Tuesday, October 09, 2007 Quijano: A legend retires, a legend grows By Jingo Quijano Last Round
IT WASN’T what many had expected but it was what the Last Round foresaw—a unanimous decision win for Pacquiao. But was the no-knockout a result of Manny’s performance or did Barrera have something to do with it?
Methinks it’s a combination of both.
Manny was noticeably out of breath several times during the early stages of the fight, which was pretty disconcerting. He was clearly not at his fighting best. But whether that was a result of distractions during training, poor weight management, or a numbed killer instinct, we can only conjecture. Whatever the reason, we know that Manny’s conditioning has been better.
But, guys, you have to give Barrera credit. By moving laterally in the earlier rounds, he took away a lot of the sting from Manny’s punches. And by choosing to fight only in spurts, he limited the scoring opportunities for Manny.
However, as I pointed out before, even if somehow his team had contrived the perfect strategy to beat Manny, executing it is entirely different. Manny’s speed got in the way of Barrera’s plans and simply would not allow Barrera to perform what he came to do.
There was not much of the clinching and hugging that I expected (not until the later rounds that is) but the fight took on a complexion that had Barrera doomed as it neared its resolution. He was trying too much to avoid a knockout loss, but his backpedaling and general lack of aggression all but ensured a Pacquiao victory at the scorecards.
It was a frustrating night for Barrera, but a good way to end a fabulous carreer—on his feet.
The fact that this Mexican boxing legend-once touted as the heir-apparent to Julio Cesar Chavez—proudly admitted to have been glad he wasn’t knockout out again, speaks volumes about our own Filipino boxing legend, a whirlwind of fury named Emmanuel Pacquiao who is not yet done carving and establishing his own legacy.
NEXT IN LINE. Speaking of legacy, here are possible marketable opponents for Manny at junior lightweight eager to spoil it.
First would have to be Juan Manuel Marquez. Like I said before, it was Marquez who deserved the rematch with Pacquiao, not Barrrera. Marquez is definitely a better fighter as he managed to get back up from three knockdowns to solve the puzzle that Pacquiao presented and proceeded to outbox him the rest of the fight and earn a draw.
Undefeated Joan Guzman is another option. From where this writer sits, Guzman has a very legitimate chance of pulling off an upset as he has the speed and the firepower to match Manny’s blazing combinations. Style-wise this would also be a fight fan’s fight and this is the fight I’m clamoring for.
In an attempt to tweak Manny’s pride, Guzman attended the post fight press conference to confront Manny and challenge him. In the 80s that used to be effective. Now, it’s predictable and trite.
Hey, Joan, better not look past Humberto Soto in November. He’s a bit of a spoiler. Go ask Rocky Juarez about it.
Far on the horizon would be Venezuelan Edwin Valero who served as Barrera’s chief sparring partner. Valero is an unknown commodity but his power and the fact that he is also a southpaw like Manny provides an intriguing angle to most fight fans.
It would be like Manny was facing a mirror.
Valero was reportedly not impressed with Manny’s performance. Gee Edwin..let me guess. You were more impressed with Barrera’s? Puhleeez!
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on Last Rounder Franklin Mercado and the rest of the guys from Cebu Emersons Transport Co. who are avid readers of this column. Cheers!
