The Fight Game 08.27.09: Pacquiao and the Art of Matchmaking

411’s Jeff Stoyanoff looks at the career of Manny Pacquiao, including his rise to the top, the fact that he is reaching his stride as a fighter and also looks at some of the brilliant matchmaking that has aided in his dominance.

Manny Pacquiao certainly seems to have raised his profile in the last year. Not that he was an unknown before, but he has soared to a new height in terms of notoriety. It is true that Pacquiao seems to be improving upon his already formidable skill set with each successive outing in his career. However, this recent rise is also the result of an equally impressive performance, in matchmaking.

In order to understand the meteoric rise in the public fascination with Pac, one must begin three fights ago when Manny moved up to fight David Diaz. After beating Marquez, it was clearly time for Pac to move up in weight. What team Pacquiao needed was an opponent that would not be too dangerous as to derail the venture before it even started. And there was David Diaz, mission accomplished. Diaz is a more than capable fighter. He only had one loss on his record, to Kendall Holt a tremendously gifted fighter in his own right. But, the resume of Diaz isn't exactly loaded with impressive wins either. In fact, Diaz won the title over an Erik Morales who was clearly at the end of an impressive career. For Morales, the Diaz fight was only his second north of 130 pounds. On top of that, the loss to Diaz was his fourth loss in a row. Still worse for Diaz was that he didn't even look especially impressive in the fight as Morales was able to take him the distance. There can be little wonder why Morales announced his retirement after the fight. Finally, Diaz cemented his place as the perfect opponent for Pacquiao with a lackluster performance in his next fight winning a majority decision over Ramon Montano. Montano came into the fight with a record of 15-4-2. The title was not on the line. There can be no doubt that Pac didn't want to lose Diaz as an opponent so Diaz couldn't afford to lose the title. Predictably, Pacquiao looked sensational in his victory over Diaz. The speed difference was telling from the opening bell as Pac battered Diaz for nine one sided rounds.

Watching a great fighter move up in weight has always captivated fight fans. The dynamic is the same at any weight. Inevitably, a fighter will move up and meet the challenge of bigger and presumably tougher opponents. The lure to test the limits of one's abilities is deeply woven into the human condition. Testing those limits is the third act in the storyline of pretty much any great career in the history of boxing. Just as fighters are inevitably compelled to test their limits by finding bigger, stronger opponents, we are similarly compelled to watch. As we watch a great fighter move up, we are captivated by success and mesmerized by failure, either way we are fascinated by the last steps the fighter takes into history. One way or another, more people would be watching Manny now than ever. Pacquiao had begun his journey, and his spectacular win had us all anticipating what would happen next.

Moving North Again

The next move was the stuff of legend. It was another brilliant performance by Pacquiao and another equally brilliant performance in matchmaking. To say that De La Hoya was a huge name is an understatement of ridiculous proportion, De La Hoya was the (read THE) name in boxing. The matchup had fans buzzing with anticipation, but as it turned out the fight was over before the two entered the ring. The fight took place at 145 pounds. The last time that DLH was that light was 1997. De La Hoya had even looked flat at 150 in his fight with Steve Forbes. It is true, that DLH won that fight going away, but Freddie Roach saw something that left him supremely confident that his man would easily beat Oscar. At that weight, De La Hoya couldn't pull the trigger anymore, and Team Pac knew it. It's easy to see now, that Forbes was the DLH equivalent of Montano for Diaz. Forbes was a durable guy who couldn't win. Pacquiao needed DLH so DLH had to win his tune up fight. Nothing new in boxing, but there can be little doubt that Team Pacquiao was carefully choreographing this final act of his career.

The fight itself was a brutal mismatch. It was readily apparent that biology would preempt any miracles. At 35 and after cutting weight to make 145, De La Hoya was flat. Pacquiao punished him severely for eight rounds. Pacquiao was brilliant and his speed was nothing short of incredible. We will always be left to wonder what would have happened had a younger DLH fought Pac without cutting weight in his mid 30's. Perhaps, the result would have been similar. Maybe DLH would have been too much. But, none of that mattered. Pacquiao looked like a vicious force in the ring that night in front of a huge audience. Often times, the quality of the win is secondary to the memory of the performance in boxing. Weight issues aside, people wanted to see Pac fight again, mission accomplished.

At this point, everything was working for Pacquiao. He was fighting spectacularly and making more money than ever. And, just when it didn't seem like it could get any better, Ricky Hatton entered the picture. Hatton's popularity nearly rivaled that of De La Hoya. Even better, he was a terrific fighter who was on the downside of an impressive career. Once again, the dynamics were similar. Where Roach saw an old man who could no longer react quickly enough to get his punches off in DLH, he now saw an aging brawler who walked straight in and cocked before he punched. On top of that, Hatton himself had bounced between 147 and 140 (190 and 140 if you count between fights). Once again, a man in his 30's would have to move down to fight Pacquiao. In short, Hatton was the ideal opponent.

Due South

Once again, the public clamored wondering if this opponent was simply too big and too physical for a fighter who began his career at 112 pounds. They were good questions, but Hatton was not able to ask them. Hatton had once been able to overcome some minor flaws with an explosive quickness that perfectly complimented his hyper aggressive style. Hatton was not the fighter he once was. The hard years on his body had taken a severe toll. Hatton had lost just the slightest bit of that quickness and it left him unable to compete with a devastating offensive fighter like Pacquiao. Once again, Roach was right as Pacquiao devastated Hatton finishing him with a savage left hand in the second round. The knockout punch was a key moment. That punch, watched by millions, capped of a superb performance. People had to be wondering, how good is this guy? Are we watching one of the best fighters ever? With so many watching it was a huge night and the magnitude of that moment exponentially strengthened the magnitude of that punch. Pacquiao was becoming an almost mythic figure.

Interestingly, very few people were asking these kinds of questions when Pacquiao went 5-1-1 against Marquez, Morales, and Barrera. But, for an error in scoring, Pacquiao would have been 6-1 against three surefire Hall of Famers. Those wins are the best of Pac's career. He beat them at their best, and in the case of Morales and Barrera, he beat them convincingly. This is not to say, that this most recent string of wins isn't impressive. Pacquiao has looked sensational and he does seem to be getting better every time out. With each win he seems to be moving further away from that one punch wonder that burst on the scene eight years ago. But, Pacquiao is also getting better outside the ring. The surest way to the money in boxing is to cultivate fascination among the boxing public. Fascination arises from indelible moments, not cold analysis. Making DLH surrender, that beautiful left hook that finished Hatton, those were moments that stay in one's mind. Watching Pacquiao beat Marquez, MAB, and Morales is one thing, but watching him dismantle giants is another. Pacquiao is wrecking these big guys, how good is this guy? And the fascination builds.

November to Remember

The next chapter is Miguel Cotto. Cotto is big and aggressive. He is a bigger man who will doubtless try to pressure the smaller man and impose his will. Conversely, he is coming off a rough stretch in his career. Cotto looked vulnerable against Clottey. He was hurt several times in the win and he seemed to have little in the way of defense as Clottey landed consistently with both hands all night long. So, Cotto has the public asking all the usual questions. Is Cotto simply too big? Will the combination of his size and skill prove too much for the little man? However, other questions are out there. How much did the Margarito fight really take out of Cotto? Has he logged too many tough rounds to handle a force like Pacquiao? Anything can happen in boxing but one thing is for sure, Cotto is the kind of opponent who could open the door for another sensational performance by Pac, mission accomplished.

Source: http://www.411mania.com/boxing/columns/114388/The-Fight-Game-08.27.09:-Pacquiao-and-the-Art-of-Matchmaking.htm