After Manny Pacquiao’s complete dominance over Chris Algieri many people were further convinced that the Filipino southpaw slugger could pose many problems to Floyd Mayweather Jr. inside the ring. In Pacquiao’s latest performance in Macau, China, he put forward an amazing display of offensive ability by showing tremendous hand speed, power, accuracy, and the awareness of which combinations to throw.
During the post fight interview, Pacquiao expressed he wanted Mayweather next by imitating a Foot Locker commercial he did prior to the bout by stating, “Yes he’s going to fight me! Yes!” obviously talking about Mayweather.
Even though many people were impressed by Pacquiao’s latest performance in Macau, China, there were others who saw certain flaws that can be detrimental in a bout against Mayweather. One of them was the inability to cut off the ring effectively.
In his latest fight, Algieri was continuously allowed to freely circle around the ring while not putting much of an offensive attack together, and for the first half of the contest Pacquiao was unable to land anything truly effective. It wasn’t until Pacquiao landed a big shot in the 6th round that the outlook of the fight shifted from: Pacquiao is going to walk away with an easy UD, to is Algieri going to survive all 12 rounds?
Algieri ended up being on the canvas six times, but remarkably still managed to make it through all 12 rounds. The reason why he was able to last the entire fight was not only due to his durability, but Pacquiao’s ineffectiveness to cut off the ring, thus allowing Algieri to recover whenever he got caught with a big punch.
Another flaw that was displayed and has been for his entire career is the tendency to be off balance and lunge in to land a punch. Since Pacquiao only has a 67 inch reach, it’s common for him to reach in thus leaving him vulnerable to countering opportunities. Algieri does not possess great countering abilities which is why Pacquiao was able to do anything he wants at will, but a great counterpuncher such as Juan Manuel Marquez gave him all he can handle in their four meetings, with the last one ending in a devastating knockout off a right hand counter when Pacquiao was once again lunging in.
Many people believe Pacquiao’s susceptibility to counterpunching may give Mayweather the advantage in the fight. This is why Floyd Mayweather Sr. was unimpressed with Pacquiao’s latest performance because he faced an opponent whose skillset is nowhere near his sons.’ In an interview with Tha Boxing Voice he kept stating that all Pacquiao did was defeat an undefeated bum. Of course being labeled a bum is a rather harsh assessment, but one understands the point Mayweather Sr. was trying to make.
Even though Pacquiao has shown decent skills, he still continues to show many flaws that would raise red flags in most gyms. Then the question one might ask themselves is, if Pacquiao is so technically flawed why has he beaten just about every fighter whose been put in front of him? The reason lies in his physical abilities.
Every physical tool Pacquiao possesses is off the charts. He is tremendously fast on his feet. He has outstanding dynamic offensive abilities due to his hand speed and power. He’s shown to have a sturdy chin, and his offensive instincts are very well polished.
Pacquiao can be seen as the Aroldis Chapman of baseball to some degree. Chapman being one of the most dynamic closers in his sport, throws a fastball that averages around 100mph. This allows Chapman to make a mistake and throw a fastball right down the middle, and professional hitters will still have a difficult time squaring up to the ball due to the tremendous speed its coming at. This is very similar to when Pacquiao lunges in with his punches. One may see the countering opportunity but are still unable to take advantage of the mistake, and the next thing they know they are staggered or lying on the canvas. This is what makes Pacquiao’s physical tools unique, and why he’s regarded as one of the most fan friendly fighters in the sport.
Pacquiao’s offensive assets and abilities may negate Mayweather’s very well polished skills. This is why the bout still draws interest. Will Pacquiao’s physical tools and offensive instinct batter Mayweather for all 12 rounds, or will his faults be his downfall against a high-level technician who has built his career on capitalizing on his opponent’s mistakes? This question will be answered if and when they both finally step into the ring together.