Pacquiao sparring with Juan Lazcano

[Da Iceman]

Not going to happen. Pac will be fighting a brawler. Pac only gets in trouble against boxers.

the thing is corrales can box.

[ferocity]

Well after Castillo is done with Corrales, Pac may be able to take him. Sure wouldn't shock me. Castillo has changed Corrales' life.

both these guys have dented each other, and im really shocked they are going into their trilogy in june.

[Manny_P]

the thing is corrales can box.

not well enough IMO. He's more of a brawler in my view.

[Da Iceman]

not well enough IMO. He's more of a brawler in my view.

thats only when he fights castillo. i think he boxes fairly well and can give pacquaio trouble if he wants to stand toe to toe.

[grayfist]

Easy there, Pacquiao fighting EM, MAB, Barrios, and Juarez might burn him out, look at what happem to El terrible EM.

After Larios and EM3(if he wins both), i want Pacquiao to fight a title holder in the super featherweight, Mozquera, MAB, or whoever have a belt. Then MP should move up lighweight, he does not need to fight the top 5 lightweights, but he has more of a chance beating the top 6-10 lightweights like Jesus Chavez and Lavka Sim. If he win against those 2, may be he can fight at least 2 of the top 5 lightweights. Then retire for good.

Why exit fighting a handful of top guns at a higher weight when one can go to retirement in a blaze of glory fighting all the top guns of the weight one is comfortable in?

El Terrible fought all the best at Featherweight and Jr. Feather before moving anywhere. He'll be best remembered as having dominated those weight classes, or, if you count the controversial twin fights with MAB (the first was at Jr. feather, the second at Feather and the last was at Jr. Light), then, one may speak of Erik as having come within a hair's breadth of dominance.

Checking the specifics of Erik's record, at Jr. Feather, he fought four luminaries: MAB, Daniel Zaragoza, Wayne McCullough and Junior Jones. He faced ten people in title matches at that weight. This means 40 percent of his fights at that level were tough, the others, against "B" grade opposition (perhaps even lower, as who remembers Jamili, Remegio Molina, John Lowey and such.) Zaragoza was at the tail end of a IHOF level career.

At Featherweight, he met MAB, Kevin Kelly and Paulie Ayala as among the notables. But he also faced (and had trouble with) Guty Espadas, Jr. and In Jin Chi, while pausing to have cake walks with Rodney Jones (KO1), Eddie Croft (who was so outclassed that newspaper comumnists protested the match; before, during and after) and Fernando Velardez (TKO5). The past-his-prime Kelly was so routed that the stoppage in the 7th was merciful and Ayala wasn't even comptetetive. So, the only close fight ERik had against a notable at Featherweight was against MAB. He had to get to work, though, against Chi and Espadas--two fighters who, entering the ring against Morales, were not all that highly regarded.

Summing it up, Erik had three tough fights at Feather (MAB, Chi and Espadas) and three at SuperBantam (counting nonethless Zaragoza along with MAB I and MCCullough, but not counting Jones who lasted only 4 rounds). That sums up to six. Not material for a burn-out, is it?

Erik's other tough fights were at Jr. Light: one against MAB, one against Chavez, and of course those ones against Pacquiao.

Ten tough fights (eleven, if you include Raheem). Spread over a 9-year period.

Burn out? Easy there.

Note: Pacquiao has been quoted as saying that he prefers to face the best because he puts in just as much preparation for the best as he does for any other opponent anyway. Unsaid was that, facing the best also offers greater rewards--including but not limited to financial/material benefits.

At 29 and in his prime, Pacquiao should line em up. The short career span of fighters require that.

[grayfist]

good post, sounds good

Thanks. From you that's something.

[mr. bojangles]

If Morales III comes about late this year, then MAB II will have to be in the first quarter of next year. Juarez can be scheduled at mid-year and Barrios in the third quarter. The final quarter of '07 will have to be set aside for the mandatory defense of the belt that Pacquiao may take from MAB, unless Juarez is made mandatory, in which case, a serious look at resolving the Marquez unfinished business can be set for the final quarter of next year. In 08, Pac can start thinking of Joan Guzman and others whose performance by then can spur a clamor for a meeting with Pac. Or, he can get on to the task of unifying the division, which, if he succeeds in taking Barrera's and Barrrios' belts, should entail a couple of fights.

Oct.~Nov. 2006 - Morales 3

Feb.~Mar. 2007 - Barrera 2

Jun.~Jul. 2007 - Juarez

Sep.~Oct. 2007 - Barrios

Dec. 2007 - Marquez 2




whoa! you got it all figured out bro, it's a boxing fan's dream fights (you should be a promoter ), but unlikely to happen. Pac will burn himself out with this kinda fight sched IMO. everything else hangs in the balance of the outcome of the 3rd Morales fight, it's the crucible...til then it's all just wishful thinking.

[Bonafide]

Oct.~Nov. 2006 - Morales 3

Feb.~Mar. 2007 - Barrera 2

Jun.~Jul. 2007 - Juarez

Sep.~Oct. 2007 - Barrios

Dec. 2007 - Marquez 2




whoa! you got it all figured out bro, it's a boxing fan's dream fights (you should be a promoter ), but unlikely to happen. Pac will burn himself out with this kinda fight sched IMO. everything else hangs in the balance of the outcome of the 3rd Morales fight, it's the crucible...til then it's all just wishful thinking.

lol , that chicken **** Marquez wont fight Manny again.

[loui_ludwig]

I deleted my reply.

[grayfist]

You have a point but when does a fighter needs to hang up the gloves, when he starling losing consecutively. Like MAB and EM, Pacquiao started in his teens(15 or 16 years old). The only battle that Pacquiao has seen so far is against both Morales, lasting 12 and 10 rounds. If Manny fought top 10 fighters continously, it might cause him to burn out.

But its up to Pacquiao how long he wants to fight. I believed he said he wants at least to fight 3-4 more years before he retire.

Last I looked, Pacquiao did not lose. He won resoundingly against Morales. His last loss was that close one in Morales I. Before that, his last loss was in 1999, close to 7 years distant.

Those are hardly consecutive losses, and any talk of consecutive losses is at best paranoid. In spite of that Morales loss (in the first meeting), Pacquiao is on a winning binge. And any talk of his hanging em, is utterly premature.

It's difficult to understand how Pacquiao's having fought the full route only once recently could contribute to burn out. Indeed, from where I sit, it is fighting the full route frequently that causes the burn-out.

Moreover, if one does not keep sharp by fighting competitively as frequently as one can, one loses the edge. If one merely walks through opponents, one can even be embued with false confidence/over-confidence-- a dangerous poison.

If Pac fights MAB after Morales, it is not as if Pac has not seen and felt what those two can do. Nothing new. To me, Juarez and Barrios may prove to be more trying, though, with the power punching of those two matching Pacquiao's, fights can end rather early.

Three or four fights a year is not all that frenetic a pace for one who is as young as Pac and who is at his prime. It is even less dangerous if one fights at the lower weight (ie. Jr. Light) than try to go up to a heavier weight for no other reason than to face second- stringers and virtual red jerseys, as has been suggested. No glory, less money, less feeling of accomplishment, a slightly dimmed legacy and more questions than answers are to be left behind by a retired Pacquiao. He'll surely be getting flack for avoiding Juarez and Barrios.

Pacquiao, the way he talks, wants to cover all the bases; he has the wherewithal to do that. Let him. The opportunity may never come again, for him or for any other.

Carpe diem.