Mayweather shows why boxing is called ‘sweet science’

By Alex P. Vidal

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Instead of ribbing Floyd Myweather Jr. for “running away like a scared rabbit”, we must, in fact, credit him for giving justice to boxing’s billing as the “Sweet Science.”
Daniel Petrov Bojilov exposed our ignorance when we lambasted the five-man jury for awarding the lightflyweight (48-kg) gold to the tall Bulgarian who reduced Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco Jr. into a homunculi during the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.
Like Mayweather Jr., who jabbed and bicycled his way to a 12-round unanimous decision victory against Manny Pacquiao on May 2 at the MGM Grand Arena, Bojilov used science to the fullest to bamboozle the smaller Velasco.
Some of us are again displaying utter ignorance if not lack of understanding why scientific boxers like Bojilov and Mayweather can be dominant when matched against sluggers or brawlers like Velasco and Pacquiao.
Mayweather Jr.’s mastery of the ring was a mixture of science, skills, intelligence, size and reach.
Scientific fighters usually have long legs and a thin frame like Salvador Sanchez, alexis Arguello, Aaron Pryor, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Hector Camacho in the lighter division; and Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield in the heavy category.
They throw punches like windmills and their movements synchronize with how their brains work while weaving and boobing.
Sicentific fighters maintain springy legs which they use in order to stay away from danger zones.
Mayweather effectively utilized his footwork and crisp jabs to hold Pacquiao at bay and made the Filipino lefty eat the dust.
Scientific fighters look awkward when they avoid head-on collisions but that’s how they are made of; they just can’t dance in the tune of a brawler who demands a slugfest by enforcing their own program of works in the ring.
Scientific fighters flick a jab, display cunningness and a virtuoso of ability meant to confuse and befuddle a brawler.
Brawler Pacquiao wanted to come in on various occasions but hesitated for fear of being zapped by Mayweather’s laser-laced left hook.
Pacquiao lacked activity. His work rate was dismal and timid.
There was no more fire in his belly and Pacquiao’s eyes were no longer emitting volcanic fireballs.
Pacquiao was simply outshuttled, outgunned and outjabbed by a superior fighter who confirmed the dominance and mastery of scientific boxers with amazing amateur background.
Mayweather was a bronze medalist in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He fought and swapped tongs and hammer vis-a-vis the best amateur simonpures in Europe, Asia, Africa before he became a prizefighter.
Pacquiao, “Kid Kulafu” in a brief amateur life that was never tested in the national amateur boxing championships or any AIBA-sanctioned tournament, never fought the best Cuban and Bulgarian amateur World Cup champions en route to turning professional in 1995 via a four-round scrapper.
In a nutshell, there’s a whale of difference between a street-fighting slugger and brawler with no fundamentals like Pacquiao, who topples opponents on sheer guts and power, and a smart aleck, Olympic Games-cultivated, tall and fast titan like Mayweather Jr.
In a truest sense of the word, running or showboating is not an act of cowardice. It’s science. It’s brilliancy personified.

 

KO remains elusive for Pacquiao

By Alex P. Vidal

AS expected, Manny Pacquiao walked past unbeaten WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri, but failed to score the knockout demanded by his fans since November 2009, winning by a lopsided decision after 12 rounds to keep his WBO welterweight crown at the Cotai Arena inside the Venetian Resort in Macao, China.
Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) scored a tension-filled unanimous decision over Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs), who was downed six times and became the seventh man to finish the distance with Pacquiao since March 13, 2010 when Pacquiao beat Joshua Clottey by 12-round unanimous decision in Arlington, Texas.
The scores were 119-103, 119-03, 120-102.
Pacquiao, 35, stalked Algieri, 30, the whole fight, as Algieri used his footwork to backpedal and box from outside.
Algieri slipped in round two but referee Genaro Rodriquez credited it as a knockdown for Pacquiao.
Algieri never threatened Pacquiao, who patiently waited to land a solid combination in a hope to nail the elusive knockout victory.

SOUTHPAW

The Filipino southpaw scored two more knockdowns in round six. Pacquiao floored Algieri two more times in round nine and Algieri, fighting for the first time outside New York, barely survived.
Algieri went down for the sixth time at the end of round ten.
Pacquiao’s last KO was against Miguel Angel Cotto on November 14, 2009.
Freddie Roach had predicted a first round stoppage win for his ward, who is now a playing coach in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Bob Arum negotiates for Pacquiao’s next fight eight against Ruslan Provodnikov or Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Juan Manuel Marquez is one of the names being floated as Pacquiao’s next foe. If the fight happens, it will be their fifth meeting.

 

Warning to Pacquiao: Algieri ain’t heavy and he’s not your brother

“The first thing I learned in boxing is to not get hit. That’s the art of boxing. Execute your opponent without getting hit. In sports school, we were putting our hands behind our backs and having to defend ourselves with our shoulders, by rolling, by moving round the ring, moving out feet.”
Wladimir Klitschko

By Alex P. Vidal

WE were surprised to find out that Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) was heavier than Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) during the official weigh in a day before their 12-round battle for the WBO welterweight title in Macao on November 22.
Pacquiao was 143.8; Algieri 143.6.
If the opponent is not heavy and moves like a rabbit, he can be a difficult target.
A moving object is always hard to hit.
If the moving vehicle with a full tank does not carry heavy passengers, its speed is like a bullet in the Ventura highway.
Even if they will dispute the WBO 147-lb title in a 144 lbs or “catch weight”, we always expected Pacquiao’s opponent to be heavier.
Antonio Margarito, one of the two other tallest trees in Pacquiao’s forest at five feet and 11 inches, weighed 150 pounds as against Pacquiao’s 144.5 pounds when they disputed the WBC light middleweight crown in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 13, 2010.
Oscar De La Hoya, the other giant opponent at five feet and 11 and a half inches, weighed 145 pounds as against Pacquiao’s 142 pounds when they battled for the IBO light welterweight tiara in Las Vegas on December 6, 2008.
Another tall customer, Brandon Rios, weighed 146 and a half pounds as against Pacquiao’s 145 pounds when they rumbled for the WBO international welterweight bauble in Macao on Nov. 24, 2013.
Timothy Bradley was 145.5 pounds while Pacquiao was 145 pounds when they fought in a rematch for WBO welterweight championship in Las Vegas on April 12, 2014.

FIGHT DAY

During fight day, their weights are always expected to balloon as they immediately fill up their empty stomachs with juice drinks and heavy meals to replenish the body.
We expect Pacquiao and Algieri to weight at 147 to 149 pounds before the bell rings.
In any weight category, the heavier boxer is the slower.
No one is giving Algieri the benefit of the doubt to score a one-punch knockout against the Filipino KO artist owing to his not-so-impressive ring ledger.
But the lighter Algieri, standing five feet and 10 inches, will be a difficult moving target.
Computer statistics of his previous bouts revealed Algieri’s work rate increases as the fight moves on to the final stanza.
The volume of Algieri’s punches, as the bout progresses, should not be taken for granted.
Experts consider the New Yorker as “a very intelligent fighter” who has channeled his brains to prizefighting.
An intelligent fighter knows what is best and what is dangerous for him.

DANGEROUS

It is dangerous for Algieri to engage Pacquiao in a slugfest.
It is best for him to weave and bob, sidestep when trapped in the corner, use Ali’s rope a dope tactic, and utilize a lot of lateral movements.
With a longer reach and legs, he can survive and live another day until 12 rounds if he can avoid Pacquiao’s early kamizake-like assault which includes a left hook and right uppercut.
“Knowing he doesn’t have one-punch power, Algieri smartly has utilized incredible volume and lateral movement to forge his undefeated record,” reported the Compubox.
“In winning the title from Provodnikov, Algieri averaged 82.8 punches per round to Provodnikov’s 64.7 and his jab was particularly busy (47.2 thrown, nearly twice the 24.7 junior welterweight norm) and effective (9.2 connects per round was nearly twice the 140-pound average).

HEART

“Despite his Basilio-esque swelling Algeri never lost heart and the result were wide gaps in connects across the board (288-205 overall, 111-41 jabs, 177-164 power; 29%-26% overall, 20%-12% jabs, 41%-38% power).”
Pacquiao will have lot of running to do to cut the ring and catch the tall rabbit for his first KO win after eight fights (six wins by decision and two losses).
The memory of the 6th round KO lost to nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez is still very much in his mind, thus Pacquiao, 35, can’t afford to underestimate Algieri, 30, even if the American was able to score only eight stoppages in 20 victories.
Algieri will have a lot of adjustments to make since he will be fighting a lefty who can disarrange a bull’s set of teeth with a single punch.
He is prepared to ride in a bicycle and use his footwork diligently to avoid losing a single tooth.
Referee Genaro Rodriguez probably has prepared to run around for 12 rounds as we expect the clash to finish the full route with Pacquiao winning by unanimous decision.

 

Algieri sent to Macao to be massacred

“Boxing is not about your feelings. It’s about performance.” Manny Pacquiao

By Alex P. Vidal

IN terms of style and skills, Chris Algieri, 30, pales in comparison to Manny Pacquiao, 35.
Experience wise, the difference is like an automobile and a pushcart.
Algieri (20-0, 5 KOs) joined prizefighting at 23 while Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) has been boxing as a pro since 15.
He was an amateur boxer at 9 in Gen. Santos City.
Algieri, five feet and 10 inches, has a KO of 40 percent while Pacquiao, five feet and six inches, tots a KO of 60.32 percent.
Judging from his record, Algieri does not possess a one-punch KO power.
Pacquiao has demolished more than a dozen fighters with a single blow.
Because of his longer reach, Algieri is expected to use a two-fisted assault (jab-straight combination) to prevent brawler Pacquiao from penetrating his breadbasket when they clash for the 12-round WBO welterweight title at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort in Macao on November 22.

TACTIC

The same tactic Algieri used when he survived two knockdowns in the first round en route to escaping with a 12-round split decision against Ruslan Provodnikov (23-3, 16 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on July 14, 2014.
Criticized for his failure to score a knockout win since 2009, Pacquiao knows he badly needs a stoppage victory in Macao to convince his fans he isn’t yet over the hill.
Top Rank’s Bob Arum picked the unbeaten but inexperienced Algieri to make sure Pacquiao will satisfy the bloodthirsty fight fans.
But Team Algieri thinks the big break is more than a blessing in disguise for the previously unknown former world kickboxing champion.
Algieri himself believes his come-from-behind win against Provodnikov was not a fluke.

ENDING

He foresees Pacquiao’s ending in the 10th canto on a technical knockout (TKO).
But Algieri’s record does not indicate he can easily eat alive fighters of Pacquiao’s caliber.
All his eight KO victims were either patsies or dishwashers. No big names; all small fries: Ken Dunham (TKO3), Rakeem Carter (TKO4), Clarence Smith (TKO1), Eric Rodriguez (TKO3), Julias Edmonds (TKO4), Winston Mathis (TKO3), Wilfredo Acuna (TKO7).
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has demolished some of the most destructive fighters in the world en route to collecting eight world crowns in eight different divisions.
Tall fighters like Algieri are actually Pacquiao’s favorite hitting targets.
The hard-hitting Filipino superstar can stop an opponent with a body attack. He is trained to assault even a dinosaur and an elephant in the square jungle.
The congressman from Mindanao also loves to rumble against opponents who move forward and engage him in waterfront brawl.

AVOID

Algieri will avoid this type of war, of course.
As the defending champion, Algieri is expected to make a lot of lateral movements and will not press the fight.
Pacquiao will be coming out like a house on fire in the first three stanzas.
The longer the fight develops, the more that Pacquiao becomes dangerous.
At the back of his mind, only a knockout win will redeem his name after six victories, all by decision, interrupted only by a split decision defeat to Timothy Bradley on June 9, 2012 and an embarrassing 6th round KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8, 2012.
A mistake by Algieri in the first three rounds could end the fight by a quick knockout once Pacquiao is able to connect with a left hook, the same punch that sent Algieri to the canvas for a mandatory eight count in the first round against Provodnikov.
Algieri was sent to Macao to be massacred.

 

Pacquiao needs a samurai to bring down Bradley

“It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see.” Winston Churchill

By Alex P. Vidal

Manny Pacquiao’s fiery eleventh hour assault against Timothy “The Desert Storm” Bradley in their first meeting on June 9, 2012 failed to convince judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross, who scandalously awarded the WBO 147-lb title to the unbeaten black fighter from Palm Springs, California via 12-round split decision.
Both judges scored an identical 115-113 for Bradley to obscure Jerry Roth’s 115-113 in favor of the eight-time world champion, who plans to run for senator in the Philippines in 2016. In the eyes of both the experts and fans, Pacquiao was the clear winner.
Pacquiao (55-5, 38 KOs) got tired of chasing the elusive Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs) and “lost” in the last three rounds. Both ended the 12th and final round throwing wild punches.
I was at ringside at the MGM Grand from start until the 10th round. I hurriedly left my assigned seat (Floor “G” Row “F” #18) before the 11th round. By 11th and 12th stanzas, I was watching the fight inside the media center and saw a lopsided duel with Pacquiao landing most of the haymakers. I wanted to be the first get the official scorecards transmitted immediately to the media center.

WINNER

To my horror, Bradley, 30, was declared the winner by split decision. I pulled the first piece of paper that came out from the copier machine and downloaded it on my Facebook account. Thousands of “friends” shared it as the world exploded in outrage over the “highway robbery.”
Fans had expected a come-from-behind KO win for Pacquiao in the first Bradley duel but were ready to accept a decision when Pacquiao could not nail the lucky punch. But not a bum decision. They crucified the two judges, not Bradley.
Although Pacquiao, 35, has not scored a stoppage win since Nov. 14, 2009 when he snatched Miguel Angel Cotto’s WBO welterweight belt via 12th round TKO, he is no stranger to late round knockout victories. Pacquiao retired Oscar De La Hoya in 8th; halted David Diaz in 9th; demolished Jorge Solis in 8th; TKO’d Erik Morales in 10th in their rematch; stopped Marco Antonio Barrera in 11th; put away Nedal Hussein in 10th. They were some of his fiercest battles en route to become a ring legend.

BACK-TO-BACK

In their rematch on April 12, Bradley seeks to become the first fighter to score a back-to-back victory over the famed Pacquiao. His confidence boosted after rolling past Ruslan Provonikov (23-2, 16 KOs) and Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7, 40 KOs), Bradley increased muscles and posed for photographers in apparent copycat of Marquez, who did the same trick prior to knocking out Pacquiao in 6th last December 8, 2012.
The message Team Bradley wanted to impart was: “I’m willing to engage Pacquiao in a brawl and I won’t run away.” This could be meant to confuse Team Pacquiao which expects Bradley to again dance and avoid a head-on collision.
Nobody survived with Pacquiao in a phone-booth brawl except Marquez, whose one-punch demolition of Pacquiao was considered as a “lucky punch”. In order to beat Pacquiao, Morales, in their first meeting on March 19, 2005 also in MGM Grand, sprayed the Filipino superstar with blinding and dizzying jabs and confused him with consistent lateral movements from start to finish.

EXPOSED

No boxer has been very much exposed in Las Vegas than Pacquiao in as far as styles and weaknesses are concerned. Even those who have been vanquished have studied Pacquiao, but only a few of them have been given the privilege to face him again in a rematch and a trilogy.
Like in his previous bouts, Pacquiao is again under pressure to satisfy bloodthirsty fans with a knockout win. But given Bradley’s mental and physical preparations, it looks like the Filipino congressman will need to bring a samurai or revolver to fulfill this difficult mission assigned to him by fans baying for Bradley’s flesh and blood.
Bradley’s camp is aware of the danger their ward faces once the reigning WBO welterweight champion makes a mistake of forcing a KO win against the durable Pacquiao only because Bradley now looks like Incredible Hulk. Team Bradley is also aware that finishing the full route against Pacquiao is already half winning the bout — with or without “cooperation” of the judges.

 

Pacquiao aims to do a Pancho Villa after two straight losses

“With experience in boxing, you learn how to be a scientific boxer and how to fight easy.” MANNY PACQUIAO

By Alex P. Vidal

Like Manny Pacquiao, Pancho Villa, the first Asian and Filipino world champion, also incurred two straight defeats and was on the verge of kissing goodbye his young fistic career when he slammed a crucial victory that propelled him back to the mainstream of world championship.
After two straight losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao is aiming to duplicate Villa’s luck when he battles Brandon Lee “Bam Bam” Rios in Macau on November 24, to stay away from the brink of elimination and keep his hopes alive for a duel versus Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Villa (78 wins with 22 KOs, 8 losses and 2 draws) was 21 years old when his manager, Frank Churchill, brought him to the United States in 1922. Villa had an intimidating record when he left the Philippines: 15 straight wins. He had only one defeat, a disqualification to Eddie Moore in Manila on August 9, 1921. Villa’s record when he arrived in the US was 23 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws. Six of those 23 wins came by way of knockout.

DISASTER

Disaster struck in his first two fights on the American soil when he lost a pair of decisions to future world champions Abe Goldstein and Frankie Genaro.
New York speedster Goldstein (70-16, 35 KOs, 7 draws) gave Villa a rude welcome in the land of milk and honey when they clashed at the Oakland A.A. in New Jersey on June 7, 1922. Goldstein, taller by four inches, pounded out a unanimous verdict after 12 rounds.
Villa was back again on the same ring less than a month after losing to Goldstein, only to be trounced via 12-round unanimous decision by Genaro on July 6, 1922.
Churchill was taken aback by the back-to-back setbacks and didn’t want his investment on the “Mighty Atom” from Ilog, Negros Occidental to go to waste without hoping for a miracle. So he immediately signed up unheralded Frankie Murray to face Villa next.

NEW YORK

Villa traveled to New York and dispatched Murray on points in a six-rounder aperitif at the Margolies A.C. in Queens on July 19, 1922 or 13 days after bowing out to Genaro.
The win revived Villa’s chances to earn a berth at the world crown. Ten days later on July 29, 1922, Villa launched a three-win juggernaut by pounding out a 12-round unanimous decision against Terry Miller at the Asbury Park in New Jersey.
In what could be the briefest preparation in boxing history, Villa returned to New York three days after conquering Miller and outduked Johnny Hepburn in a six-rounder tiff at the Ebbet’s Field in Brooklyn on August 2, 1922. This was followed by an 8-round points win against Sammy Cohen on August 15, 1922 on the same venue.
Just when Villa was a cinch away from becoming the first Asian to earn a crack at the world title, Genaro repulsed him again on points in an epic 10-rounder rematch on August 22, 1922 on the same arena in New York.

THIRD

Villa shrugged off his third loss in the US and sent a loud message by hammering out a spectacular 11th round knockout against Johnny Buff on September 14, 1922 on the same ring in New York.
The big KO win signaled Villa’s rise to stardom as he followed it with nine straight victories, toppling like pin balls all the toughest flyweights America could offer, including a 15-round points revenge against Goldstein for the American flyweight crown at the Madison Square Garden on November 16, 1922.
Those who fell from Villa’s murderous binge were: Danny Edwards (10-round points), Patsy Wallace (8-round points), Young Montreal (10-round points), Terry Martin (15-round points in defense of the American flyweight crown), Battling Al Murray (8-round points), Frankie Mason (KO 5th in defense of the American flyweight diadem), Henry “Kid” Wolfe (KO 3rd).
Villa finally yielded the American flyweight title on a controversial 15-round split decision to Genaro in their third meeting. Scoring referee Andy Griffin and judge Billy “Kid” McPartland saw Genaro the winner while third judge Harold Barnes favored Villa.

GOLD

After his third loss to Genaro, gold medalist in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, Villa rebounded with four point victories against Young Montreal in rematch, Willie Darcey, Clarence Rosen, and Battling Al Murray in rematch and was defeated on points by Bobby Wolgast.
Instead of being sent home to the Philippines following a loss to Wolgast, Villa was awarded with a berth to the world flyweight crown due to his sterling record (17 wins, 5 losses) in a two-year US campaign.
On June 18, 1923, Villa, whose real name was Franciso Guilledo, made history by becoming the first Filipino and Asian to capture a legitimate world boxing crown by virtue of 7th round knockout over defending world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde at the Polo Grounds in New York.
Villa rolled to 13 straight wins after disposing off Wilde and lost to Bud Taylor (Villa’s world crown not at stake). He collected 10 more straight wins and a draw versus Eddie McKenna, before losing on points in 10 rounds to welterweight terror Jimmy McLarnin on July 4, 1925.
Villa had an ulcerated tooth extracted earlier on the day of the fight. A few days later, on July 14, he died from Ludwig’s angina resulting from an infection that spread to his throat.
Villa’s title became vacant. The next day William Muldoon of the NYSAC proclaimed Frankie Genaro Pancho’s “legitimate successor.” But it was Fidel LaBarba who would become the next undisputed flyweight champion of the World.