by ALEX P. VIDAL
SAN DIEGO, California —A member of the Philippine boxing team in the 1976 Montreal Olympics has predicted an "inevitable" showdown between newly crowned IBO light welterweight king Manny Pacquiao and former best boxer in the world pound-for-pound Floyd Mayweather, Jr. before the end of 2009.
"Weeks after Manny Pacquiao brought down England’s greatest warrior with a single sledgehammer- like punch in the much-ballyhooed ‘The Battle of East and West’ at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, boxing fans all over the world, especially in Canada, are still agog over the shocking stoppage win of Pacquiao in the second round," observerd Reynaldo Fortaleza, a former Asian boxing champion.
He said, "So thunderous was the one-punch demolition job of the unorthodox Filipino speedster that promoters are now busy ironing out the kinks to pave the way for the Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather, Jr. encounter in September or October this year."
Mayweather, the hitherto best boxer in the world pound for pound, must of course hurdle the snooty Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 also in MGM Grand to formalize the rich Pacquiao deal. Although he has retired after a checkered career, the comebacking black assassin Mayweather is favored to put away the ambitious Marquez who will invade Mayweather’s division in the 147 lbs for the first time.
A stylish and bicycle rider, Mayweather is expected to give Pacquiao a real hell and he will never commit the same mistake made by Ricky Hatton. If Mayweather will invite Pacquiao to a dance party and the Filipino will oblige, he can outwit and out shuttle the Filipino rib cracker in 12 rounds.
Fortaleza, who lost to Hatton’s compatriot Patrick Cowdell, 4-1, in the bantam-weight Olympic quarterfinals, said most of Pacquiao’s opponents recently did not use their brains, "notably the British slugger from Manchester who made his trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr’s blood pressure shoot up when he did not stick to the game plan, elected to slug it out with the dangerous Pacquiao and paid dearly for it."
The plot was to tire out Pacquiao in the first five rounds and lure him in the eight and nine rounds so he will lose steam. If he runs out of gas, the plan was to torpedo Pacquiao’s breadbasket to weaken his body and derail his own plan of scoring a knockout, it was learned.
"But Hatton did not study his homework. He opened the first round like a house on fire and exposed his chin like a brainless kangaroo. Pacquiao was too classy and too good to be given that kind of opportunity and so he unleashed his powerful shots and sent Hatton to canvas twice like a deck of cards," Fortaleza stressed.
"Sensing he could not reach the finish line with his main faculties intact, Hatton poured everything in the second round and ignored the warning from his seconds to just weave and boob and avoid Pacquiao’s heavy bombs.
"Before the end of the second round, Hatton went to see the stars in heaven.
"This erratic disposition will never be repeated when Pacquiao squares off with the never-say-die Mayweather. The unbeaten black wrecker knows how to put an exclamation point in his homework and he will continue to memorize the script in the ring. Pacquiao will of course pursue him in the ring like a man possessed, but Mayweather will circle him and stymie him before he could land his haymaker.
Mayweather’s size is a real advantage against the junior welterweight Pacquiao and he too packs wallop in both fists like Pacquiao.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum believes that Mayweather will dispose of Marquez on July 18 that’s why he is now busy inking the papers with the Golden Boy Promotions which is expected to co-promote the multi-million fight.
Marquez is expected to have a difficult time dealing with the slick-punching Mayweather and might lose on points if he will last the distance. An upset over Mayweather however will bring Marquez to a possible third fight against Pacquiao.
The Mexican exe-cutioner had said that he does not consider himself the best boxer in the world despite the accolades from various world boxing bodies if he can not beat Pacquiao. In his two previous battles with Pacquiao, Marquez believes that he won them all. He wants to redeem himself by facing Pacquiao in another blockbuster card and he must eliminate Mayweather who appears to be bent on dashing Marquez’s dream of a third fight against Pacquiao. /MP
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