The Pac Man – Some Ground Rules

Emmanual Dapridan Pacquiao AKA Manny Pacquiao AKA Pac Man has for a good deal of been the greatest thing in boxing for the last 10 years. Pacquiao was born in Bukidnon in the Philippines on 17th December 1978. He had an novice career of 64 contests, winning all but 4. In this Pacquiao fight analysis article, I’m not going to go into any detail in regards to the man’s extra-curricular activities. He has interests ranging from acting, singing, religion and politics. All of this is very interesting, but I am more concerned ring what he does in the ring. For this reason, the couple of sentences that you have just read when it comes to the background of Pacquiao is as close as you are going to get to a biography. Everything else in this article will focus strictly on the Manny Pacquiao boxing style, accomplishments and tactics. I hope that this suits your requirements. If it does not, I suppose there’s always Wikipedia.

In formulating this article, I reviewed videos of 5 Pacquiao fights, spanning 11 years, 9 weight subdivisions and in regards to 35 lbs; these are a good deal of amazing stats when you actually think with regards to them. I think that the range of Pacquiao fights we are looking at will give us sufficient potpourri in terms of opponent-type to concede us to draw a great deal of reasonable conclusions with regards to the Manny Pacquiao boxing style and his boxing techniques.

Starting Out…

The introductory Pacquiao fight that we check out is one of Manny’s early encounters at Flyweight versus Japan’s Shin Terao. This was Pacquiao’s 24th fight and took place in 1998 in Terao’s homeland. As the primary round starts, there are a couple of things that strike me when it comes to how Pacquiao fights. Firstly, he is a southpaw that in general moves to his left; this is highly unusual. This is something that I want you to observe now, principally because we see how this formulates through his subsequent fights, but let’s move on to the second thing that I notice. The Pac Man’s upper body is in perfective alignment with his feet, that is, he is very much ‘side on’ to his contestant as opposed to square on. This is a rudimentary part of the Pacquiao fight style, particularly as he develops through later fights. This stance and body shape was likely formed in his novice days as it’s a bit of a ‘classic’ form for a top amateur.

Something else to detect is that Pacquiao is very direct. As already mentioned, Manny moves primarily to his left, but he is side-stepping here and does seem to be taking more shots than is necessary, specially right hand shots. This is in general why as a southpaw it is advisable to move to your right so that you are moving away from the orthodox opponent’s right cross. He is somewhat ‘blood and thunder’ even even though he is distinctly technically adept. This Pacquiao fight is all with regards to pressure. A full-blooded left hook sends Terao reeling to the canvas. So, Pac has the contestant injure and injure badly. But, what is remarkable is that after this Pacquiao takes 3 right hands to the head one after another. This porous defence is an indicator of his rawness at this early stage of his career. Progressing through the contest, Pac is finelooking wild, choosing to steam-roll through his opponent’s punches to land a fight-ending right uppercut. Straightforward and direct pressure is a big percentage of Pac’s early career, but the basis of his brilliant fighting style is very much there, of this there may be no doubt.

Enter Freddie Roach

Let’s move forward 3 years now, with Pacquiao taking on Lehlohonolo Ledwaba for the IBF Super Bantamweight title and interestingly Freddie Roach is now guiding the Philippino dynamo. The main points around this Pacquiao fight that I observe are:

• Manny shows some more feints than in the former bout with Terao. He holds his hands high and he uses long range shots right from the start.
• I cited earlier that Pacquiao drifts to his left and that this is unconventional for a southpaw. We may observe now even though that as he moves left, he very subtly moves at a slight diagonal retreat. This, for me is a little piece of tactical genius. It’s scarcely noticeable, but it is very effective because the orthodox contestant considers Pacquiao to be in range of his right hand (the general orthodox shot versus a southpaw), but it’s an illusion as Manny stays just beyond range thanks to the diagonal movement.
• Pacquiao steadily undertakes ‘double attacks’. A double attack in this case comprises of simple two shot compoundings thrown in machine gun-like bursts and separated by swift steps out and back in (although Pacquiao uses a wider potpourri of double attacks in later fights). These double attacks proceed until the end of the round. That’s a tough opener for Ledwaba!
• At the commence of round 2, we see how Pacquiao sets everything off the southpaw jab. Even altho he spends most of his time moving to his left, the majority of Manny’s attacks are launched down his own right channel. This again is fantasti tactical consciousness that will have to in truth undermine an orthodox opponent. The orthodox is thinking “I may land my right”, yet all the time he’s taking incoming along his left. Highly unsettling and the extreme in diversionary tactics.
• We arrive at a point where Pacquiao takes his primary jab…after a full 4 minutes of boxing! This is a defensive awakening and is in portion due to his mastery of long range boxing and increased use of feinting and upper body movement.
• A couple of seconds after he takes the jab, the follow up assault is outstanding. Pacquiao loves to operate at long range and we see how important his feet are. He uses small, calculated movements to keep his contestant in the ‘strike zone’. Pacquiao uses the pivot regularly, sustaining the stance allround and enabling a concentrated attack on Ledwaba.
• To his outstanding credit, the South African comes back strong for the duration of the 3rd round, landing 3 solid jabs on Pacquiao, but it is not long before normal service is resumed. In this round, Pacquiao lands the slickest of combos, a lead right uppercut followed by a solid straight left.
• The fight ends in a 6th round TKO for the Pac Man, a solid performance and a launch pad for more prominent and better things… speaking of which, enter Marco Antonio Barrera…

The Arrival!

It’s one thing overcoming the likes of Terao and Ledwaba, it’s a whole other ball game stepping in the ring with a fighter of the capability and pedigree of Marco Antonio Barrera, one of Mexico’s all-time greats. Does Pacquiao let us down, like hell he does! This fight takes place in 2003 and it’s another step up in weight as well as class for Manny, moving into the featherweight category.

It’s an interesting get started to this fight. Pacquiao does his general drift to his left, keeping his right hand genuinely high in defence versus the Barrera jab. The Mexican uses a very effective double arm block from the centre of the ring and puts Pac on his back foot. This is going to be a tough assignment! Some stuff I spotted here:

• We may see Pac Man’s initial attempts to get around the tight defence of Barrera (who happens to be rather conservative and cagey in terms of attacking Manny.) Pacquiao, whilst at long range, rolls, slips and feints in order to draw the lead from the Mexican so he may then make his dandier hand speed count for the duration of counter-attacks. This speed comes in the form of mid and long range hooks to the body of the tough Mexican.
• Jumping forward a bit now, we see a patient Pacquiao in this fight (probably because he is conscious of how dangerous Barrera is). Throughout the 2nd round, Manny perpetually feints and we may see that he is formulating into a consummate counter puncher. He probes and teases on the edge of range (you guessed it, moving to his left and attacking down his right!); Pac is formulating the longanimity of a hunter!
• Barrera, in spite of the continuous threat from Pacquiao, shows his class landing solid shots on the Pac Man. Pacquiao’s response is instant and chilling. He fires long range shots in ferocious bursts whilst sustaining superb balance. His footwork is perfect, he commits to the full or entire extent to the attack without over-committing and he merely never overbalances. His double attacks were formed in his novice days, and he has honed these utterly for the pro game.

Pac overcomes Barrera in the 11th by way of a TKO (Barrera was saved by his corner). Manny Pacquiao has most unquestionably arrived on the world boxing scene, and in a heap of style!

The Ultimate Tactical Challenge

The initial round of our next fight is one of the most one-sided you’ll see that doesn’t end in a stoppage! The fight took place in 2004 and involved the gifted and tough Mexican Juan Manual Marquez. Pacquiao dumps Juan Manual Marquez on the seat of his pants 3 times in the opening round, all with crashing simple two punch combinings (you guessed it, from long range!) I have included the round here more for amusement than anything else!

What was more interesting for me even though was the tactical master class that unfolded amongst these guys following the shellacking of the initial round.

OK, onto the main body of the Marquez fight analysis.

• We see early in round 2 a very intimate approach from Pacquiao, even though the motion that he makes to his left is more of a side-step than a diagonal retreat; he seems to want to implement a continuous level of pressure to Marquez. Again, Manny very seldom leads with his own left hand, and as ordinary he moves left and attacks down his right using a mixture of supreme footwork and blinding speed.
• Check out the way in which Pacquiao uses the jab – lay back- back hand; simple, economical, fast, accurate…perfectly executed. Credit to Marquez, he fights a smart round here and establishes a foot hold in the fight after what was a disastrous opener. He boxes conservatively, employing a sensible ‘fighting retreat’ i.e. not chasing down Pac Man (not genuinely that surprising) but still providing a level of threat that at least checks Pac’s forward march.
• In relation to the former fights, we’ve talked regarding the double attacks used by Pacquiao. A double attack is the procedure by which a fighter may launch shots which are disunited by a defensive action (such as a lay back or move out and back in.) The double attack is a superb method of counter punching, and a central reason for Pacquiao’s success. Whilst there are any number of style characteristics that may be learnt from Pacquiao, the double attack has to be up there with the very best of them!
• Marquez often times uses his lead hand block and and lead hand parry to in truth good effect, nullifying the Pacquiao jab. Now Pacquiao is very quick to spot Marquez’s defensive tactics here and in response he uses feints of the jab and turns it into a lead hand (long) right hook. The shot is not intended to hurt the opponent, but the necessary thing is that it lands. It’s not a power shot, it’s a pressure shot, designed rigorously to show Marquez that there is no one single method that he may use that will systematically work. Versatility is an sheer must for any contestant for the duration of a Pacquiao fight if they realistically suppose to walk away with a victory.
• We get started to see in the fight a classic southpaw versus orthodox encounter. Watch Marquez’s lead hand block and counter right hand, a classic tactic to use versus a southpaw. Tactics become more and more important. Marquez is ‘managing’ his left hand side with the lead hand defensive work, but likewise firing hurtful right hand shots at the incoming Pacquiao to take vantage of Pac’s ‘drift’ to the left. Marquez may have identified a vulnerability here in that when Pacquiao gets his motion left wrong, a price may be exacted!
• Moving into Round 4, Pacquiao knows that he is involved in fight with a smart boxer. He perpetually slips inside and outside, seeking to draw the lead from Marquez, but Marquez being the clever boxer that he is proceeds to cause Pacquiao problems. The fight ultimately ends in a draw, but I think that we may have seen here Pac’s style count versus him (albeit it versus a high quality opponent.)

Marquez has found a way to counter the Pacquaio tactic of drifting left and attacking (swiftly) with his lead right, an exceedingly effective (and gorgeous unique) tactic in Pac’s locker. The question is may this response to a single aspect of Pacquiao’s style win the fight? In short, no. However it will surely provide a key element of any ‘anti-Pac’ strategy!

In With The Big Boys!

In November 2009, Manny Pacquiao stepped up again to take on the always dangerous Puerto Rican Miguel Angel Cotto, a man who by and big KO’d opponents as soon as look at them. It’s a WBO Welterweight contest and my observations are outlined below:

As described in the analysis of the Terao fight earlier in the article, Pacquiao’s upper body position is key for me i.e. the right shoulder at 1 o’clock and the left shoulder at 7 o’clock. His upper body is aligned finelooking much perfectly with his legs. For my money, this body shape is one of the key reasons why Pac is so fast with his double attacks and why he may do so much harm with his long range shots, exceptionally the straight left.

There is a real contrast of stances here that is worth highlighting. Cotto, whilst keeping a tight guard, is hunched forward with his weight over his front leg. When Pacquiao fights, he scarcely ever leans forward (if at all) and this ensures that he is gorgeous much in perfective remainder at all times. By employing this ‘hunching’ stance, Cotto cuts down his own height and makes it more challenging for him to defend efficaciously versus Pac’s long range work (i.e. a swift step backwards is gorgeous much ruled out.)

Pacquiao uses the double arm block to great effect. Cotto is super strong, so Pac is happy to ‘tease’ at long range, but he knows he can’t just back away. He needs to provide a ‘clear and present danger’ to the bigger, more inviolable opponent. We see the consummate Pacquiao fight system to deal with strong, dangerous opponents.

Cotto launches an attack and in response Pacquiao retreats and without any delay springs back to fire in the old faithful one-two. This is the classic double-attack, a bestloved of Manny’s.

At the begin of the 2nd round, there are galore real eye-catching exchanges of single and double shots at long range. Cotto is very proficient and Pac is using the old faithful double arm block to deal with the incoming power shots from Cotto. We see Pacquiao at his deadly best with a jab – long left uppercut – long right uppercut out of the double arm block. These shots spear through Cotto’s tight guard. From that point and for the next 20 seconds, Pacquiao’s long range work is merely brilliant, using singles and doubles combined with outstanding footwork.

What this Pacquiao fight proves, isolated from the fact that Pac Man is a highly intellectual boxer, is that as the level of threat and risk increments with the contestant faced, so Pacquiao’s tactics and execution increase in their effectiveness.

In Summary

Manny Pacquiao, rather rightly, is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today. Taking this a step further, a heap of consider him worthy of a high rating in a list of the best fighters of all time. The way in which he has formulated as a fighter, and at the same time laid waste to galore top boxers as he has steam-rolled his way up through the sectionalizations of boxing is an amazing accomplishment that deserves high praise indeed.

Pacquiao is fast, smart, hard punching, tactically minded, super fit, tenacious and aggressive all in equivalent measure. He is without doubt an all round fighter who has adapted to and win a victory over anything that’s been put in front of him in recent years. For those who are seeking to learn from a boxing master like Pacquiao, be sure to discern the simple things that he does brilliantly:

• His boxing stance and body form are utterly balanced, enabling him to take vantage of his natural speed.
• Excellent at long range, mastering the ‘simple’ achievements of long range boxing.
• Goes versus convention, even though exercising caution when doing so.
• He has continued to develop as a fighter, both defensively and offensively.
• He is capable to box in a range of styles, being as versatile as he needs to be in response to a queer opponent.
• To beat Manny Pacquiao, it’s going to take a actually intellectual fighter who is capable to concentrate 100% for the entire fight and be competent to set and maintain a high pace. Any takers?

Oh yes indeed, the Pac Man Cometh!

Pac Perfect Photo

Pac Perfect Photo

Pac Perfect Photo

Pac Perfect Image

Pac Perfect Pic

Pac Perfect Photo