Unplugging pac-man: Solving the style of manny pacquiao

Written by Springs Toledo
Full article on this link http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles-frontpage/12956-unplugging-pac-man-solving-the-style-of-manny-pacquiao

This is some of the excerpts where in the writer chimes in on how to defeat the Great Pacman.
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UNPLUGGING PAC-MAN
That basic truth overrides everything else in the ring. Even Manny Pacquiao is only a punch or a point away from defeat. What follows are principles and plans that, if implemented, can send shockwaves around the world.

1. Never unnecessarily provoke a dragon.

This is not a fighter who should be antagonized. In fact, your strategy should begin the moment you sign the contract. Mosley was courteous to a fault during the pre-fight hype and sought to extend his glove before and after every round during the fight. Who couldn’t notice Pacquiao, a Christian and a practitioner of the Golden Rule, obliging him almost every time? He views what he does as performance art and has, to his trainer’s dismay, gone to some lengths to avoid hurting his challengers. “Nothing personal,” he says repeatedly. Don’t make it so.

2. Jab to stabilize and destabilize him.

The jab helps overcome any kinetic style. Move to your left when you shoot it and be sure that your left shoulder is up and your chin is tucked in as you do. This will protect against the southpaw’s counters. The jab can stabilize him for you to find him and it can destabilize him so that you can mount an attack. Once he starts feinting, jerking, and moving towards angles in your range, jab hard at his chest. If you can knock him off balance, take advantage of the second or two it takes him to recover.

3. Ruin his geometry.

Move leftward and keep your lead foot outside of his because you do not want him sliding in that direction –not if you value your good looks or your consciousness. When Pacquiao sought his evil angle on the welterweights, they let him. When Pacquiao sought his evil angle against Marquez and Morales, they had their feet in position to block him. If they didn’t, they pivoted with him. They also threw left hooks to discourage that direction. Steal a page from Fritzie Zivic and step on his lead foot now and then to foil his attempts to move in any direction.

4. The Right Stuff

If you are in position to ruin his geometry, your right heel will be naturally lined up with his chin. The right hand is the southpaw’s hoodoo, so when he is lined up for it, shoot it. When you throw combinations try to begin and end them with a right. When at close range, try one of Morales’s little tricks: He bent his knees and leaned his head near Pacquiao’s right armpit, then looped right hooks up and over. Pacquiao couldn’t figure it out.

5. Divine timing defeats demon speed.

Pacquiao sees everything. He zeroes in on openings from almost any angle; and however narrow or fleeting that opening seems to you is of no consequence, because to him it’s a widening gyre and your world is in slow motion. Roach laughs at the idea that Pacquiao can be countered by most fighters. He’s simply too fast. Morales put his famous pride aside and accepted this; he accepted the idea that he would not be able to counter in the usual tit-for-tat manner, but he also knew that the way to defeat speed is with timing. He countered Pacquiao’s jab with left hooks; though instead of trying to follow the incoming jab, he anticipated it and threw his left hook with it. It worked.

6. Fight with controlled aggression.

Neither flee nor flail. Don’t follow him when he springs back or rush him unless he is hurt or off balance. When he swarms in, be brave but not stupid; pivot with him, assume a compact stance and remember to step outside of his right foot with your left foot. Thrust forward into the eye of his offense behind a series of tight shots to the body and head. Move your head at the end of every combination to avoid his counters. When you see him with his arms up high in a frontal guard he is in a defensive mode, so exploit it with uppercuts to split the guard and hooks to land around it.

7. Set traps.

Pacquiao is an illusionist who is usually a step ahead of his opposition. He will invite a jab and as it is thrown he will counter it simultaneously with a straight left. Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto could only watch him repeat this tactic with blurred horror, never realizing why it was happening. If he tricks you into getting aggressive, your own forward motion will propel you into a counterblast that you won’t even see. Feinting is a major part of his repertoire. Feint him!

a. When you see him trying to time and counter your jab, feint the jab, shift left to avoid his counterpunch and come back with your own.

--If he is leaning to your left when he shoots his counterpunch, it means that he is reading you and your right will miss. So, feint a jab, shift left, and shoot a left hook followed by a right.

--If he is leaning left and crouching, use a left uppercut to lift him up, followed by a right.

b. If he springs back, resist the urge to rush in. Feint an attack and as he springs at you, shift your weight onto your back foot and thrust forward with a right.

Be vigilant and prepared –Fighters who know what to look for and what to do once they find it are the ones who end reigns.

Attention underdogs! These answers to the question of Pacquiao’s style are not static; boxing is a dynamic sport and many variables change the game. These answers to the question of Pacquiao’s style are not exhaustive either; though any more will cost a percentage of your purse.

 

discuss and please no trolls :good

 

So according to Toledo, only a very special and talented boxer can beat Manny Pacquiao, someone who has a special blend of speed, skills, talent and controlled aggression. And I think that May fits the bill. I hope this fight gets made, a perfect example of Excellent Offense vs. Excellent Defense.