COLLINS YEARNS FOR THE OLD PACQUIAO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 19 Mar 2008
The editor-in-chief of Ring Magazine which is regarded as the ?Bible? of boxing yearns like millions of other fight fans for the old Manny Pacquiao whose ferocious style made him the most exciting fighter in the world.
In an email to Viva Sports/Manila Standard, Collins conceded that while Pacquiao?s skills have ?obviously improved over the past few years, he is no longer the offensive whirlwind of old.?
Collins noted that Pacquiao?s ?ferocious attack, the very thing that carried him to the top and made him one of the most popular fighters in the world, is waning.? He said ?now we only see the old Manny in spurts.? However, Collins said it is significant to note that ?it is during those spurts that he still has his biggest success.?
The respected editor-in-chief who has covered boxing for the past 35 years emphasized that ?the reckless abandon that made Pacquiao so dangerous for most of his career has been replaced by a measure of caution that does, in my opinion, not serve him well.?
Collins said that in the rematch with Mexico?s Juan Manuel Marquez at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino last Sunday (Manila Time); Pacquiao ?made a mistake by not attacking Marquez with greater consistency.?
However, nutrition expert Dra. Sanirose Orbeta offered a scientific explanation for Pacquiao?s failure to demonstrate his usual explosiveness and speed as well as head movement and quickness on his feet. She said it was because he bloated up from 129 at the weigh in to between 146-147 pounds when he entered the ring which was what affected his rhythm and slowed him down considerably. Dra. Orbeta said his ideal weight at fight time should have been 140.
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