Manny Pacquiao

June 28, 2008, 3:25 PM

I know he's probably not known to a lot of people, but this professional filipino boxer is really big in the Philippines for being a world Featherweight and Junior Lightweight champion...(he's trying to get in to the Lightweight division) He's won a lot of boxing matches and I love watching his fights, which is a bit surprising since I find boxing so boring, except when it comes to Pac-man.

Tonight he has a match with David Diaz at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. We've ordered pay-per-view and the fight starts at 9 P.M EST. (Actually more like 12 A.M since they're the very last ones to have a match). Anyway, I'm stoked! At age 31, Diaz is a pretty young fighter compared to the other boxers that Manny had defeated (usually in their mid-thirties), so this will be a very good fight, considering Manny is almost 30 years old himself. Also, Diaz was a U.S Olympian boxer back in the 1996 Olympics.

Let's see...he's fought and defeated Larios, Morales, Barrera, Solis, Marquez (he lost to Marquez in their first fight, 2nd fight Manny won, 3rd fight was a rematch in which Manny won again but personally I thought it should have been a draw). Those are just the well-known professional Mexican (Diaz - American Mexican) boxers that he's fought so far.

So, I hope Pac-quiao wins this one again.

But I kinda have my doubts. This is going to be his first time trying for the Lightweight division since Diaz is Lightweight himself.

June 28, 2008, 4:14 PM

Okay, so my boxing knowledge isn't all that (which may surprise a few) but I like watching it every now and again. Apparently Amir Khan wants to fight him, which I find a ludicrous prospect as he will be destroyed by Manny Pacquiao. Khan looked good in his last fight, sharp, fast, powerful... but he did get knocked down.

I've seen Pacquiao fight once or twice and I really do think he's a fantastic fighter, he's very fast and my uncle (who is a boxing nut) rates him highly also. He's beaten some big names outright and thoroughly deserves the name he's made for himself.

"Amir Khan (born December 8, 1986) is a British Pakistani boxer from Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. He is the current Commonwealth lightweight champion and the current WBO Inter-Continental lightweight champion, and is ranked #2 by the WBO and #4 by the WBC. He is also ranked # 7 by the Ring Magazine and # 6 by Boxrec. Khan has won all his professional fights to date."

That's Khan in a nut shell. I really do think he needs a few years more experience under his belt before thinking about taking on names like Pacquiao. He's still young, after all.

June 29, 2008, 5:48 AM

Amir Khan, huh? Sure sounds interesting nonetheless though. One thing for sure: he has to be extremely fast. I'm actually surprised you know about him. I didn't really expect anyone from Europe to post on this thread. xD Didn't know he's also known way up there...

Annnd, we just finished watching the match...Pacquiao WON!!! Here's the link: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage...StoryId=123422

There's a little synopsis under "Other Stories" for some of the rounds, I believe. But wow, I was really amazed with Pacquiao. I've never seen him move that fast or throw punches that hard and quick-style. He was actually using both of his fists this time, whereas in previous fights I've seen him in, he's doesn't really use his right arm as much but depended a lot on the left arm for jabs.

On the second round, he's already managed to cut Diaz's nose across. He was bleeding behind the ear, and by the end of the fight (9th round), he had a lot of cuts all over his face, most noticeably on his right eyebrow, and at the top of his head. It was a very bloody fight for him. Pacquiao had none but finally had a very small cut on his right cheek towards the 9th round, which quickly became unnoticeable after they cleaned it up.

I really felt sorry for Diaz here. I must say that despite all the damage and blows he'd received, he managed to stay strong and defend himself, but still able to throw powerful punches anyway. I think his punches are probably a little stronger than Pacquaio, but the problem was that Pac-Man was just way too fast for him. He even admitted himself in the interview at the very end, "...the fucker was just way too fast, man, just way too fucking fast." Lol made us all laugh out loud...at least Diaz was pretty cool about it and took it lightly. I like that about him.

Oh man, when he finally got knocked down, Diaz's left brow was swollen - probably almost as big as a golf ball. It was extremely bad, but I really had to give him points for staying on his feet for that long.

But yeah, pretty much the whole fight through, Pac-Man was using Diaz for a punching bag. He was in control and was very focused, which I wished was the same for his last fight with Marquez. He really had a hard time with him (actually almost lost) and it was an extremely good fight.

I believe he has another fight in November. His goal is to gain another 5 pounds, I believe. Best of luck to him! I had a blast watching him fight tonight!

June 29, 2008, 1:01 PM

I missed that fight unfortunately...Saw the knockout on the news though, it was impressive quick sharp jab to open him up and then a nice accurate left bang on the off button. Pity I missed it but I was busy watching a replay of Shane Cameron trounce Kevin Montiy to retain the Pan Pacific and Oriental heavyweight belts, another great fight...Good weekend for boxing.

October 11, 2008, 10:06 PM

Well PacMan is to fight "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya in December 6 at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas.

Quote:

PHILIPPINES boxing icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao is facing pressure from politicians to shelve his looming mega bucks bout with Oscar De La Hoya because they fear he will lose.
Senior congressman Rufus Rodriguez wants the chairman of the country's Games and Amusement Board (GAB) to temporarily freeze Pacquiao's boxing licence to prevent him fighting on December 6.

That came as GAB chairman Eric Buhain admitted Thursday he had asked the World Boxing Council (WBC) to cancel the non-title fight because he believed the Filipino slugger stood no chance against the celebrated De La Hoya.

The request, he said, was denied by the WBC, which said it came too late in the day.

Rodriguez said De La Hoya, who is about five inches (13 centimetres) taller and has a five-inch reach advantage “will kill the smaller and lighter Manny.”

“This boxing bout is just about money. Pacquiao has no chance. We have to protect him. He is a national treasure,” he lamented.

Twenty-nine-year-old Pacquiao, who has 47 wins against three losses and two draws, knocked out David Diaz in June to win the WBC's lightweight belt, becoming the first Asian to win titles in four different weight classes.

It was his 35th KO in 52 fights but has done nothing to allay fears Pacquiao is on a hiding to nothing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas against “Golden Boy” De La Hoya, a boxing legend who remains one of the sport's top draws.

President Gloria Arroyo's spokeswoman, Lorelei Fajardo, on Thursday weighed into the controversy, calling on everyone to leave the decision to Pacquiao.

“A defeat does not diminish his (Pacquiao's) glory or the honour he has won for our nation. He will always remain a modern day hero for his courage and bold daring,” she added.

Sources: http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23218,00.html

I don't know...a lot of people thinks he might lose this one. I know he's already training in Hollywood since last month, so I only hope he carries through this fight with Oscar.

October 11, 2008, 10:22 PM

I think that there is a good chance that he will lose, but that shouldn't stop him from fighting. The reach advantage won't matter as compared to other weight divisions as it's all about speed, not jabbing and moving away.
It'll be a good fight, as De la Hoya is technically a better fighter, plus he has experience and a power advantage against Pacquiao who is a lot younger and faster.
Personally I want De La Hoya to win, he is fighting for money so that he can be well off, and after being a legend, I think he deserves it.

October 19, 2008, 4:43 PM

De La Hoya is only better in his weight division; he's Middleweight, whereas Pacquiao is Lightweight. Either way, I still think Pacman is the best Lightweight fighter ever. His speed, stamina and power combined are unrivalled; he's even been dubbed 'The Mexician Assassin' because of his victories over Barrera and Morales.

As for Khan against Pacman.....no, Khan wouldn't last 3 rounds with him. If we look back on the fight against Diaz, Pacman dominated the match (Diaz sure is strong...), and Khan's style is similar to Diaz's. Remember Khan's fight against Prescott? He was battered simply because of the pressure he was under, the hype and his style.

October 21, 2008, 12:21 AM

Why did he not fight in the olympics? He was in the opening ceremnoy wasnt he? He could have given philippines a chance to win a medal at something. Its the only sport philippines is good at.

October 21, 2008, 12:39 AM

I believe it's because the Olympics is only for amateur boxers, whereas PacMan is a professional boxer. He (and the other world class boxers out there) would not be allowed to join the Olympics. I do believe he was chosen to be a flag bearer for the Philippines though, and that was good enough for many Filipinos out there. He was basically just there for inspiration.

Anyway, I know this will be a good fight, that's for sure. Sure PacMan is younger and faster, while De La Hoya has the power advantage, but it's really hard to say who'll win because both fighters have different advantages/disadvantages. As always, I'm rooting for PacMan. I was watching a clip and Pacman said they "think" they know De La Hoya's weakness but he's not allowed to tell. Hope they know what they're talking about.

http://fightbeat.com/videos.php?id=161