Offense. Pacquiao is the best pure offensive fighter in the game, so as good as Marquez is in that regard, this category is no contest. Watching their previous two fights against one another and what Pacquiao has done since, his growth has been remarkable. In 2004, he was a totally one-dimensional southpaw, a 1-2 artist whose gifts of speed and power were all it took up to that point. By 2008, he was blossoming into a two-fisted fighter and even could counter some, but the biggest improvement was in his footwork, in how much better his balance was, in his refusal to rely on clumsy, quick lunges. He's better in every single way on that front -- he gets out of position far less, he's takent to stepping in and out or to the side, and he has completed his evolution into a two-fisted boxer.
Marquez thrives in a counterpunching role, which has allowed him to feed off Pacquiao's aggression in the past, but his overall offensive game is really impressive, too. He's one of boxing's best combination punchers, he throws savage body shots, and his uppercuts are divine. If there's a knock on either of these guys, it's that they neglect their jabs, which are excellent when they bother. It's academic.
Edge: Pacquiao
Defense. Here's one where things are a touch closer. It's hard to say right now what kind of defensive fighter Pacquiao is. Going back to 2008 and before, he was pretty atrocious. His offense was his defense. By the fight after Pacquiao-Marquez II, Pacquiao went and turned himself responsible. David Diaz couldn't lay a glove on him. Nor could Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton. It was all about footwork and getting his gloves back up after attacking. Then he reverted to preferring to brawl against Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. In his last fight, against Shane Mosley, whose power he clearly respected, Pacquiao got back to trying to defend himself and took fewer unnecessary risks, although Mosley made it easier on him by not doing much.
Intelligence. I feel like I say this every time, but there's nothing dumb about Pacquiao in the ring -- it's just that his ring intelligence doesn't really stand out. The main thing he has going for him is that he's a sponge for trainer Freddie Roach's knowledge, having become a better overall fighter over time and usually coming in to the ring with a great gameplan for exploiting his opponents' weaknesses. Pacquiao does occasionally dispense with that gameplan and get careless when the urge to brawl strikes him, and you won't see him typically make adjustments midfight when an opponent throws him a different look, though. Overall, though, Pacquiao is a smarter fighter than he used to be.
0 comments:
Post a Comment