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By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
One wonders what Manny Pacquiao must have been thinking as he watched Bernard Hopkins tear Kelly Pavlik apart on Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J. Because while Hopkins had a 13-pound advantage in the ring on Saturday (185-172), he and Pavlik are natural middleweights.
Hopkins has fought the bulk of his career as a middleweight and spent most of his career fighting as a small middleweight who could easily have made 154.
Pacquiao is a lightweight who is going to fight a super welterweight on Dec. 6 when he meets Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. So Pacquiao will be at a much greater size disadvantage against De La Hoya than Pavlik was against Hopkins.
And Hopkins was clearly too big and too strong for Pavlik.
The possibility for a Pacquiao injury in this fight is very, very real. This is something that should not be ignored. He is a much smaller man fighting a man who can punch. De La Hoya is a good puncher at 154. And while Pacquiao is an exciting fighter, defense isn’t his strong suit.
He’s going to be open and De La Hoya is going to catch him at some point in the fight with a left hook. Hopkins’ size advantage, at least in part, helped him deliver a savage beating to Pavlik. Pacquiao is going to get much worse from De La Hoya because De La Hoya is so much bigger.
When you compare what they weighed at the same age as pros, De La Hoya has a 21.25 pound edge when looking at them from age 22 (when De La Hoya turned pro) until age 29 (Pacquiao’s current age).
That size advantage, along with what we saw in the Hopkins-Pavlik fight, does not bode well for Pacquiao.
I hope I’m wrong about this but I’m afraid that I’m right.
On that scary note, I’m going to delve into the reader mailbag, which deals exclusively with your reaction to Hopkins’ tremendous victory over Pavlik. My answers, as always, are in italics.
One wonders what Manny Pacquiao must have been thinking as he watched Bernard Hopkins tear Kelly Pavlik apart on Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J. Because while Hopkins had a 13-pound advantage in the ring on Saturday (185-172), he and Pavlik are natural middleweights.
Hopkins has fought the bulk of his career as a middleweight and spent most of his career fighting as a small middleweight who could easily have made 154.
Pacquiao is a lightweight who is going to fight a super welterweight on Dec. 6 when he meets Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. So Pacquiao will be at a much greater size disadvantage against De La Hoya than Pavlik was against Hopkins.
And Hopkins was clearly too big and too strong for Pavlik.
The possibility for a Pacquiao injury in this fight is very, very real. This is something that should not be ignored. He is a much smaller man fighting a man who can punch. De La Hoya is a good puncher at 154. And while Pacquiao is an exciting fighter, defense isn’t his strong suit.
He’s going to be open and De La Hoya is going to catch him at some point in the fight with a left hook. Hopkins’ size advantage, at least in part, helped him deliver a savage beating to Pavlik. Pacquiao is going to get much worse from De La Hoya because De La Hoya is so much bigger.
When you compare what they weighed at the same age as pros, De La Hoya has a 21.25 pound edge when looking at them from age 22 (when De La Hoya turned pro) until age 29 (Pacquiao’s current age).
That size advantage, along with what we saw in the Hopkins-Pavlik fight, does not bode well for Pacquiao.
I hope I’m wrong about this but I’m afraid that I’m right.
On that scary note, I’m going to delve into the reader mailbag, which deals exclusively with your reaction to Hopkins’ tremendous victory over Pavlik. My answers, as always, are in italics.
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