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Showing posts with label analysis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label analysis. Show all posts
Thursday, June 26, 2014
OPTIMUM TV EXPANDS LINEUP FOR SPORTS FANATICS WITH ADDITION OF FIGHT NETWORK AND FNTSY SPORTS NETWORK
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
PACQUIAO vs. BRADLEY 2 ** In-Depth Preview and Analysis **
By: Tony Penecale
Moments
after the final bell rang throughout the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, most observers
felt that Manny Pacquiao clearly defeated Timothy Bradley in their first fight, eliminating Bradley's
unbeaten record in the process. While it
looked to be a one-sided victory, it was not going to be remembered as
a highlight performance for the great Filipino warrior. Bradley had injured one foot in the early going and later
twisted his other ankle. Pacquiao had
essentially dominated a hobbled opponent.
Then, the announcer read the decision.
When
first announced it was a split decision, the crowd reacted with shock. It was unimaginable that one of the judges
awarded the bout to Bradley as the consensus among most boxing pundits was that Pacquiao won as many as 11 of the
12 rounds. The shock was even more
evident as the announcement was made awarding Bradley a highly controversial
decision, with judges Duane Ford and CJ Ross favoring him by a two-point
margin.
Nearly
two years have passed since that controversial result. Pacquiao suffered a major setback when he was
brutally knocked out six months later by his long-time rival, Juan Manuel
Marquez. Pacquiao was boxing
aggressively but got reckless attacking his seemingly wounded prey and ended up
face-first on the canvas, not moving for several minutes. He has since rebounded with a convincing win
over Brandon Rios.
Bradley
was out to prove his detractors wrong in his first defense against Ruslan
Provodnikov, which nearly became his last.
He went iron-for-iron with the Siberian warrior and paid a heavy price,
suffering a severe concussion in a winning effort. His next effort was much more disciplined, as
he did what Pacquaio failed to do, beating Marquez cleanly and winning a decision disputed by only one judge.
It
has come full circle now and it comes back to Pacquiao and Bradley in a long-awaited rematch. Can Pacquiao again turn in a dominant
performance and this time earn the win that most felt he deserved in their
first encounter? Or is his time in the
spotlight truly over? Bradley contends
he was deserving of that victory and believes he won 8 of the 12 rounds. Can he improve upon that and prove his
doubters wrong? The answers will come in the
center of the ring at the MGM Grand.
AGE,
RECORD, AND STATS
Pacquiao:
Age: 35 years old
Record: 55-5-2 (38 Knockouts)
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 145 ** Weight for last bout (11-24-13)
Reach: 67”
Bradley:
Age: 30 years old
Record: 31-0 (12 Knockouts)
Weight: 146 *
* Weight for last bout (10-12-13)
Reach: 69”
RING
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Pacquiao:
WBC Flyweight Champion
(’98-‘99)
IBF Super
Bantamweight Champion (’01-’03)
WBC Super
Featherweight Champion (’08)
WBC
Lightweight Champion (‘08)
IBO Junior
Welterweight Champion (’09)
WBO Welterweight
Champion (’09-‘12)
Ring
Magazine Pound-4-Pound #1 Boxer (’08-‘12)
Ring
Magazine Pound-4-Pound #7 Boxer (Pres)
Bradley:
WBC Junior
Welterweight Champion (’08-‘12)
WBO Junior
Welterweight Champion (’09-‘12)
WBO
Welterweight Champion (’12-Pres)
Ring Magazine
Pound-4-Pound #3 Boxer (Pres)
STYLE
Pacquiao:
Pacquiao
boxes from a southpaw stance, moving forward while bobbing and feinting his way
in. Once in close, he uses his right
hand to find the range and then unleashes his powerful left, either straight or
looping, and will often double and triple it to the body and head. Uses quick head shifts to slip punches while
moving forward. Has soundly developed
under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, developing a decent right hook, either as
a lead punch or thrown behind the left.
Uses quick head shifts to slip punches while moving forward. Is no
longer the feared finisher he once was earlier in his career.
Bradley:
Bradley
is a quick but physical boxer, who likes to use his footwork to apply steady pressure. Possesses a good jab that can be used to open
up opportunities or disrupt his opponent’s rhythm. Attacks the body well, but best punch is the
overhand right. Often leads with his
head but overall has a solid defense.
Sometimes he will let his pride get in the way and fight toe-to-toe
instead of boxing smartly and using his considerable skills.
STRENGTHS
Pacquiao:
*
Unorthodox Style – Pacquiao is very unorthodox, even for a southpaw. He moves straight in but is hard to time with
his bobbing and head feints. Before most
opponents can time his onrushes, he is throwing whirlwind punches from a
variety of angles.
* Speed – Pacquiao is
fleet of foot and the owner of very fast hands, especially for a boxer with
such considerable power. He quickly
moves into position and fires rapid one-two combinations and has expanded his
arsenal to include blinding combinations of hooks, uppercuts, and double or
triple left hands.
* Stamina – Pacquiao is
always in tremendous shape and fights just as hard in the last round as he does
in the beginning. He applies a lot of
pressure and is constantly punching, wearing opponents down in the process.
Bradley:
*
Physicality – Bradley is a supremely conditioned and physical boxer. He is adept at using his physical nature to
force opponents backwards and wear them out with his strength on the inside.
* Boxing Ability – Not
only is Bradley a very strong fighter, he is also an intelligent and
quick-fisted boxer. He uses exceptional
footwork to create angles and openings to land punches. Also works very effectively as a
counter-puncher.
* Overhand Right – Despite
notching only 12 knockouts in 28 wins, Bradley is a better puncher than his
record indicates. His money punch is a
tremendous overhand right. Following a
slight upper-body dip, he launches the punch from a high angle, crashing it
down on his opponent’s jaw.
WEAKNESSES
Pacquiao:
* Killer Instinct – Pacquiao was once regarded
as a ruthless buzzsaw, cutting through opponents until they succumbed. He has since lost that edge, failing to win a
fight by stoppage since 2009. More of a
concern is on several occasions, he eased up on outclassed opponents, allowing
them to survive the last few rounds.
* Invincibility Gone
– The controversial loss to Bradley did not deflate Pacquiao’s aura of
invincibility. However, his crushing
knockout loss to rival Marquez was a devastating blow to Pacquiao’s
mystique.
* Age – Pacquiao is no
longer the phenom he was in his 20s. He
is now in his mid-30s. As he has
physically aged, he has also taken on a super human schedule with political
aspirations in his home country, numerous personal appearances, and several
difficult bouts.
Bradley:
*
Pride – While pride is usually a good thing, sometimes it can be a
negative. Bradley can be too proud for
his own good. He was determined to go
toe-to-toe with the dangerous but less-talented Ruslan Provodnikov and suffered
a lot of punishment in a gallant but damaging winning effort. He also steadfastly proclaims he rightly won
the first fight with Pacquiao, and that belief could leave him with the mindset
that improvement is not necessary.
* Dirty Fighter
Reputation– Bradley often leads with his head, which has caused head clashes in
several of his bouts. Since his
opponents have often suffered the worst of these clashes, Bradley is quickly
gaining a bad reputation. The referees
are constantly on the lookout for dirty tactics, so warnings and point
deductions are always a threat.
* Punching Power – Despite
being a physically-powerful specimen, Bradley is lacking in pure punching
power. In 31 career victories, Bradley
has only notched 12 victories by way of TKO.
He has only stopped 1 out of his last 13 opponents, and that was a
well-past-his-prime Joel Casamayor.
PREVIOUS
BOUT
Pacquiao:
(11-24-13)
Pacquiao got back in the winners column with a dominant decision victory over the
tough-but-limited Brandon Rios. Pacquiao
pounded Rios throughout, turning his face into a lumpy, crimson mask. Still, he failed
to finish off his victim late in the fight when the time was ripe.
Bradley:
(10-12-13)
Bradley scored his career-best victory against one of the premier boxers of
this generation: Future Hall-of-Famer Juan Manuel Marquez. Despite only winning by a split decision
verdict, it was a clear Bradley victory.
3 BEST PERFORMANCES
Pacquiao:
*
Oscar De la Hoya (12/06/08) – It’s hard to imagine now, but the consensus at the
time was that De la Hoya would destroy the smaller Pacquiao in a
landslide. It was a landslide, alright, but it was
Pacquiao dishing out the beating, ripping De la Hoya apart with both
hands. After eight one-sided and brutal
rounds, a swollen and bloodied De la Hoya was beaten into permanent retirement.
* Miguel Cotto
(11/14/09) – Pacquiao impressively dismantled the larger and more physically imposing
Cotto. Pacquiao dropped the Puerto Rican
superstar twice early and had him in a defensive shell from the 6th round on, battering him until the referee stopped the bout in the 12th round.
* Ricky Hatton (05/02/09)
– Pacquio ran through Hatton in fast and destructive fashion. Hatton, while still an underdog, was expected
to provide a challenge with his strength and mauling tactics. Pacquiao unveiled an improved right hook and
had Hatton down twice in the 1st round before crushing him with a devastating
knockout in the 2nd.
Bradley:
*
Juan Manuel Marquez (10/12/13) – After
two consecutive rocky performances, Bradley clearly outfought
Pacquiao-conqueror Marquez, winning a split decision that was not as close as
the scores indicated. Bradley controlled
the action, boxing well on the outside, and superb on the inside, en route to
the most dominant win of his career.
* Ruslan Provodnikov
(3/16/13) – The 2013 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year is most remembered for the
periods when Bradley was on the receiving end.
He was rocked badly in the 2nd and 6th rounds and
dropped with seconds remaining in the 12th. What is most impressive is how he responded,
boxing brilliantly for the majority of the contest and earning a hard-fought
unanimous decision.
* Junior Witter
(5/10/08) – Bradley ventured over to England and shocked the hometown favorite
Witter, winning his first world championship in the process. After a tactical first few rounds, Bradley
broke through in the 6th round, landing a sweet overhand right that floored
Witter hard. Bradley was able to ride
the momentum on his way to a split decision victory, the scores being much
closer than the bout actually was.
QUESTIONS
Pacquiao:
*
Can he regain the killer instinct of his prime?
* Will he try too
hard to impress?
* Has he lost
confidence in his chin?
Bradley:
*
Will he abandon a smarter game plan and try to knock Pacquiao out?
* What will he do if he
falls behind on the cards?
*
Does he truly believe he won the first fight?
PENECALE PREDICTION
Bradley
will open the bout using plenty of rapid movement. He'll be jabbing from a distance, trying to
dictate the pace and tempo, while keeping Pacquiao from setting his feet. Pacquiao will jab and feint a few times with
his left, hoping to get Bradley to react and leave himself open. The few times Pacquiao gets close, Bradley
will tie him up on the inside.
The
cautious pace will continue in the 2nd round with Pacquiao throwing
more punches but nothing significantly landing.
Bradley will land a few counter punches.
During the early stages, there will be more feinting and moving than
actual punches landed.
Pacquiao
will land a few hard single lefts in the 3rd and 4th
rounds but will be unable to mount a consistent offense. Bradley will fight a rough style on the inside,
holding and using his free hand to bang to Pacquiao’s body, using his superior
strength to back Pacquiao up.
The
middle rounds will alternate between Pacquiao’s flashier and harder single
punches and Bradley’s steady and consistent boxing attack. Bradley will land more punches and control
the action, but Pacquiao will get the crowd’s attention and reaction with a few
single left hands that snap Bradley’s head back, causing the sweat to fly.
Pacquaio
will have his best round in the 8th, stunning Bradley with a right
hook-straight left combination.
Bradley’s legs will buckle as he is trying to steady himself,
and Pacquiao will attack with swarming punches.
Several will land, and in Bradley’s attempt to clinch the combatants
will clash heads, halting Pacquiao’s momentum.
After
surviving the 8th round scare, Bradley will keep his distance during
the 9th and 10th rounds, jabbing, pivoting, and keeping
Pacquiao at bay. Pacquiao will feint and
try to throw combinations, but each time Bradley will tie his arms up and force
him back. It will not be pretty, but it
will be effective.
Pacquiao
will land a left uppercut followed by an arching left in the 11th,
and again it will be Bradley on the defensive.
Try as hard as he might, Pacquaio will press but find it difficult to
penetrate Bradley’s defense.
The
12th round will see the long-awaited fire fight as both fighters
know how close it is. Pacquiao’s sneaky
left hand will collide with Bradley’s face and chin several times. Bradley will respond with two-fisted counter
punches as the final bell rings.
Many
in attendance will feel that Bradley is deserving of the victory by the
narrowest of margins. But this time it
will be Pacquiao winning a majority decision by scores of 114-114, 115-113 and
115-114, setting up the potential rubber match.
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