Here's what Paul Strauss said last March of 2008 after the Marquez 2 fight:
"Manny is a more complete fighter now. His defense has improved, not that his strong chin needs much defense. His speed and ability to change the angle of his punches is uncanny. Marquez seemed confident several times in that he had his own guard properly in place, only to have Manny's punches get inside, or come around the side."
"Manny's so fast that he can almost lull his opponents into a false sense of security, giving them a feeling that their out of range, only to have him spring on to them like a cat. He throws two, three or more hard punches almost at a run. If they are still standing after the assault, they usually have an expression on their face that says, "Where the hell did that come from!"
"I've heard Emanual Steward comment more than once about Manny's poor balance, and that he's often out of position, but I'm not so sure. He seems to be pretty adept at what Jack Dempsey used to call his 'double shift'. With Manny it comes from the opposite side. First he throws the right jab, then a long straight left, with his left leg following, which makes it seem like he extended himself too far, and is out of position. However, another straight right is following up fast, which comes from the orthodox position. He does it in a blur, seemingly to run at his opponent, and to them it probably feels that way too."
Here are some animated gifs of what Strauss describe:
Animated Gif #1: Hoya backs down confident that Pacquiao missed, only to be surprised by another punch (notice that Manny is now more patient backing down as soon as he landed):
Counterpunching the Counterpuncher
Animated Gif #2: Pacquiao faked a jab and as soon as Marquez started countering with a left hook, Pacquiao ducked and threw a huge left of his own. Perfect. Common during Pacquiao's sparring session but rare during his actual fights.
The real question is: will his defensive ability and experience prepare him for Hatton's pressure?
"Manny is a more complete fighter now. His defense has improved, not that his strong chin needs much defense. His speed and ability to change the angle of his punches is uncanny. Marquez seemed confident several times in that he had his own guard properly in place, only to have Manny's punches get inside, or come around the side."
"Manny's so fast that he can almost lull his opponents into a false sense of security, giving them a feeling that their out of range, only to have him spring on to them like a cat. He throws two, three or more hard punches almost at a run. If they are still standing after the assault, they usually have an expression on their face that says, "Where the hell did that come from!"
"I've heard Emanual Steward comment more than once about Manny's poor balance, and that he's often out of position, but I'm not so sure. He seems to be pretty adept at what Jack Dempsey used to call his 'double shift'. With Manny it comes from the opposite side. First he throws the right jab, then a long straight left, with his left leg following, which makes it seem like he extended himself too far, and is out of position. However, another straight right is following up fast, which comes from the orthodox position. He does it in a blur, seemingly to run at his opponent, and to them it probably feels that way too."
Here are some animated gifs of what Strauss describe:
Animated Gif #1: Hoya backs down confident that Pacquiao missed, only to be surprised by another punch (notice that Manny is now more patient backing down as soon as he landed):
Counterpunching the Counterpuncher
Animated Gif #2: Pacquiao faked a jab and as soon as Marquez started countering with a left hook, Pacquiao ducked and threw a huge left of his own. Perfect. Common during Pacquiao's sparring session but rare during his actual fights.
The real question is: will his defensive ability and experience prepare him for Hatton's pressure?
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