By Edward Chaykovsky
Joel Diaz, trainer for former two-division world champion Timothy Bradley, is very familiar with Manny Pacquiao.
Bradley went 24 rounds with Pacquiao. He won a controversial twelve round split decision in 2012 and was thoroughly beaten in their 2014 rematch by unanimous decision.
Diaz says there are certain habits that Pacquiao has, that almost never change, and those habits allowed Juan Manuel Marquez to score a brutal knockout win over the Filipino star in late 2012.
The respected trainer says Pacquiao usually feints before throwing the right jab, usually lifts his foot before throwing his hard left.
“If Manny gives Floyd time and space, Floyd will pick him apart,” Diaz said to the LA Daily News. “And when Manny starts missing punches he starts to tie up a little bit. You have to make him think. That slows him down.”
“Manny wants you to come to him. When that happens, it’s like running into a train. Floyd won’t do that. For Manny to win he has to attack and that’s going to be difficult for 12 rounds without making a mistake. But the mistake people make is that they try to rip Floyd’s head off. They should go to the body instead.”
