ITS not every day that you get to see an elected Senator of any democratic country in the world engage in a professional boxing match.
Only from the Philippines, to paraphrase that tourism slogan.
In the United States there have been several football and baseball players who made the seamless transition into politics and became members of congress.
But boxing? No freaking way. And get this, the keyword here is former- meaning they have obviously retired from being sportsmen.
Manny Pacquiao is a Senator and concurrently an active pro fighter. Only from the Philippines.
FACTORS. Odds are heavy in favor of a Pacquiao victory by knockout, this despite the fact that the last time this father-of-five scored a stoppage win was in 2009.
I’m predicting Manny (58-6, 38 KOs) to win via unanimous decision as I think Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10KOs) will come in in great shape and survive a Pacman who is already 37 years of age and coming off a brief retirement.
VICTORY. A Vargas victory isn’t as farfetched as some people might think, but to do so, he has to fight an almost perfect fight, which he means he will have to do the following:
* Push the pace but maintain controlled aggression. Remember that you are fighting a living legend in the ring and if are not aggressive enough the judges won’t give you those those much-needed rounds.
But of course, you just can’t wade in carelessly. Manny is quicker so your best chance is to be busy enough to throw Manny off his comfortable rhythm.
*Time him. Manny has superior hand speed, but proper timing can offset speed. Go ask Juan Manuel Marquez, a renowned expert on this subject.
*Play defense. Even when you are pushing the pace, that’s not an excuse not to move your head and use lateral movement to avoid incoming artillery.
For Manny the keys to victory are:
*Find your rhythm early by being busy. Any boxer who comes in after a long layoff has to deal with ring rust, and that includes everybody. Even the great Manny Pacquiao.
*Utilize speed advantage. Vargas is a couple of inches taller, but slower. Traditionally, Manny fights well against taller guys. The young, inexperienced Vargas shouldn’t be too difficult to crack.
DYAB. If you’re up early today, please lock in your radio to DYAB as I do a pre -fight analysis on “Sports Patrol “ with the prolific Leleth Ann Rumaguera.
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on one of my best buddies since our SHS-B days, Marcelino Co, who recently celebrated his birthday. Cheers!
(jingo_quijano@yahoo.com)
