Mexican legends pick Pacquiao to win over Thurman
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2019 10:05:49 +0000
LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao has a potent crew of believers on his side when he collides with Keith Thurman on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.
Mexican legends Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera and his former sparmate Shawn Porter and ex-world lightweight champion Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini are all backing Pacquiao.
“He puts in a lot of pressure and he’s always in front of you. Psychologically, it is hard to fight Manny Pacquiao,” said Barrera, who suffered an 11th round TKO in 2003 and a 12-round decision in 2007.
Barrera feels Pacquiao will win on points during Thursday’s roundtable.
“He maintains constant pressure on you,” added the 45-year-old Barrera, who retired in 2011 with a 67-7 record.
Morales, who figured in a storied three-fight rivalry with Pacquiao, says Thurman’s “style suits Pacquiao.”
“This is going to be a complicated fight. But knowing Pacquiao, starting the second he will begin to charge. He will win by late-round TKO or decision,” said Morales, nicknamed El Terrible, who retired in 2014.
Mancini, who reigned in the 1980s, is obviously a diehard Pacquiao fan based on his analysis, stressing that “Manny’s great in inches and angles.”
But Mancini, now 55, best remembered for his fatal knockout of Duk Koo Kim in 1982, thinks there are two ways the fight will end.
Eric Morales (far left) and Antonio Barrera (Nick Giongco)
“First scenario is Manny grows old one fight, because every fight grows old one night. But I don’t see it happening but it could. If that’s the case, this (Thurman) aint the guy you want to be against,” said Mancini, who also fought and lost to Alexis Arguello, dropped heartbreakers to Livingston Bramble twice but victimized Bobby Chacon, Art Frias and Orlando Romero.
“Because of his (Pacquiao) experience in big fights, I think he punches straight down the middle and Keith is kind of wide open,” said Mancini.
Thurman’s inactivity is also a factor why Mancini is going for Pacquiao, noting that this is going to be just Thurman’s fourth fight in four years.
“Manny Pacquiao is one guy you don’t want to be against if you are a bit inactive,” added Mancini.
Porter, the reigning World Boxing Association champion, swears it’s a tough fight for both and it has all the trappings of becoming a chess match.
But owing to Pacquiao’s higher work rate, Porter, who joined Pacquiao in Baguio City in the Philippines 10 years ago, the Filipino lefty will have the edge “if Thurman doesn’t get him early.”
Former world super-welter king Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright, is the only one rooting for Thurman.
“He will make Manny Pacquiao respect him because Thurman punches hard. I am Thurman all the way,” he said.
But Wright, 47, sees something that should prove critical.
“If he (Thurman) can hit Pacquiao early, he can make Manny go gun-shy.
Because if he can hit him and time him with hard shots, it can bring back memories of him getting knocked out (by Juan Manuel Marquez). A fighter who has been knocked out always has got that in his mind that he doesn’t want it to happen again.”
At 40, Wright said that Pacquiao could end up growing old overnight, a malady that has struck many a great fighter, including the ultra-sleek Roy Jones Jr.
“Father time is undefeated. We all suffer to Father Time. Roy Jones was the baddest man on the planet one time because of his ability to
be so fast. Now he’s getting shots with shots he would never been
caught with.” (Nick Giongco)