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Manny Pacquiao Vs Rocky Marciano: What Makes a Fighter Special?

By Jeff Stoyanoff

Those who see flaws are missing a critical part of the experience

People think that fights represent a competition between differing styles and skills. But, in reality, they are a contest for the style of the fight itself. The fighter that wins is not always the one who offers the better answers in a fight, but rather the one who determines the questions themselves that the fight will ultimately ask. There are a number of variables that impact the style of a fight. Will the fight take place from distance or on the inside? Will the fight be fought at a fast pace or a more measured tempo?

Will the fight be a clinical chess match rooted in the science of the sport? Or, will it be an ugly, foul filled brawl filled with fire and emotion? Will it be a contest of trading and counters or sporadic exchanges with clever holding and movement? And there is so much more…not to mention much in between. Many fighters often look great, and they are, but perhaps the true measure of the most special fighters is that they seem to have a unique ability to make their opponents fight their fight time and again. Rocky Marciano was a perfect example of such a fighter. So is Manny Pacquiao.

Even now there are not too many scribes or fans even who rate Marciano at the top of the list when it comes to the best heavyweights of all time. In fact, I can scarcely recall seeing even one who does and I spend a fair amount of time reading the opinions of both writers and fans alike. To be fair, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali are not exactly easy to supplant at the top of such lists, but Marciano seldom even rates third despite retiring undefeated with wins over the likes of: Joe Walcott (twice), Ezzard Charles (twice), Archie Moore, Joe Louis (albeit well passed prime), and a slew of solid heavyweights whose names have slid gently into the sad yet inevitable anonymity brought on by the inescapable passage of years. It is a perfectly fine resume punctuated by a stat unmatched in well over 100 years of heavyweight boxing.

Not even third, how can this be? The answer is simple. People see the flaws and miss a greater point in the process. Marciano didn’t have better answers necessarily; he didn’t need them because his fights were always about his questions. Marciano trained like a beast and as such he was prepared to withstand your punches and unleash his own. Slowly yet methodically he broke down opponent after opponent in much the same way. Fighters and fans alike must have seen the same things. Marciano wasn’t particularly fast with his hands or his feet and he could be hit and was prone to problems with cuts. Surely someone would come along and use their speed to box him. Surely there would be an opponent who would use movement to keep their distance and exploit Marciano’s lack of length.

Surely there would be an opponent who would work in between Marciano’s often wide punches with well timed counters and score over and over again and pile up the rounds. Eventually, there had to be an opponent who could out box Marciano, after all the flaws were so readily apparent. The conventional wisdom is that Marciano was a far better fighter than he appeared to be at first glance and that he was simply harder to box than one would think upon scouting his performances in the ring. Clearly, that is true to a large extent. But, perhaps that explanation also overlooks something more fundamental; the greater contest for the “soul” of a fight; the contest over the question itself. Rocky Marciano didn’t overcome speed and movement so much as he simply never allowed the fights to be wholly determined by those dynamics. He had a special ability to make his fights about power, conditioning, determination, and will. Those who saw the flaws missed the point. It was never about flaws.

Manny Pacquiao has only lost once in the last decade. At this point, everyone in the universe knows that the loss came nearly six years ago against future hall of famer Erik Morales. First of all, the very idea of Pacquiao losing is strange and noteworthy at this point, but another thing is striking about that fight. For all of the well deserved praise Morales receives for his boxing prowess in that win, he also beat Manny Pacquiao at Pacquiao’s game. The scorecards show Morales winning seven rounds to five over Manny on all three cards and that score is widely considered to be a solid representation of what happened that night. Morales won without question, but he didn’t exactly dominate Pacquiao. Pacquiao didn’t exactly stand there and absorb a boxing lesson with no response. He came after Morales and he was in the fight. The fact is, time and again Pacquiao drew Morales into some exchanges and time and again Morales responded by firing back and landing and then getting back to his well honed game plan. Morales didn’t simply yet completely out box Pacquiao, that would be underselling his achievement. Morales beat Manny Pacquiao that night on far more even footing.

Perhaps, Pacquiao was a little off after having blood drawn in the days leading up to the bout. But, he still came out and fought his fight for the most part. Erik Morales had a tough night that night even in victory. It’s always a tough night against Manny Pacquiao much as it was most certainly always a tough night against Marciano. The flaws are there, but those who point to them overlook the simpler truth. History has shown that you have to beat Manny Pacquiao at his game; he determines the nature of the fight. Even on his worst night, it was his fight. And, when he’s not having an off night? We’ve all seen the explosive results.

The question of whether or not Pacquiao can be beaten right now is fun and compelling, yet fairly limited. Of course he can be beaten, every man can be beaten. But, as a dominating fighter the better question is what form will a victory over Pacquiao take? As an enthusiastic fan, I used to look at the flaws and ponder the possibilities. Pacquiao’s defense is hardly the best. Clearly, he can be hit. Pacquiao is small for a welterweight and he does have to take some chances against bigger opponents. Obviously, a smaller man has to open up some to go after a bigger man and thus opens himself up to precise counter punching.

In addition, as a shorter man, it would only seem logical that a long and heavy jab might stunt his ability to even get his offense going if such a jab can be found. But, the flaws are a mirage. Not in the sense that they don’t exist, but rather in the fact that beating Manny Pacquiao rests no more on exploiting his flaws than beating Rocky Marciano rested in exploiting his. The defense is a little suspect and the opponent is small and has to come to you, what could be the problem? As scary as it sounds, it might just be that the only way to beat Manny Pacquiao is to beat him at his own game. Manny Pacquiao is not an all time great because he is fast, strong, and tough. He is great because of those traits, but not an all time great. A great many fine fighters are fast, strong, and tough, so what sets Pacquiao apart?

Manny Pacquiao is a legend because over and over he makes his fights about what he does best much like Marciano. The riddle of Marciano was not his ridiculous power, but rather his incredible conditioning and unparalleled will combined with that gift. Similarly, the riddle is not Pac’s speed; the riddle is the lethal combination of his relentless aggression and supreme conditioning in combination with the blinding speed. Fighters weren’t beaten by them, they were overwhelmed by them. Those who saw the technical flaws never saw the real danger.

Interestingly, Floyd Mayweather JR. is also about as good as it gets in terms of controlling the dynamics of a fight. Mayweather, a disciple of the science of the sport if ever there was one, has always managed to impress his will upon a fight. Whether or not they are fully aware of it, I believe this is why this fight is so compelling to fight fans. Naturally, there is a large contingent of fans who would like to see somebody finally close Floyd’s mouth. And, there is a sizable audience that is eager to see Pacquiao truly challenged by an outstanding fighter in his prime secure in the notion that such a fighter will finally bring a close to the Manny Pacquiao smoke and mirrors show at 147 pounds. This would be a fight between two great fighters near the peak of their powers. But, those who dissect the fight might be falling into a trap by allowing themselves to be lured by arenas of false complexity.

The contest will not pit divergent styles against each other, it will be a contest for the style itself. Pacquiao has flaws but relying on them minimizes the enormity of the task of beating him. Pacquiao will find a way to make you fight his fight. If Floyd Mayweather indeed is able to beat Manny Pacquiao he won’t be able to just pick on his flaws; that will be part of it but more will ultimately be required of him. In the end, Mayweather will likely have to locate just a little Manny Pacquiao tenacity in his own game to get the job done; Pacquiao will see to that.

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