Which quality makes Pacman so special? Is it his speed? He is not Roy Jones kind of fast. Is it his stamina? Is it his timing? Pacman has become a phenomenon the past decade but what is the main reason? What quality of him is world class?
A variety of factors. Speed of hand and foot. Stamina. He's tougher than often given credit for, just look at how his face looks at the end of his last few fights. He lost maybe 2 rounds against Cotto but his face looked like he got mugged by a bunch of guys. He picks his shots well too. Finding the openings and exploiting them. I don't think when you have a fighter at the top of the sport, it's really just ONE thing that makes them that good. Yeah he's fast. So is Amir Khan and Zab Judah. He hits hard. So do Kelly Pavlik and Daniel Ponce De Leon. He has great stamina/workrate. So do Antonio Margarito and Kassim Ouma. For all the talk about Roy Jones being this great athlete and not about his boxing skills, he was an intelligent fighter too.
This about PAC.. For years I thought he was lucky and getting by on INCREDIBLE stamina.. He actually "to me" looked so basic! I kept thinking wtf is wrong with Barerra PAC would hit him with the same shot over and over and over and over It was like a straight left and it was a great shot but Dayum! I thought if he could adjust he'd have a shot. Lol I have since become a fan. PAC has ridiculous stamina and pressure. Thing is for me.. He is fast but in a crazy pressure kinda way. Not really tool wild I guess but just lettin 'em go..pressure and fast But Floyd to me is fast. He doesnt just unload, he counters and his timing, reflexes, skill, is ridiculous. He is so good at it
I agree with all attributes listed and I'd like to add one more. He is very unorthodox. His unorthodox style, combined with his athletic abilities (speed/power/stamina/strength/hand eye coordination etc) and skills make him lethal. Not to mention his athletic abilities are on an elite level in pretty much every category. Then you add in his heart and fighters mentality and you have one of the greatest ever.
I think he's the first 'unorthodox angle' puncher to put those shots together in flurries or 4, 5, 6. That's very difficult to deal with and exceptional foot and setting speed round things off.
agREED... It's EVERYTHING w/Pac...The ENTIRE Package... If Pac ISN'T on Roy Jones' Level in Terms of PURE HANDSPEED, he's NOT Faaaaaaaaaar Off...Manny Delivers his Punches AS FAST as a Prime Sugar Shane Mosley Did, Arguably FASTER, in REED's Opinion...No, Manny Isn't Julian Jackson in the Punch Department, but he IS 1 of the HARDER Puncher's in History, Shot for Shot...& Credit to Freddie Roach for Converting Manny Into More of an EVEN Handed Puncher... It's RARE that a Guy as Athletically GIFTED as Manny is, is Also as AGGRESSIVE as he Is...He's FLEET of Foot when he Wants or NEEDS to B, has UNDERRATED Footwork & BALANCE, Darts IN & OUT of Range WHENEVER he Chooses, yet he's BALLSY, NEVER EVER COASTS, Has a KILLER Instinct & is a VOLUME Puncher... He's Duran, Only MORE Athletic...He's Roy Jones, Only TOUGHER & MORE Aggressive...He's Paul Williams, Only he Adds POWER to his Volume Punching...He's Aaron Pryor w/a BETTER Resume & Superior DEFENSE...In Terms of APPEAL, he's a "3rd World Muhammad Ali", yet IN the Ring, Manny's More CONSISTENTLY ENTERTAINING than Even "The Greatest" Was... There's Really NEVER Been Anyone Quite Like Manny Pacquiao... REED:hammert:
The thing that impresses me most about Pacquiao is his remarkable balance. His ability to stay on balance to generate leverage and power from odd angles WHILE throwing a high volume of punches is incredible. It seems like he is never out of position or off balance to point that he can't throw a powerful shot or combination. That ability sets him apart from anyone currently in the ring.
With a fighter who achieves as much as Pacquiao has, it will virtually alwaus be more than one facet of their game which is remarkable, & equally as valid as a number of other exceptional areas. Pacquiao is no different, as some have already stated. Speed, power (more so at the lower weights, but still), reflexes, & superb endurance.
Stamina, workrate (those two are related), power, agression, speed, toughness. The combination of the above is past world class...it's ATG-Class!
he's always been gifted in terms of his natural talent, but over the years, he's been able to increase is ring IQ as well.
Two fighters coming off of career-altering losses and a bum whose strategy consists of sitting behind his guard for the entire fight and throwing no punches? I'd love to see the criticism Floyd would get if he backed out of a drug test because he was "scared of needles." Actually, speaking as a former Pacquiao fan, I would be the first person to shit on him for pulling idiotic bullshit like that.
Honestly speaking.... I'm of the opinion that both Floyd and Pacquiao are top 5 all time in terms of raw ability. That why it's such a shame that they haven't fought. To borrow a Hut*Hut phrase: If they fought it would be the greatest level of aggregated talent in one ring ever in the history of the sport.
