Pacquiao Will Have to Catch Greased Lightning to Inflict First Loss of Mayweather’s Career

Just in case you were living under a rock for the past year or so, pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is looking like he’s invincible judging from his last four fights as he just romped through three weight divisions culminating with the impressive performance last month against Puerto Rican banger Miguel Cotto, which earned for Pacquiao the WBO welterweight belt.

Prior to that, Pacquiao also had other impressive performances along the way within the past year – he stopped by the lightweight division in June last year where he snatched the WBC lightweight belt from a game but overmatched David Diaz, then turned the dream into a nightmare for Oscar De La Hoya in December last year who quit after eight rounds in their fight which turned out to be a changing of the guards as boxing’s Golden Boy announced his retirement from the sport soon thereafter, and annexed the IBO and Ring Magazine light welterweight belt in May this year as he manhandled a surprisingly careless Ricky Hatton into a picture-perfect one-punch knockout with one second left in the second round.

Anti-Pacman Blueprint

It may seem like a distant memory now but it wasn’t too far back when Pacquiao was all too human. In his rematch against arch-nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in March of last year, Pacquiao was stretched to the limit over 12 grueling rounds. If not for a flash knockdown he scored in the third round Pacquiao may not have escaped with the split-decision victory and collect the WBC super featherweight belt. The fight was too close to call that a decision either way would have generated the same amount of controversy.

In his first fight with Marquez that was contested at the featherweight class four years prior, Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a draw after 12 pulsating rounds despite the fact that Pacquiao put Marquez on the seat of his pants a total of three times in the first round. Marquez, a well-known master counter-puncher, used all of his grit and wit in timing and countering Pacquiao and salvage a draw after it seemed the fight was destined to end early when Pacquiao unleashed an explosive first round salvo.

What made Marquez so different that he was able to stretch Pacquiao into hair-splitting close fights when he was running roughshod over other fighters that dare to stand in his way? Styles make fights, and Marquez’ counter-punching strategy proved to be the most effective style to slow down or perhaps defeat a rampaging Pacquiao.

In Pacquiao’s only loss after hooking up with respected trainer Freddie Roach, Erik Morales also counter-punched his way into a close but unanimous decision victory over the Pacman in their super featherweight encounter in March 2005. Pacquiao however quickly made adjustments after that and avenged his loss twice over by knocking out Morales in January and November of the following year to claim bragging rights in their trilogy.

image via wikipedia

Greased Lightning

Hence, with the close fights against Marquez and the lone loss against Morales standing as exhibits, Pacquiao is clearly most vulnerable to a foe with counter-punching capabilities in his arsenal.

When Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) tangles with unbeaten American welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs) on March 13 next year, he will be facing the very best in the counter-punching department. On top of that Mayweather also owns one of the fastest if not the fastest hands and feet in the sport to the point that he even gets, fairly or unfairly, labeled as a runner. His defense is also tops in the sport highlighted by that vaunted shoulder-roll trick of his. Judging by the numbers, ‘Money’ doesn’t look like a slouch in the KO department as well as he managed to knockout 25 of his 40 opponents which translate to a respectable 63% KO rate.

With his speed, slick defense and counter-punching abilities Floyd Mayweather Jr. is greased lightning personified on top of the ring. And Manny Pacquiao will have to catch greased lightning if he hopes to inflict damage and register the first loss of Mayweather’s career.

Lightning Arrester

Mayweather may be the most difficult opponent that Pacquiao will ever face in his storied career. Yet the man is undaunted as he and trainer Freddie Roach have built a reputation of proving naysayers wrong time and time again. Together, the impressive duo has collaborated for an impressive 18-1-2 against top tier competition over the past eight years.

One thing’s for sure though, today’s version of Pacquiao is no longer the same one who faced Marquez and Morales in the same manner that Floyd Mayweather Jr. may no longer be the same fighter of fights past. The intriguing question that will surely make us tune in to the fight when it unfolds is: which current version is better than the other?

If their confidence are any indication it seems that the dynamic duo of Pacquiao and Roach may have already figured out what to use in trying to catch greased lightning and it’s not steroids as persistently bandied about by Mayweather and his camp. As they have done so many times in the past, the duo will call on their good old fashioned battle-tested formula – wily veteran coach Roach crafts the perfect game plan, Pacquiao punishes himself in training and implements the game plan to a “T”, and with profound faith come into the fight knowing that God will do the rest.

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