Heeding to Nature or Relying on the Magic of Modern Science in Boxing - Part 4
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 Mar 2022
Pacquiao would not starve himself during fights unlike most boxers who, other than their opponents, would also have to beat the scales.
The popular saying in boxing or sports in general for that matter is that one cannot struggle for long against Father Time.
There is a long list of boxers or athletes who faced inglorious or ignominious end to their otherwise highly distinguished careers because they can no longer defy old or well advanced age.
There's Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Roy Jones, Jr and our own Flash Elorde and Manny Pacquiao to remind us, "We cannot beat Father Time."
But there's an even more telling and encompassing old Chinese saying that also applies to sports, boxing in particular: "Man cannot fight nature."
Fighting Over or Under One's Natural Effective Weight
As expected, like Jerwin Ancajas, another Filipino boxing hope Joey Noynay was so drained with the vain attempt to meet the weight and eventually lost by knockout to his former KO victim Liam Wilson in their title rematch in Australia losing in the process his WBO Asia Pacific Jr lightweight title.
Noynay has undoubtedly outgrown his Division, evident of which was when he weighed about six pounds above 130 lbs in his first try at the weight scale in the weigh in. He was a virtual super lightweight or two division higher in weight. After supreme effort to shed weight and meet the limit, Noynay could only reduce the excess by half in his second and final attempt.
Surprisingly, Wilson still decided to continue the fight stating that he was determined to avenge his only loss to the Filipino. The Australian sports media of course played it up as a David and Goliath thing seemingly unaware that the Wilson camp was so confident of a Wilson victory on account of Noynay's drained condition.
So the inevitable happened with Noynay seated on the canvas being counted out as knockout loser. And again the media played it up as an incredible revenge win for Wilson with a minor title to boot!
This brings back memories of Manny Pacquiao losing his WBC flyweight belt at the weight scale and later officially to Thai challenger Medgoen Sungsurat 3K Battery in Thailand in 2000.
But Pacquiao never had problems with the weigh scales and rarely lose again after he and his camp decided to no longer fight under or even within his effective natural fighting weight going forward in the lighter weight classes.
Later, after thoroughly studying his natural physique, boxing experts theorised that Manny was at least a lightweight waiting to grow in a flyweight body given his bone structure. He eventually grew to become a natural welterweight.
Yet in many times in his move up to higher divisions starting at super bantamweight or junior featherweight class starting in 2001, Manny had to overcome size and weight disadvantage of certain foes.
Still Manny won the IBF super bantamweight and later the Ring and IBO featherweight crowns by knocking out the dreaded Lehlonelo Lebwaba in 2001 and stopping the highly regarded Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003.
However, Manny really began to meet tougher opposition at featherweights where some fighters were used to rehydrating as lightweights or even super lightweights at actual fight time after making the limits at the official day before the fight weigh in.
Such was specially the case in his first fights with Juan Manuel Marquez which ended in a draw and Erik Morales to whom he suffered his first loss in many years.
In his succeeding two fights versus Morales, Manny and his coach Freddie Roach demanded that Erik should not come even an ounce heavier than the 130 lbs super featherweight limit or suffer a stiff fine. Manny won both fights by knockout.
After beating Marquez for the WBC super featherweight crown in 2008, Manny himself felt the need to move up further in weight and he did just that and won the WBC lightweight crown some months later by thoroughly beating up and knocking out David Diaz.
Only on three other occasions after that was Manny forced to fight above his natural fighting weight.
That was when then middleweight Oscar De La Hoya challenged him to a catchweight fight at welterweight in 2007 and when Manny challenged the tough Briton Ricky Hatton for the Ring and IBO world super lightweight crown in early 2008 which was in succession after the David Diaz fight. And when he fought Antonio Margarito in 2010.
Manny fought as a welterweight for the first time in mauling and forcing De La Hoya to quit in his corner and later retire from boxing. He weighed his highest when he came at fight time at 148 lbs against Hatton who reportedly weighed 154 lbs in their supposed junior welterweight title bout. Manny scored a picture perfect one punch lights out knockout over Hatton.
The only other time was when he had to come in at 148 lbs versus Margarito who reportedly weighed more than 160 lbs in their fight for the vacant WBC super welterweight or junior middleweight title in 2010 which Manny won by unanimous decision earning him his record eighth world division championship.
Otherwise Manny settled down at welterweight where in 2009 he won the WBO world welterweight title in a fight agreed at the limit of 145 lbs against Miguel Cotto whom he stopped in the 12th and final round.
For the rest of his career at welterweight, Manny found success and natural comfort fighting within or even below the 147 lbs limit while battling and mostly beating foes who were virtual middleweights except for Marquez, Chris Algieri and arch nemesis Floyd Mayweather Jr
By fighting under and later within his natural effective fighting weight, Manny Pacquiao heeded nature and not depended on the so called magic or wonder of modern sports science and medicine which many of his contemporaries and new generations of boxers almost exclusively relief or resorted to.
While keeping himself in shape, Manny had the luxury of eating as much as he needed to while his opponents and most others had to starve themselves at times to near death to be able to beat the weight scale---and nature for matter.
To be continued
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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