My cable operator called me already today.
She was reminding me that there is a boxing event for march and would I be interested.

Is she nuts ?

Sure I’m booking the fight!

Go Manny!

There’s no sparring in that clip. Either you have the wrong clip or wrong title.

Pacquaio-Marquez II: A pre-fight analysis
By Mortz Marcelo Ortigoza

If you look at the first encounter between Manny “Pacman” Pacquaio and Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez last May 9, 2004, the former was a one handed boxer who only banked on his lethal left fist while his right hand acted as a jab cum decoy to set his left hand for the kill.
Despite Pacquaio’s knocking down Marquez thrice in the first round, the latter exploited the holes on the guard of the former by unleashing his big right straight counter punches as his either left hook or left uppercut immediately followed it big time to the almost undefended Pacman.
Manny was also destructed by the stiffed left jabs of Marquez that made the former lost his angle to fire his left fist straight from the pipe.
Pacman was sometimes in quandary whenever Dinamita hit with an anti-aircraft gun liked salvos of punches onto the head and the body of the Filipino. Reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather Jr. disorientation’s of Ricky Hatton.
The counter-puncher technician’s in Marquez obviously confused Manny, and robbed him of his timing.
After his draw with Marquez up to present, Pacquaio was transformed by trainer Freddie Roach to a patient, calculating, weaving, and bobbling pug. His right hand was minted not only for jab work, but used as a power punch too.
But in terms of casualty, the prowess of the said hand still remains to be seen.
In general however, Pacquaio is still a one-dimensional boxer who depends on his left hand. Hand that made the likes of Oscar Larios, Jorge Solis, Eric Morales, and Antonio Barrera detestably avoids it as what a fugitive is to a policeman.

Comparative Advantages of Pacquaio in this rematch

Has a rapid and powerful killer left hook. A deadly straight left hand and left uppercut – all of them an undertaker’s dream of what should be a prosperous material life.
Opponents in Barrera I &II, Morales II & III, aware of his being a knock out puncher, lost their composure as they preoccupied themselves running clockwise from him.
The speed of his body punches could be likened to a Surface to Air Missile (SAM).
After Barrera II, renowned trainer and boxing commentator Emmanuel Steward said of Pacquaio: “He still stays out of balance, his style out of positions. But he is still aggressive. Punches are authoritative. He got away with that!”

Comparative advantages of Marquez in this rematch

His overstretch right straight counter and immediately interjected by his overstretch left straights or hooks is as fast as a round of burst from a Russian made AK-47.
Has a strong left jab that could qualify as left hand straight. His body punches are fast as a moving elevator that stops as double punctuation marks at the face of his opponent.
Very good in a phone-booth encounter - as his right and left uppercuts can treacherously and accurately hit even the heads of his opponents.
Marquez is a consummate counter puncher-boxer.

Handicapped of Pacquaio

After he unleashed his powerful left straight hand, he returned it to position at the level of his breast thus his left face is open to a counter right punch from his opponent – a Marquez’s specialty. The same right face vulnerability after he fired his right jabs that he leveled at this breast
After he fired his left hooks, it was noticeable that he sometimes stopped momentarily as if contemplating for somebody in the Philippine’s version of Hollywood . A weakness that is conducive to a counter-attack.
The right jabs of his opponent can destruct him.

Handicapped of Marquez

After he unleashed his counterpunches, he lowered his right hand at the level of his breast, thus his vulnerability to Barrera’s successive left hooks at his right face.
Was defenseless after Barrera shots a volley of punches then tied him up. See Round 9 of their tussle.
Opponent fired combo at his face or body then danced away from his expected counterpunches - as what Chris John and Barrera had done.
His counter punches that act as his iron-curtain could be penetrated by just doing what Rocky Juarez had done to him. Used the gloves and forearms as fortification for the head and body and hit him with a jab then followed by a power punch. In the Juarez fight, Marquez was in many occasions at the retreat since many of his counterpunches landed to naught on the forearm and gloves of the former who was pressing his will.
It was reminiscent of Winky Wright?

What Pacquaio should do

Counter the counter-puncher in Marquez. After he fired his counter right straight, Pacquaio should give Dinamita a dose of his own medicine by vigorously countering it by his sledge-hammer left straight. His technique of counterclockwise movements’ paid as he cut and fired at orthodox styled opponents (in Morales I & II, and Barrera II) who avoid his left like plague in a clockwise manner.
Emulate what Juarez had done to Marquez. Manny is more in the position to smoke-out Marquez in this mode of combat since he has a KO power!
Just hide under the comfort of his forearm and gloves every time Marquez rally back with a volley of firepower.
Be an effectively aggressive fighter by pressing the enemy to the ropes. Judges at Vegas are fond of the fire-breathing hunter than the counter-punching hunted as seen on Spinks-Taylor, Pavlik-Taylor II, and of course the Marquez-Barrera tussle where the latter chose to stick, attack, dance, and probably thought unloaded the most punches but still lost the fight.

What Marquez should do

After Pacman shot his right jabs Marquez counter it with his big left straight.
After the former shot his left straight, latter counter it with his big right straight, then follow by either a right hook or uppercut.
A barrage of left jabs at the right face of Pacman can slow him down
at the same time destruct him in setting up of his left bomb.
Of course avoid Pacman’s left by running counter clockwise and be wary of the impending ambush to a counter clockwise or horizontally right moving Pacquaio.
Every elite Mexican boxer has tried all of the above mentioned craps to the Filipino superman to nothing.
My poser: Why not Marquez tried a Bernard Hopkins (against Tarver and Wright), or a Mayweather Jr. (against dela Hoya and Hatton) by crowding and tying the Pacman after Marquez hit him with his punches? Or frustrate his left hand to operate by holding it or whatever. Will it culture shock Pacman that he will eventually lose the fight?
Or do a shell-covered bombs proof Winky Wright style (against the hard punching Tito Trinidad) and retain the WBC Super Featherweight diadem.

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com,

Ricky Hatton Exposed!
By Mortz Ortigoza

Since everybody knows Manny “the Filipino Superman” Pacquaio, I’ll delve on the upsides and downsides of Ricky “Hitman” Hatton.
UPSIDES: He is dangerous because he is fighting at his natural weight at 140-147 lbs (Junior Welterweight) where he was undefeated in his 43 outings. With this, there is a presumption of his impregnability — as what Fort Knox is known – against the punches of smaller opponent Pacquaio who should be exploiting his prowess at his natural weight at 135- 140 lbs (Lightweight).
But Pacman has fought bigger guy named Oscar de la Hoya at 147 (Welterweight), you probably asked?
The Hitman sneered on that on his almost unintelligible — to us Filipinos – Mancunian- accented-English: “Oscar was just “shot” at the weight. He weighed 147 pounds for the first time in twelve years and on the night of the fight he was still 147 pounds which shocked everyone. You could see in his legs, eyes and face that he was not the great Oscar we loved and enjoyed watching. I don’t know how he dropped the weight but he looked drained and consequently the win flattered Pacquiao.”
In this win, he added that Manny has false impression of himself on that victory. He even commented that another bigger opponent in David Diaz was the weakest Lightweight Champ the Filipino pugilist has defeated.
He opined that on the May 2nd 2009 tussle Pacquaio will have a jolt of his life as he will be fighting a different strategy – far from the old Ricky people used to see when he was under his former long time ciggie-chomping trainer Billy “Not the Preacher” Graham.
He said he has more tricks to show after he was trained by his trash-talkin’ and poem-quoting trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr.
New approaches like more jabs, defenses, and head movements will be unloaded at the dais.
DOWNSIDES: From the time he fought big guys like Juan Urango, Luis Collazo, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. I saw already the cracks taking its toll to his body – priced he paid to his God –May-Care-Forward-Style aggression that took away his rhythm.
In the first two fights, he struggled tremendously that many believed he lost to Collazo. In the mentioned 3rd fight, he became a target-paper from the talented all-around boxer Pretty Floyd – probably the conqueror of the Pacman as what Sugar Ray Leonard was to Roberto Duran in their rematch.
But you ask: Hatton has fought elite lightweight boxers in knock-out artist Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo — who many experts said had defeated Mayweather, Jr. in their first fight, and gave us a breathless war of attrition when he fought for the first time Diego “Chico” Corrales that became a Fight of the Year?
My dear Procopio, both of those fighters were damaged goods as what those U.S made Vietnam –vintage Huey Bell military helicopters cum Flying Coffins are as hands me down from Uncle Sam to the no-choice and financially-constrained Philippine government.
Like Castillo who threw his towel at the 4th Round, the rusty Tyszu has not fought for two years thus he raised the white-flag – like the drained de la Hoya – at his stool at the 11th Round as a result of the ceaseless pressure from the English man.
But Hatton-huggers my protest, Ricky baby defeated Paulie Malignaggi as what he and trainer old Floyd crowed?
Gee whiz man, Paulie was fighting as an amputee with his left hand doing the yeoman job for him after the 1st Round until the fight was stopped at the 11th round.
Paulie – who is known to have a brittle hand like a polvoron (powdered biscuit) from Goldilocks in his past fight – was sleek and effective by imposing on Hatton a Mayweather, Jr. fight in the first round until he became economical by fighting his left hand only.
As a believer of the power of Pacquaio’s left hand than what Floyd Jr. right can do, I predict the Filipino knocking-out the Mancunian hero on the 2nd half-of-the-round.
(Send comments at totomortz@yahoo.com)