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Pacquiao Vs. Valero: Dream Match or Mismatch?
Pacquiao Vs. Valero: Dream Match or Mismatch?
By Jeffrey Cabauatan
PhilBoxing.com
08 Sep 2006
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is one of the hardest punchers if not the hardest puncher in Super Featherweight today. He attracted a following early on his career thanks to the exposure he got at a local boxing program in the Philippines called Blow by Blow.
He fascinated fans with his ruthless aggression and brutal one punch knockout. On his first ever world title fight against Chatchai Sasakul, being out-boxed in the first 6 rounds, he demonstrated how he can change the outcome of a fight with one punch. In round 7, he caught Sasakul with a straight left that staggered the champ. In round eight 8, Manny Pacquaio would finished Sasakul with the same vicious straight left that would peppered Lehlohonolo Ledwaba and Marco Antonio Barrera in route into winning the IBF Super Bantamweight title and Ring Magazine’s Featherweight title.
But Manny Pacquiao’s popularity reached an all time high when he avenged his loss from the great Mexican warrior Erik “El Terrible” Morales with a TKO victory this past January where he demonstrated his much talked about punch “the manila ice.”
Edwin Valero would share the same humble beginning as Manny Pacquiao. However, his road to superstardom was much murkier than Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao is like an American Idol winner who got a recording contract after the show; whereas, Edwin Valero is like an underground rapper who traveled from concert to concert in hope of someone would listen to his music.
That is exactly what Valero did as he traveled to Argentina, Panama, Venezuela, France, and Japan after his license was revoked in the United State due to medical condition he suffered in his head by a motorcycle accident.
It did not take long until he caught the attention of die hard boxing fanatics and respected boxing writer, Doug Fisher, with his remarkable 18 straight first round knockout. On his 20th fight, he would challenge for the WBA Super Featherweight title by fighting hard hitter from Panama named Vicente Mosquera who knocked down Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai 3 times to win the title.
In the first round of the fight, Valero would knockdown the champ two times with a left cross. Two rounds later, Mosquera would return the favor by putting the challenger down on the canvas. However, it was becoming more and more evident in round 5-9 that Valero’s flurry and volume punching were too much for the champion to handle. In round 8 and 9, Valero was able to telegraph the tired punches of Mosquera that made Valero almost look like a defensive master. A tired and beaten Mosquera would then have to be rescued by his corner from further beating in round 10. On that night, Valero proved that he was more than a just freak show but a world class fighter.
First off, who wouldn’t want to see these two guys get it on? They’re both very entertaining to watch, southpaw, and very humble inside and outside the ring. Every time they step into the ring, it is a guaranteed action pack. They’re the type of fighters who are willing to take one in order to land one.
That is where the similarity ends between these two fighters. If these two meet in the ring right now, Manny Pacquiao will annihilate Valero in less than 5 rounds. Valero is not even remotely close on Pacquiao’s level yet. Although they both like to brawl, Manny Pacquiao’s punches are much shorter and quicker than Valero.
Before Valero can initiate his flurries of punches, Manny Pacquiao’s straight left would have landed and stopped Valero on its track. I am not trying to diminish Valero’s skill, heart and boxing ability in any way but he is very raw as a fighter. He reminds me of how Pacquiao used to fight early on in his career as he launched himself into his opponent without having a second plan.
Second off, Manny Pacquiao is a much better boxer than other boxing experts give him credit for. For the past two years, he had improved his arsenal. He still launches himself from time to time, but the way he set up his punched improved dramatically. The way Manny Pacquiao feints before throwing his short left or right hook should befuddle Valero enough that it would enable Pacquiao to go to the body and then to the head. In order for Valero to step up into another class, he needs to learn how to use his jab more to set up his flurries. He also needs to shorten his punches to make it less telegraphic against world class opponents.
For now, Valero should learn how to improve his boxing skills and try not to make the same mistake Pacquiao once made when he fell in love with his boxing style that led him to be repetitive. He needs to learn how to mix up his punches and not get hit too often. If Mosquera can drop him, I am scared what Pacquiao can do to him. Maybe if he progress as a fighter, maybe this can really turn into a real dream match instead of a mismatch.
http://philboxing.com/news/story-7406.html
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Originally Posted by pacfan
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