My thoughts on Pacquiao, the fight and the potential FOTC.

First of all, I'd like to start by lavishing praise on Miguel Cotto for another ballsy performance. The guy just doesn't know when to give up, and took more brutal punishment in that fight, suffered a couple of early set-backs with the knockdowns yet he kept on going. Even though he didn't really regain his composure, he just gritted his teeth and kept going forward. Even when he was taking endless combinations, he never attempted to clinch, he just soaked the shots up, reset himself and got on with it. He's a credit to himself and the Puerto Rican nation and I think it's disgusting that people in the crowd were booing him in the latter rounds when he was moving around the ring after taking a solid 25-30 minutes of menacing shots.

Now onto the real issue that is Manny Pacquiao. Endless credit to him for a great, great performance. Cotto wasn't weight-drained as I expected him to be slightly when this fight was announced, he showed that through still being light on his feet even at the end. I do feel that some of the snap of his punches has been lost a bit, but I don't know why. Was it relevant? Probably not. He definately slowed down a bit and was trying to survive, but Manny just sapped the energy out of him with explosive bursts and lighting quick combinations.

The thing is with Manny, he's a fantastic fighter but I can't pinpoint what it is that really makes him so outstanding. I mean with Ray Robinson you would say it the composite punching skills he possessed on the offensive, he could through any punch in the book and throw it with pace and power and accuracy. With somebody liike Willie Pep, it was all about the moving and defensive qualities he possessed combined with excellent skills.

But with Manny, nothing looks 'oustanding' in any one department. He's quick, but there's plenty of other quick fighters. He's powerful, but there are plenty with more power. Even when he's moving his head and upper body, it doesn't look all that smooth and natural.

The thing is with Pacquiao, he just keeps things simple. He knows when to attack, he knows what he's good at and he uses it. He doesn't over-complicate things, he let Cotto work for the first minute while keeping up his defense, sap a little of the energy and then he stepped up the gas and let his hands go and won the remaining of the majority of the rounds big. And does he over-complicate his punches either? No. Just lighting fast straight punches in abundance with a few uppercuts and hooks tossed in for good measure.

He doesn't look head-and-shoulders above the majority in single departments in terms of an ATG perspective, but you'd be hard pressed to find a real glaring weakness in his game. I think he's hittable, but not that hittable. I don't think he's that good at boxing laterally off the back foot, but he's not bad by any means.

He's worked tirelessly on his weaknesses over the years with Roach to eliminate them from his game. We were used to seeing this gung-ho, left-hand-happy one dimensional fighter; explosive & exciting but beatable. Now, we are seeing this matured, more disciplined, more intelligent and much more rounded boxer. He's the complete package at times and fights the perfect fight, but makes it look so simple.

Mayweather v Pacquiao simply has to happen now. This is the type of fight that appears ever-so-rarely, it's too great an opportunity to miss for either guy. And too big an event not to happen. Two ATG's, two amazing fighters, two contrasting characters. It's good v bad, it's a defensive master vs the complete offensive package. It's P4P #1 v P4P #2, and I'm certain this would shatter the PPV record. And what's more, it's now becoming a more even fight. Whoever we are fans of individually, we are collectively all fans of boxing and this is the fight to put it back on the map, and back on the map BIGTIME.

Thankyou for readfing, and all feedback, input, thoughts & opinions are welcome.

 

FOTC so far. Of course we're only 9/10 years into it by the time this fight comes around - if it happens at all of course. It probably wouldn't be the biggest fight ever, for example Ali v Frazier I was/is bigger because the HW's has always been the glamour division in boxing, and the Heavyweight Championship Of The World has always been the prize in boxing. Obviously it was two great, unbeaten fighters again in a contrast of styles. But this would put boxing back on the map big-time, and definately break PPV figures no doubt.