INSIDE SPORTS: PACQUIAO-SOLIS FIGHT PREVIEW
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 10 Apr 2007
Having watched tapes of undefeated but unknown Jorge Solis it is increasingly evident that Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao, if he is anywhere near the condition he is reported to be in, could knock out Solis whenever it pleases him.
For all the hype of promoter Bob Arum who, in fairness to him is doing what all promoters do, Solis is to begin with only a little taller than Pacquiao and not the 5?10? fighter he was touted to be. Reminds me of American basketball players who add an inch or two to their real height because they stand a better chance of being recruited and getting paid more if they are taller.
Solis does have a jab but he doesn?t snap it so it can?t do any real damage. He is often wide open and one solid left straight from Pacquiao or a couple of thundering shots to the body should take care of business. Of course that will depend on whether Pacquiao wants to take care of business early and cement his fame as a devastating puncher or play around a little bit to, as he always says, entertain the fans with a good fight that will make them happy.
One must also consider the P60 million investment of Solar Sports without even taking into account ancillary expenses that would also include the cost of telecasting the fight on GMA 7. Question is, will they influence Pacquiao to give them a chance to recoup their hefty investment? We honestly don?t think Solar Sports will do that but one can never be sure.
Solis certainly didn?t strike us as a fighter with the kind of power to bother Pacquiao let alone hurt him but this does not mean that Pacquiao should take any chances because, who knows, we may be wrong and Arum could well be right ? although we seriously doubt it.
Pacquiao will probably figure out that a quick, devastating knockout would not just reinforce his standing as the most exciting fighter and the pound-for-pound best although there are a few who still believe Floyd Mayweather Jr is No.1 but would surely boost his popularity in South Cotabato where he is in a tough political war with the charming, intelligent and wealthy Darlene Antonino-Custodio.
Apart from being a leading member of the opposition the young lady is also from a well-established political family. Besides, there is no guarantee that a smashing Pacquiao victory which will boost his incredible popularity will automatically translate into votes although the record in our country shows that it does.
Whether or not celebrated trainer Freddie Roach is in his corner shouldn?t make much of a difference in terms of the end result. Manny is always comfortable with Roach around and while he ? and we ? don?t wish to underestimate conditioning expert Justin Fortune?s capabilities let?s face it ? he is no Freddie Roach. Not yet at least.
What bothers us is an apparent attempt to drive a wedge between Roach and Fortune. Some of the individuals in Team Pacquiao both past and present have a sneaking suspicion that a jobless Canadian who has wiggled his way into the confidence of Pacquiao is helping in the surreptitious effort to ruin relations between Pacquiao and Roach and eventually oust Roach. You don?t have to be a genius to figure this out in terms of who wants Freddie out.
It is a side issue related to the battle for Pacquiao?s promotional rights between Arum?s Top Rank Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar De La Hoya. We are glad that Pacquiao has the capacity to shut these issues out of his mind, including his political campaign, because these sort of distractions are the last thing he needs.
Photos: Dr. Ed de la Vega
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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