Monday, April 16, 2007 Sayson: Footprints of ineptitude By Homer Sayson Second Overtime
CHICAGO—Over at my NBA segment at dyAB’s Arangkada with Leo Lastimosa this past few weeks, I kept telling our ‘kapamilya” about the inferiority of Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent.
I’m 38 years old, slightly chubby and stiff as an arm chair. But I was bold enough to suggest I could beat the bejeebies out of Jorge Solis.
I was wrong. My mother, a tender mini flyweight councilor from Guadalupe could have mauled the Mexican from Guadalajara.
In a promotion dubbed as a “Blaze of Glory,” Solis, 27, was sold as an undefeated challenger with both the balls and fists to rock Pacquiao’s kingdom. Poor Solis believed the hype and swore to bring partial or permanent midnight to Manny’s career.
It was all talk, of course. In the end, Solis failed to blaze even a tiny hint of glory. The only things he left at the Alamodome in San Antonio were the footprints of ineptitude. Solis was abused like a used rag doll, knocked out with 1:19 left in the 8th round.
Even Manny, 28, wasn’t sure whether to credit or debit the stock of his terribly over matched victim.
In an interview atop the ring immediately after the stoppage, Manny (44-2, 35 KOs) said Solis, who was 2 1/2 inches taller, gave him a “hard time” because of his “long arms.”
But in a separate interview with the Associated Press, Manny implied merely “fooling around” and that he decided to close the show only after an accidental headbutt in the 6th round opened a gash on his left eye.
Manny also told CNN he wanted to “prolong” the fight so that his fans could “enjoy it more.”
Nice try, Manny, but it was joyless watching Solis, a technically-flawed pretender who punched like my ex-mother-in-law.
Solis did everything that would terrify a decent boxing trainer. His stance was awkward, setting his legs too far apart and making him more vulnerable to Manny’s vaunted speed and dangerous aggression.
Enjoying a three-inch reach advantage, Solis didn’t use his jab as often as he should have. His punches were wide and loopy, decreasing its chances of landing a fatal blow to a sometimes careless Pacquiao.
Entering Texas, Solis had a polished record of 32-0 with 23 KOs. It didn’t matter. He was thrown in uncharted waters against Pacquiao, and without the precious life raft of experience, he drowned in the sea of Manny’s 519 total punches thrown.
In other words, Solis wasn’t the threat as advertised. He was the turkey to an early Thanksgiving Party. And as his prospective congressional constituents watched via sattelite from Cotabato, Manny eagerly dressed Solis alive.
Another inconvenient truth in yesterday’s bout was that Manny didn’t bring his A-Game, which was expected. He trained only for 7 1/2 weeks, 2 1/2 short of the desired 10-week regimen. And his thoughts often drifted to the upcoming May 14 elections.
But thanks to Solis, 7-1 underdog, all Pacquiao needed was to show up, throw 342 power punches, and then watch Solis surrender like Japan.
Somewhere along the way, Manny will collect $4 million, said his promoters at Top Rank.
Solis allegedly got a cool $1 million, plus “a learning experience,” says the Mexican. Me? I ended up with a dissatisfied heart, plus a $44.95 pay-per-view bill. Life is so unfair.
