How To Knockdown Manny Pacquiao: Part 1
Cointry -- Every boxer has a weak point. A flaw or two. Trainer coaches call it bad habit because no matter how they correct it in training, the boxer return to his old ways when he fights on the ring. The opponent must be aware of the weakness and must have the ability to exploit it to his advantage. It may take a wink of an eye or the full twelve rounds or even before the fight begins.
Mike Tyson was invisible during his prime. He knockout his opponent with his powerful right hand. But his strength is also his weakness. Evander Holyfield had just to wait and wait until Tyson throw his right hand. Then Holyfield jumps in and do his things. This frustrate Tyson. And frustration is a weak point.
"...he does little things with his body that give away when he’s going to punch,” Oscar de la Hoya said. “Manny does things with his arms and his feet before he punches; it’s even in his eyes. He does things to give it away that he’s about to let them go, and I can see it.” It's a weak point in Manny Pacquiao that Juan Manuel Marquez used to his advantage.
Manny Pacquiao can't throw a punch while stepping backward. And the way to do it is push him with a barrage of left and right hand attack. Let's call it the 'barrage'. When in a barrage, Manny just cover his face with his hands while stepping back. Even if Manny wasn't hit, it create alarm to the audience and possibly a minus from the judges. Of course not every opponent can do the barrage. Marco Antonio Barrera had done it once in their first match but as an act of desperation. Freddie Roach should have corrected it then. But Morales used the barrage in all his three encounters with Manny though sporadically. It could be Erik's strategy to win the fight by overwhelming Manny with the barrage but committed a mistake early in the first round. He was doing the barrage but Manny has stopped stepping back. Pacquiao has reached the ropes! Manny side step, throw his left hand below the right ear of Erik, and Morales was knockdown and so was his strategy.
To do the barrage, there should be a space for Manny to step back. The punches must be non stop, accurate and always moving forward. The barrage must be aborted when Pacquiao stop backtracking. Oscar de la Hoya is good at doing the barrage. He loves pushing people back. He has a power left hook. What if it hit Manny?
