a great power puncher, Bredis Prescott rarely is boring. He had a very close fight with Paul McCloskey is September that some felt McCloskey got a " hometown decision ". Prescott did well early, Knocking McCloskey down in round 1, But as the fight went on, McCloskey began to take over and won by 1 point on all cards. I had Prescott by 1 but I accept the fact that they gave it to McClosky since it was a close and entertaining fight. And of course he bet Amir Khan by KO in 1 round before Khan was trained by Roach or won a world title, So it doesn't mean nearly as much as what it would now. Still, Prescott is a huge challenge for anybody, Alvarado's chin will be tested and an upset is not impossible.

Power: Great!

Style: Orthodox Power Puncher.

Resume: Never an easy fight, He gave a real challenge to Miguel Vazquez, Current Lightweight titleholder ( Lost by SD ) and he KO'd Amir Khan brutally over 1 round. Also almost bet Paul McCloskey. Good Resume.

Ranking: Top 15, Near McCloskey.

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Timothy Bradley Vs Joel Casamayor:

Not many like this matchup for one simple reason, Casamayor is 40 and pretty much shot. In his last large bout he lost a wide decision to Robert Guerrero in a fight where Casamayor looked every bit his age. His last good fight was verses Katsidis and even then he was behind on scorecards although he did manage to stop Katsidis late, But I believe that was only due to the fact Katsidis was fighting sloppy, Bradley is near his prime, a top 2 LWW and is undefeated. He is also coming off a great win to top Light Welterweight Devon Alexander, So the odds are against Casamayor by far!

Timothy Bradley ( 27-0-0 ):

Basics: A slick, Undefeated, Light welterweight champion. Timothy Bradley will make his fifth WBO Title defense defense against Joel Casamayor on Saturday, This will also be sort of a comeback fight since he hasn't fought since January in a title unification with former WBC Light Welterweight champion Devon Alexander that Bradley won by TD when Alexander suffered a cut by a headbutt and couldn't continue. The WBC title he won from Alexander was later stripped from Bradley and pretty much given to Erik Morales. So he will only be defending the WBO title against Casamayor. Now on to some things about Bradley, First off he isn't too powerful, He usually outboxes his opponents to win wide decsions. Actually his last 8 Bouts have been won by UD. Another fun fact about him is that he lost to Light Middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan in the 2004 olyimpic trials. Bottom line is I consider Bradley the future of United States boxing. Why he won't fight Khan I am still uncertain. I think he would have a huge chance at beating him. I wouldn't predict it but wouldn't doubt it either.

Power: Bad. Not many good KO's

Resume: No Khan sadly but he has Devon Alexander, Lamont Peterson, Junior Witter and Kendall Holt. So I guess pretty good.

Ranking: Top 2 Light Welterweight

Style: Orthodox Boxer.

Joel Casamayor ( 38-5-1 ):

Basics: One of the best of recent times. It is a shame to see him fighting at 40, Pretty much a gatekeeper. He had a good trilogy with Diego Corrales ( 2-1 in Trilogy ). Casamayor is known as being a dirty fighter at times and some people don't like him but I am a fan. He lost to Castillo and Marquez in very close bouts too. As I spoke about above when he fought Robert Guerrero he looked shot, He lost a wide decision.

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So now I will Rate the matchups up quality.:

Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez: 9 out of 10. ( Simple, The first 2 were wars, )
Timothy Bradley-Joel Casamayor: 6.5 out of 10 ( I am happy to see Bradley back in the ring, But there are way better fights for him then Casamayor )
Mike Alvarado Vs Bredis Prescott 8 out of 10 ( great test for both. Should be good )

And I predict....

Manny Pacquiao UD ( 117-110, 116-111, 118-109 )
Timothy Bradley UD ( 120-118, 119-109, 119-109 )
Mike Alvarado UD ( 116-112, 117-111, 117-111 )

This is one long post. Enjoy. :good

 

:good I will do that on future ones.

EDIT: Assume you mean just Power. Styles I list there stance and way of fighter ( Brawler, Boxer, Power Puncher ect )

 

Thanks for the support and as I said, I give Bradley a chance, The reason why people want this matchup is it isn't easy to call. They are the two best LWW. Although it is style wise a mismatch, They are the two best LWW's therefore it should happen to determine who the best LWW is. Same with Pacquiao-Mayweather, way different styles, But they are the two best, Therefore they need to fight to determine who is the best.

 

:good Yea I expect a UD win for Pac around 116-112, 117-111. Wider then before but still fairly close. No KO.

 

Yea. One factor is did the weight take his speed?

 

This is tonight! Someone asked about the undercard in Kirk's championships thread well here it is, Sorry about not having the Cruz fight here, Just didn't have the time.

 

:good. PPV opener.