
Originally Posted by
Mintymen
Adter wathcing pac-larios, I am sensing a change/improvement in Manny's style. He does not go ouot for that knockout early, but will if the opportunity presents itself. His defense, lead left hands(almost a B-hop lead, without the holding), body shots, hooks. I mean he's not as good in the Morales rematch but the skills he has shown last Saturday were very good and are in the making of a very complete and intelligent fighter. There are a lot of fighters who started the same way. What do you think? Can he be a very good boxer like B-Hop or even MAB under Roach's guidance? or is he a different breed and can be greater?
Ok, this is actually a good question. I'll admit, that despite being Filipino, I was at first, skeptical about Manny. He didn't have what we call, fundamental boxing skills (like most of the Filipino boxers). He would swing wildly, looking for a KO punch. When Roach came around, he was refined. He started to use more of his jab, set up combos, and even work the body.
Yes, Manny is one the way to becoming a more complete fighter. IMO, he still lacks some defense. One of his weaknesses, (and there are a few), is hi tendency to, how should I say, "show off" in the middle of the fight. In his fights with Morales, when he got hit with a clean shot, he would raise his arms and show that he wasn't hurt. Nothing wrong with that, but for me, that leaves you open. I mean, if Manny pulled that off against a Floyd Mayweather type, he'd be eating a one-two combo in an instant. If Manny really wants to improve, he has to improve his defense A LOT.
With this in mind, I think it's way to early to start thinking about comparing the Pacman to B-Hop. Hopkins was something else. he had great boxing skills, and some of the best defense on the planet. Manny isn't even close, YET. And as for the comparisons to Hopkins' lead left, we have to remember Manny is a southpaw. We can't compare his left to B-Hop's. A better comparsion would be to notice if Manny was leading with his right.
If Manny really dedicates himself, he canr eally improve. But he won't be a true complete boxer. Manny is a puncher at heart, and so are most of the guys trained by Roach (anyone remember Tyson?). But he can still improve and may be one of the best Featherweights of all time.
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