Geno’s Boxing Corner: Manny Pacquiao Unfocused
By Geno McGahee
Unfocused
November 13th is quickly approaching and the PPV bout featuring “Hands of Plaster” Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao has picked up momentum. That is in large part due to the subpar training camp of Pacquiao.
There have been those in the media that have claimed that Pacquiao’s training was fine and that this is some sort of hype job to create a buzz around a fight that had very little, but the rumors are legitimate. RSR first reported the sparring session with Amir Khan that proved to be a disaster for the Filipino fighter and Freddie Roach has gotten so frustrated that he has gone out publicly against his own fighter, in some attempt to refocus him.
With the vast majority of the media being shut out of the training camp and Roach becoming more aggressive with his fighter, all signs are pointing to an in shape and focused Pacquiao at this point, but there is still some doubt and that doubt will most certainly bring more viewers to this sham and bring some foolish people placing a lot of money down on the underdog to win.
Even though this sell wasn’t created by the promoters, they have taken full advantage of it. Margarito is being presented as focused and seeking redemption against a great fighter that is overlooking him. Let’s say that this is entirely true. Margarito will most likely not have enough to put a dent in him even under these circumstances.
Manny Pacquiao is a fighter. He enjoys it and excels at it, feeding off the crowd’s energy as he attacks his opponent. He will be fit and will be accurate and the speed the straight punches right down the middle will be too much for the most focused Margarito in the world. Joshua Clottey had no problem finding him, and neither did Shane Mosley, or Paul Williams, or any Margarito opponent. His defense is weak. His strength is his will, and without the loaded gloves, he doesn’t have a big punch. Margarito is walking into a tank, even if the tank isn’t at its best.
Unfocused or not, Manny is in shape and look for him to overcome a totally focused opponent en route to a mid round stoppage on the 13th. It was a mismatch when announced and it’s a mismatch now. Don’t lose your money on Margarito and don’t rent this pay per view. Do not support a guy like Margarito. He’s bad for boxing.
Sham Contest?
On July 21st, a cruiserweight meeting was held with the IBO title hanging in the balance. Danny Green, the defending champion fresh off his first round stoppage win over Roy Jones, JR., came into the bout with a full head of steam, and didn’t waste much time, stopping Briggs in 29 seconds.
This was out of character for Briggs. He had only been stopped once in his career and went 24 hard rounds with Tomasz Adamek at light heavyweight, losing majority decisions on both occasions. Despite the 27 knockouts in the 30 wins of Green, the fight looked fishy.
The round started and Briggs showed some aggression before being hit with a glancing jab. He stayed down for the count, attempting to arise at 8 but falling back down. Green stood over him and yelled at him, thinking that he came there to get paid and didn’t put up any effort. The truth came out later that he had some issues with his nervous system and needed the money, and took the fight against the wishes of his camp and everyone that knew him. He shouldn’t have been in the ring.
Briggs was paid $200,000 but will be forced to give back $75,000 of it for creating a “Sham Contest,” because he didn’t divulge his condition heading into the fight. His argument is that he was medically cleared and should not be fined at all, and I agree with him.
The emphasis falls upon those that cleared him to fight and perhaps more in depth testing might be considered, because just watching the fight, you can tell that he isn’t right. In that 29 seconds that the fight lasted, 10 of which he was on his knees, you can tell he wasn’t the same fighter. As much as it was a disappointment to the fans and Green, it was a good thing that it ended early. The longer it went, the more likely we were heading towards a tragedy.
Green moves on to face the undefeated BJ Flores on November 17th, and it’s hard to imagine Green losing at this time in his career. He’s been on top of his game, winning nine in a row, eight by knockout, against decent opposition. He will be attacking the boxer/puncher Flores from the opening bell.
A Quick Thank You
On October 28th and October 31st, there were two showings of my latest film FAMILY SECRET, and I’m happy to report that both were packed houses that were kind enough to give me and my movie a standing ovation. FAMILY SECRET is produced by X Posse Productions and Webhead Entertainment, and featured some of the best actors and actresses that New England has to offer.
On October 28th, FAMILY SECRET appeared big screen at the Holiday Cinemas in Wallingford, Connecticut, and some horror fans elected to skip SAW 3-D and give my movie a chance and were happy they did. On October 31st, Halloween night, Elwoods Restaurant and Pub showed FAMILY SECRET on 4 large screen televisions around the bar and restaurant, allowing the very large crowd an opportunity to watch a great film.
A special thanks to Elwoods and Holiday Cinemas for their hospitality and look for FAMILY SECRET to come to DVD in March of 2011, worldwide. Look for FAMILY SECRET on Facebook as well!