‘THE WILL TO WIN’
(Part 1)
By Doods Amora, PEE
(Part 1)
By Doods Amora, PEE
Pacquiao-Barrera II is a certified brawl. One has to kiss the canvas for good. Will it be the Pacman? Or the Baby-Faced Assassin?
We have seen the quality of their first episode before. Will history replicate itself? Or a different story…?
It has been four years since we last saw Manny and Marco mixing it up inside the ring. This coming Sunday, we will see how these two warriors lock their horns once more for pride & glory and … the mega-bucks.
To Pacquiao, a repeat.
To Barrera, a revenge for lost pride…
To Pacquiao… this is a fight he can’t afford to lose.
To Barrera… it is the will to win…
Marco himself told the world, “Pacquiao has always been an ugly thorn on my side.”
Yes, the ‘will to win’. This could be the key. Virtually unknown in the USA four years ago, Pacquiao had lots of it. In a twist of events, now a 4-1 underdog, the ugly thorn in Barrera’s system has become the overshadowing passion for vengeance. To Marco, boxing this time is dead serious. And he has tons of motivation. Away from the preying eyes of the press and the public, Marco underwent a killer regimen in a secluded camp in Guadalajara. In fact, nothing has been seen or heard a sneak out of Marco Barrera’s camp. Only a carefully guarded sound of silence…
But Barrera is reportedly having monster training - focused, determined, sharpening his will to win as he vowed to beat Pacquiao convincingly. On the opposite side, Manny’s camp had occasionally been a circus with swarming crowds and press people video-taping his work-outs which for sure had already been feasted on in Barrera’s camp through the YouTube!
ROOTING FOR THE PACMAN
As a Filipino, I root for the Pacman. Peaking at 28, Manny is lightning fast, hits real hard, much younger and ready to devour all the viscerals out of the Mexican.
“Pacquiao is now a much better fighter than he was the first time he fought Barrera in 2003. Unlike the first match, Barrera now has to worry with two hands,” said Roach. Aside from Pacquiao’s wicked left straight, the right hook is getting better and better and a new weapon, the so-called Marco Bolo, said to be deadlier than the Manila Ice, has been added to Manny’s offensive arsenal.
The Pacman arguably is the most exciting pound-for-pound fighter and the finest featherweight in the planet.
BARRERA’S CHANCES
As many observers say, Marco has no chance of beating Manny. Barrera now is an ageing relic framed in a body that had long been pounded with the brutality of the sport. After 63 professional fights spanning 17 years, Marco must have been washed-up, weary and retireable. The tremendous hand speed of Pacquiao will again blind the wits of Marco and send him probably this time to full retirement.
However, Barrera can not be counted out just like that! He is a legend and his homework must have been dedicated to Manny’s flaws. Learning from the past mistakes, it is highly probable that his ring savvy and wile will ceaselessly outbox Manny to frustration. Known as a sharpshooter, Marco can pick his targets and counter Pacquiao accurately en-route to victory by decision or late knock-out. As Pacquiao usually gets a little clumsy when he throws his charges, Barrera can capitalize with that flaw and irritate Pacquiao with his powerful jabs and counter-punches. And consider those thudding uppercuts, powerful left hooks and right straights that sent scores of Marco’s ring foes to dreamland.
BARRERA’S ANTIDOTE
When Pacquiao attacks, back-pedaling by the opponent is mortal sin. Marco will surely be caught drowned by flashing combinations saturating the oxygen he breathes - similar to what happened in their first fight. But Barrera is capable of being extra-physical and can use his elbows, head and other tactics as seen in his previous fights.
And I would like to believe that the Mexican Camp has found an antidote to Pacman’s splurges. The antidote is archived in Pacquiao-Solis tape as it can be recalled that Solis was effective during the first five rounds. As Pacquiao lunges forward, Marco can do a Solis – stooping down low past Manny’s straight lefts & rights, suddenly upping his head thereafter clashing its full inertia to Manny’s face.
There you are gentlemen, a head butt which looks like an accident! As the crimson fluids leak profusely, the ensuing bleeding face will be reminiscent of Morales-Pacquiao I. And history repeats itself, I’m afraid. Bad break huh …?
That’s Marco’s placid silence is all about…
Yes, bad break.., part of the game. It always happens in a brutal sport as boxing. And Barrera’s Camp must have been invoking for Murphy’s Law.
THE PACMAN IS BEATABLE
In these times, nobody can beat Pacquiao, except himself. Manny’s hard work is known to be legendary, and there’s that magic in Freddie Roach. But the Pacman was breathing hard early in his fights with Fahsan and Solis, as one sportswriter wrote. The reason? His training was shorter than and not as intense as his training for MAB-PAC I, EM-PAC II & EM-PAC III episodes. Inputting into the equation his late night shooting of movies & commercials, night pool games, frequent trips to derbies and the perennial distractions, observers quip that Manny has got the habit of just preparing himself up to the par or the skills of his opponent.
Is Manny taking Barrera lightly? I hope not. Remember, Barrera is as sly as a Sicilian Mafioso.
Was training in the Philippines the best approach?
Roach’s pronouncements have always been in the positive. But Freddie must have known more and may have withheld some lapses which are not palatable to box-office sensibilities. That’s his job, understandably. To Manny’s ledger, Roach is just part of his payroll’s list. But latest sparring sessions in LA Wild Card Gym saw faults in Manny’s defense. Reportedly, Manny had been tagged in the head repeatedly not by one but by his two sparring partners. His defense is thus glaringly loose.
Over-confidence..?
With the tactically intelligent Barrera as opponent, this could be very disturbing. His loss to Juan Manuel Marquez had nothing to be ashamed of. It was anybody’s game. But the sweet science that Marco displayed in that fight proved that he has still the power with anyone in the super-featherweight business.
Plugging the hole, we are now hearing the phrase, “Manny’s best defense is his offense”. So be it. Manny must not allow Marco to score his points, easily. He must be all time busy from the starting bell up to the end – not allowing any window of opportunity to the crafty Barrera. And that means the relentless stamina of Superman sans a Kryptonite.
But then we have once seen the Manila Ice melted. This time, I wish not to see the Marco Bolo retrogressing into a “blunt small bolo”.
A BARRERA UPSET?
To me, Barrera’s hunger to get even is a psychological edge while Pacquiao’s pressure to stay on top is a disadvantage. After Pacquiao’s coronation in the PAC-EM III, for sure that constant pressure that comes with being a superstar will take its toll in time. Will Barrera pull off the upset?
Maybe yes…, maybe no.
To avoid being accused as acerbic, I am not predicting a Barrera upset. It’s not good for my health. Picking Barrera over Pacquiao certainly invites enemies in Paclandia. Personally, it would not be surprising to see a Round 1 runaway finish by the Pacman.
But perhaps Pacquiao needs to lose, as one sports writer in the Internet says.
We'll see... when time later sells us a trilogy.
PAC-MAB III, Anyone…?
We have seen the quality of their first episode before. Will history replicate itself? Or a different story…?
It has been four years since we last saw Manny and Marco mixing it up inside the ring. This coming Sunday, we will see how these two warriors lock their horns once more for pride & glory and … the mega-bucks.
To Pacquiao, a repeat.
To Barrera, a revenge for lost pride…
To Pacquiao… this is a fight he can’t afford to lose.
To Barrera… it is the will to win…
Marco himself told the world, “Pacquiao has always been an ugly thorn on my side.”
Yes, the ‘will to win’. This could be the key. Virtually unknown in the USA four years ago, Pacquiao had lots of it. In a twist of events, now a 4-1 underdog, the ugly thorn in Barrera’s system has become the overshadowing passion for vengeance. To Marco, boxing this time is dead serious. And he has tons of motivation. Away from the preying eyes of the press and the public, Marco underwent a killer regimen in a secluded camp in Guadalajara. In fact, nothing has been seen or heard a sneak out of Marco Barrera’s camp. Only a carefully guarded sound of silence…
But Barrera is reportedly having monster training - focused, determined, sharpening his will to win as he vowed to beat Pacquiao convincingly. On the opposite side, Manny’s camp had occasionally been a circus with swarming crowds and press people video-taping his work-outs which for sure had already been feasted on in Barrera’s camp through the YouTube!
ROOTING FOR THE PACMAN
As a Filipino, I root for the Pacman. Peaking at 28, Manny is lightning fast, hits real hard, much younger and ready to devour all the viscerals out of the Mexican.
“Pacquiao is now a much better fighter than he was the first time he fought Barrera in 2003. Unlike the first match, Barrera now has to worry with two hands,” said Roach. Aside from Pacquiao’s wicked left straight, the right hook is getting better and better and a new weapon, the so-called Marco Bolo, said to be deadlier than the Manila Ice, has been added to Manny’s offensive arsenal.
The Pacman arguably is the most exciting pound-for-pound fighter and the finest featherweight in the planet.
BARRERA’S CHANCES
As many observers say, Marco has no chance of beating Manny. Barrera now is an ageing relic framed in a body that had long been pounded with the brutality of the sport. After 63 professional fights spanning 17 years, Marco must have been washed-up, weary and retireable. The tremendous hand speed of Pacquiao will again blind the wits of Marco and send him probably this time to full retirement.
However, Barrera can not be counted out just like that! He is a legend and his homework must have been dedicated to Manny’s flaws. Learning from the past mistakes, it is highly probable that his ring savvy and wile will ceaselessly outbox Manny to frustration. Known as a sharpshooter, Marco can pick his targets and counter Pacquiao accurately en-route to victory by decision or late knock-out. As Pacquiao usually gets a little clumsy when he throws his charges, Barrera can capitalize with that flaw and irritate Pacquiao with his powerful jabs and counter-punches. And consider those thudding uppercuts, powerful left hooks and right straights that sent scores of Marco’s ring foes to dreamland.
BARRERA’S ANTIDOTE
When Pacquiao attacks, back-pedaling by the opponent is mortal sin. Marco will surely be caught drowned by flashing combinations saturating the oxygen he breathes - similar to what happened in their first fight. But Barrera is capable of being extra-physical and can use his elbows, head and other tactics as seen in his previous fights.
And I would like to believe that the Mexican Camp has found an antidote to Pacman’s splurges. The antidote is archived in Pacquiao-Solis tape as it can be recalled that Solis was effective during the first five rounds. As Pacquiao lunges forward, Marco can do a Solis – stooping down low past Manny’s straight lefts & rights, suddenly upping his head thereafter clashing its full inertia to Manny’s face.
There you are gentlemen, a head butt which looks like an accident! As the crimson fluids leak profusely, the ensuing bleeding face will be reminiscent of Morales-Pacquiao I. And history repeats itself, I’m afraid. Bad break huh …?
That’s Marco’s placid silence is all about…
Yes, bad break.., part of the game. It always happens in a brutal sport as boxing. And Barrera’s Camp must have been invoking for Murphy’s Law.
THE PACMAN IS BEATABLE
In these times, nobody can beat Pacquiao, except himself. Manny’s hard work is known to be legendary, and there’s that magic in Freddie Roach. But the Pacman was breathing hard early in his fights with Fahsan and Solis, as one sportswriter wrote. The reason? His training was shorter than and not as intense as his training for MAB-PAC I, EM-PAC II & EM-PAC III episodes. Inputting into the equation his late night shooting of movies & commercials, night pool games, frequent trips to derbies and the perennial distractions, observers quip that Manny has got the habit of just preparing himself up to the par or the skills of his opponent.
Is Manny taking Barrera lightly? I hope not. Remember, Barrera is as sly as a Sicilian Mafioso.
Was training in the Philippines the best approach?
Roach’s pronouncements have always been in the positive. But Freddie must have known more and may have withheld some lapses which are not palatable to box-office sensibilities. That’s his job, understandably. To Manny’s ledger, Roach is just part of his payroll’s list. But latest sparring sessions in LA Wild Card Gym saw faults in Manny’s defense. Reportedly, Manny had been tagged in the head repeatedly not by one but by his two sparring partners. His defense is thus glaringly loose.
Over-confidence..?
With the tactically intelligent Barrera as opponent, this could be very disturbing. His loss to Juan Manuel Marquez had nothing to be ashamed of. It was anybody’s game. But the sweet science that Marco displayed in that fight proved that he has still the power with anyone in the super-featherweight business.
Plugging the hole, we are now hearing the phrase, “Manny’s best defense is his offense”. So be it. Manny must not allow Marco to score his points, easily. He must be all time busy from the starting bell up to the end – not allowing any window of opportunity to the crafty Barrera. And that means the relentless stamina of Superman sans a Kryptonite.
But then we have once seen the Manila Ice melted. This time, I wish not to see the Marco Bolo retrogressing into a “blunt small bolo”.
A BARRERA UPSET?
To me, Barrera’s hunger to get even is a psychological edge while Pacquiao’s pressure to stay on top is a disadvantage. After Pacquiao’s coronation in the PAC-EM III, for sure that constant pressure that comes with being a superstar will take its toll in time. Will Barrera pull off the upset?
Maybe yes…, maybe no.
To avoid being accused as acerbic, I am not predicting a Barrera upset. It’s not good for my health. Picking Barrera over Pacquiao certainly invites enemies in Paclandia. Personally, it would not be surprising to see a Round 1 runaway finish by the Pacman.
But perhaps Pacquiao needs to lose, as one sports writer in the Internet says.
We'll see... when time later sells us a trilogy.
PAC-MAB III, Anyone…?
DOODS AMORA, PEE
October 1, 2007
