The MAB-Manny
Pacquiao bout has
not yet been made
but if and when it
is, it will be
similar to the
second Morales-Pacquiao
fight, or at least
the result will be.
Once again, it would
feature one fighter
at the top of his
game and moving with
positive momentum
and another who may
be fading, though
that will in no way
harm his chances for
future induction
into the
International Boxing
Hall of Fame. "Pac
Man" is going up the
elevator and "The
Baby-Faced
Assassin," off his
two fights with
Rocky Juarez, seems
to have slowed down.
Here is how I see
their rematch
playing out, but
first the breakdown:
Height and
Weight: Barrera,
63-4-0-1, stands 5
ft. 6 in and has
about the same reach
as Pacquiao who is
5’6 1/2. Manny
always appears
comfortable no
matter what weight
is designated. For
his part, MAB always
comes in fit and
ready as well.
Stamina: The days of 12 round
brawls with Erik Morales may be over
for Marco Antonio Barrera. He can no
longer sustain that kind of pace. In
his last fight, Pacquiao, who fights
with sustained and non-stop
intensity, had little trouble with
Morales knocking him down three
times en route to a 3 round TKO
victory. Previously, he beat Mexican
Oscar Larios to retain his World
Boxing Council super bantamweight
title over 12 rounds . He knocked
down Larios twice with a series of
combinations, swelling his left eye
nearly shut in an awesome display of
power boxing. Stamina for "The Pac
Man" will not be an issue. A big
edge here for Pacquiao.
Experience: MAB had a
successful amateur boxing career
where he won 55 out of 58 bouts. At
32, he is five years older than
Pacquiao but in terms of wear and
tear, he may be considerably "older"
having fought many ferocious battles
against great opposition in his 68
pro bouts. Who can forget his three
wars with "El Terrible?" Since
turning pro at 15, he scored a
number of spectacular wins over a
list of opponents which reads like a
"whose who." And names like Junior
Jones, Kennedy McKinney, Carlos
Hernandez, Johhny Tapia, Prince
Naseem, Rocky Juarez, Eddie Cook,
Jesse Benavides, Pastor Humberto
Maurin, Paulie Ayala, Robbie Peden,
Kevin Kelley, Jesus Salud, Junior
Jones, Jose Luis Bueno, and, of
course, Manny Pacquiao dot his
resume. If his opposition's won-lost
record were added up, the result
would be eye-popping. Significantly,
however, his last three fights have
gone the distance perhaps indicating
that he has become more of a boxer
than boxer-puncher.
On the other hand, Pacquiao has 48
fights under his belt (43-3-2, with
34 ko's). Manny has the edge in ko
percentage (79%), but of more
significance, he destroyed Morales
in November delivering a spectacular
performance culminating in a
devastating stoppage in the
3rdround. In their second fight,
Pacquiao was the first to ever stop
Morales. Both are warriors who have
fought and beat solid opposition.
Chin: Off his first fight
with Pacquiao, there are questions
about his heretofore reliability to
take a punch. Sometimes fighters
grow old overnight and that may be
the case with MAB. On the other
hand, two of Manny's three losses
were by ko, the last in 1999 to the
very capable Medgoen Singsurat, 44-4
and against Rustico Torrecampo,
14-8, in1996.This might be a chink
in the Pacquiao armor, but I doubt
it.
Style: Barrera is
multi-dimensional and orthodox with
an edge in boxing ability. He is a
complete fighter who can brawl or
box with equal degrees of success,
but that was true of a "younger"
Barrera.
Pacquiao skills have increased
considerably under the tutelage of
Freddie Roach and that gap has
closed. Pound for pound, he may well
be the most devastating puncher in
boxing today. For his part, the Pac
Man, a southpaw, has polished his
jab and now includes in his
impressive arsenal a sharp and crisp
right hook to go with his
sledgehammer left. He has incredible
speed, endurance, power; the whole
package....and he enjoys doing what
he does. A These weapons proved far
too much for both El Terrible and
Larrios. In a sequence of three
fights with Marco Antonio Barrera,
Juan Manuel Marquez and Fahsan 3K
Battery, he decked them 9 times. Add
two more each for Larrios and
Morales and three more for the
second Morales fight and you are now
up to 16! Numbers don't lie.
Both have high boxers IQ's though
Manny can sometimes lose focus but
this certainly was not the case on
November 18.
Going with the power boxer over the
boxer puncher, I give the overall
advantage to Pacquiao in this all
important category.
Intangibles: Never count
Barrera out of any fight. He has the
pure pedigree of a champion and is
comfortable within himself. While he
may have more machismo than is good
for him, he also has superior ring
smarts. But he will have to fight
differently than he did in his first
fight with Manny. If he doesn't, it
will prove fatal. MAB has been
through many brutal wars in the ring
and a fighter can grow old
overnight. It hasn't happened to him
yet, but it may not matter given
what Pacquiao brings to the table.
As for Manny, He is perhaps the most
exciting fighters in the sport of
boxing. He is trained by Freddy
Roach and the two seem extremely
comfortable with one another. Manny
may have some flaws, but I'll be
darned if I can find them. And after
all, no one is perfect. Moreover,
once a fighter brutalizes another
such as Manny did to MAB in their
first fight, it has to give him the
clear edge in confidence.
Prediction: Manny Pacquiao
has lost only one fight since
1999.....and he avenged that loss in
destructive fashion. He is at the
top of his game. Can the same be
said for MAB who, like a cat, may
think he has nine lives? I see Manny
dictating the action after the
second round, picking up the pace
considerably and then nullifying
whatever skill advantage Marco
Antonio might have by putting
relentless pressure on him and then
luring him into furious exchanges.
Marco Antonio will soon find out
that Manny Pacquiao is no Rocky
Juarez. His warrior heart will take
over but, as with Morales, it will
prove to be his undoing, for it will
take more than heart to hold off the
incoming, relentless and merciless
Pac Man. For the second time, I see
him stopping the "Baby-Faced
Assassin" but this time within five
rounds in destructive fashion..
A Manny Pacquiao comes along only
once in a great while. Enjoy him
while he is here.
