Weight Difference

Weight plays an important factor in a match. Most people underestimate the tale of the tape, but it is in actuality, the essence or the early indicators, of how the fight will take place. So even if my prediction, was seemingly had some sense into it, you can never tell, until the tale of the tape is seen, especially the weight just hours before the fight. A weight advantage, can do lot's of things to you, as long as you understand how it works. It can give you a strength advantage. As I've said in my previous post, a requisite for power is weight. Weight is where the power comes from. People mistake power, from the swinging motion of your arms, or the strength of your upper body, but these things are only helpful in how you deliver a punch. The over-all punching strength of a fighter is determined on weight. That said, putting weight on your punches, really put's out the full potential of one's true strength. Another thing is, it can give you endurance, such that, a fighter can resist or take the punches more. We have seen this, over and over again, in the sport of boxing. People who are heavier have the least chance, of getting knocked down, by an opponent who is lighter than him. Finally, the disadvantage of weight increase, is slower reflexes and slower punching. So it is best to understand what weight division are you most comfortable with, based on Body Mass Index. Being fit and heavier is better, than being overweight and heavier. Weight is an important aspect in the science of fighting.

The Pacquiao - Margarito Fight

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The Pacquiao-Margarito fight has been concluded, and Manny won by unanimous decision. It was an intense fight, with both fighters trying to answer from their onslaughts against each other. The ring was filled with attracting colors, wearing the gloriously white and gold trimmed shorts, is Pacquiao, while Margarito was wearing the red and black shorts. Analyzing the fight, we can see, that although Pacquiao, is the more renowned puncher against the two, we cannot deny, that Margarito also, has the known boxing phrase, "a puncher's chance". I knew the physical advantages of Margarito will make him more of a puncher, against Pacquiao. Although, larger than Pacquiao, he was slower. He reminds me of an old Oscar de la Hoya. As the fight progresses, we can see how Margarito was able to take Pacquiao's punches, as if it were nothing. Margarito looked like a man, who is searching for something, but ended up empty. I have to say, that his pressure did a lot, and I have seen Pacquiao, seemingly exhausted in the later rounds, with Margarito constantly moving forward. Although, busted up, Margarito definitely hung in there, and my hats off to him, as he has gained, a new found respect from everyone around the world. Pacquiao was just the quicker fighter and the better boxer, as he continuously pummels Margarito, but the only irony was that he was unable to knock him out. As expected, Pacquiao hurt Margarito early, but was unable to finish him in the later stages. It was another one-sided match from the "Pacman", and he has proven to me, and to others, that he is the pound for pound king. What amazes me was his post fight interview with Mario Lopez, as Manny said that, "Boxing is not a sport of killing." This shows, how much of a champion, Manny is. He shows mercy towards people, beating up a beaten fighter is no fun. As a fighter, showing mercy, is incomprehensible, so moments like this from a true champion, is truly amazing. In the later rounds, it may have looked as if Manny is exhausted, but perhaps, he showed mercy on Margarito, as he let him finish the 12th and final round. I felt that Lawrence Cole should have stopped the fight on round 10, as the aftermath, seemed to make Margarito be doomed to play in the fight. After the fight, Margarito was sent to the hospital, and will be having an eye surgery, because of the damage he took. I thought, Lawrence Cole's decision of letting Margarito continue to fight, was very inhumane. He does not deserve to be a called a boxing referee, if he doesn't show compassion towards the fighters. Today, the circumstances that have happened to Margarito can be all blamed to his corner men, who were almost like servants of the fighter, and the referee, Lawrence Cole, for his misplaced judgment of letting him continue the fight. The physician, must be obsessed with violence, or must have been an amateur as well. Again, ethics play an important role in these type of circumstances. Safety is most important, pride gives you nothing in the end.

Final Thoughts:
Manny Pacquiao is the man, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. must come out and face the challenge. Manny Pacquiao has become, the unprecedented eight division world champion. With all due respect to Sugar Ray Robinson, I think that Pacquiao might be, the greatest fighter of all-time.

Picture: An intense exchange of blows, from Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, and Antonio Margarito of Mexico.

The Statistics

The latest services for blogger.com, includes some of the most important and interesting programs, that will help bloggers, like myself, have an easier time, and a more complex view on certain functions, that will help us get, up-to-date to the progress of our blogs. The only feature that I am very interested was, the blog statistics. At first, I was not confident in using it, because I felt that, maybe, my blog hasn't had a view, except myself and some of my classmates who were interested. To my surprise, I have about more than one thousand views, and most of them, from foreign countries, outside my native Philippines. Looking at the statistics, this is what I have discovered..

My top ten, All-time Audience Statistics
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Philippines
4. Italy
5. Australia
6. Poland
7. Canada
8. France
9. Germany
10. India

From the statistics above, frequent visits are from United States, United Kingdom, my country the Philippines, and Italy. The most viewed post from my blog, is a post, entitled, "Power in Punching" and pretty close with another post entitled "Boxing Weight Class Divisions", and a few one's from the posts.. "Philippine Boxing Legends", "Reflexes", and "Pacquiao-De la Hoya". The top referring site for my blog is google.com, and the local counterparts of it, in United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia. Facebook, is rank four, to my referring sites.

Final Thoughts:
I want to thank each and everyone of the people in this planet, who is reading this blog. You truly are, my inspiration. Things like the statistics, make me feel like, being heard, and it has made me proud, as a blogger, and has given me the inspiration to continue this blog. Looking through the statistics, it is evident, that all the countries who are attracted to my blog are all English-speaking countries. Therefore, I will take the challenge in writing spanish, in order to attract hispanic countries as well. I have learned that, people are more interested in boxing functions, and especially the topic of power. All I can say is, you found the right guy to trust, in these kinds of information. For just this moment, I am speaking, as a blogger. Again, I want to thank you, world!!

Picture: A world view, of the all-time audience statistics of this blog.

Blogging Crisis

It's been a while again, since I've posted here. In such a hectic schedule, for a graduating student like myself, just having time for writing things that have shaped my life considerably, is something very difficult to do. It has been so hard, to fit my blogging, in my collegiate life, that I've felt that, time has passed me by, and some valuable things I've learned in life, have been kept, but not shared. Blogging, ever since, has been my way, to cope up with stress, that it never fails to relax me, every time I write a post in this blog. Writing, is definitely something that makes me feel comfortable, and gives a way for me, to think things through. It is more like a reflection, and through these, I may be able to inspire people and be able to share my thoughts. I also view this blog as a documentation of my progress in my sport. I want to build my legend right here. It may sound ridiculous, but it has always been my dream, to be a world champion, but more importantly, to be an inspiration to the world. It has been a privilege for me to be heard by the people who are reading this blog. Being busy, is like going to a long and dark tunnel, such that, you simply go straight, and you don't have a choice, for you can't stop, and there is no other option than the straight path. Although, these unfortunate circumstances have occurred, I had to deal with it. I may not have written these experiences at due date, but the memories remain fresh in my mind. As that's said, I will be posting these, one step at a time. For these experiences, are worthy enough, to give hope, strength, and wisdom, to those who seek it. I may have been a little lazy in updating my blog, but thanks to a little inspiration, it has made me going again. This inspiration, for me, are the readers who have one way or another ended up in my blog, for maybe, an unexpected circumstance. Nonetheless, I would like to say, thank you for reading this blog. I may not be an acclaimed author, but I will be proud enough to say, that I have written these just by pure heart, with everything I've learned, everything that I am, and with words that I believe, the entire world can relate to. For these are no ordinary words I speak. These are words inspired through determination and the solid belief in oneself and the capabilities that one possess. Everything is possible, when you believe.

Reincarnation

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In a dreary day, I come to find myself comforted through out the minutes, as I just lounge into the soft furnishes of the couch, while watching television. As the night turned out, my mother has returned home, bringing with her, a computer monitor. Presently, we've got two laptops, and three CPU's. The additional monitor, has made me open the old files, that I've abandon for months. Seeing some few familiar music files, pictures, and games that I have used to play for a long time. In the search for files to help me remember some events in the past, it did not took me long to discover a file that has caught my interest. It was a text document, in a notepad application. I decided to open it, and was surprised with what I have wrote. It was a text that was supposedly be put on, in this blog, months ago. It articulately talks about the Poem that I have written before. It discusses Reincarnation, and my thoughts of it. Without further a do, here is the article..

I was surfing the net, watching television, and reading some books, then it came to me. The idea that made me think, where does my spirit come from? Was it made by me, by my hardship and dedication, or was it a continuous process from something in the past? I have always been fascinated of how determined a person I am. Although, something as complex as my spirit is something that I ponder most. Am I just so lucky to be what I am, or did I simply create the perfection in me, that my mind think should be? It all boils down to the thought about Reincarnation. So I thought, if I was something in the past, I could have been a fighter. Maybe, I could be a tiger, a lion, an eagle, or any animal with the nature of fighting. Was I an animal, or another man in the past? This resulted me into doing a little research about boxing. If there was any other person that will be almost the same as I am, I would say it would be that person. I am not going to say who he is though, cause I know it would sound ridiculous to anyone. So I made a poem of me and who I thought could be my past-life. No matter what the truth is about reincarnation, I will just keep in mind, that I am what I am. I won't be influenced with any theories that would bend me as a person. So I will stay, with what I'm comfortable with, and be myself. Either, Reincarnation is true or not, I will never fully accept its truth, for there is no proof. I am simply looking at the possibilities, and that is what a champion is all about.

Picture: A slight hint of who, the person, I think, is my past-life.

Pacquiao-Margarito Hype

As the upcoming Pacquiao-Margarito fight is fast approaching, I thought I'd be able to put some real analysis on how it's going to be played, my prediction, and it's significance. First off, I'd like to say that, I had a very bad day, but thanks to some posts in Facebook, I never thought that I'd be updated with the current "Face to Face segment with Max Kellerman" which featured both Pacquiao and Margarito. I've seen the previous segments of it, since the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, and it never fails to create some hype or bring interest to a viewer. I remembered the phrase "ding, ding, round one", for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, as it signifies the awaiting of one of the most anticipated fights in boxing history. The current segment for Pacquiao-Margarito somehow, closed the day for me to smile again, and feel like shouting with aggression. I was like, "Man oh man!!" and you can hear me shouting "Oh yeah!" and up until now, every hair in my body is standing, just like some surge of adrenaline, being incorporated into my system. The entire clip in youtube, seems to look like some serious talk like they always do, and some indirect threats, that intrigues your mind, and make you unconsciously say that "This is gonna be a great fight" or "I can't wait til' these guys trade some leather." In the video, Pacquiao and Margarito were seated face to face, and as the discussion goes on, Freddie Roach said that Manny Pacquiao is going to knock Antonio Margarito in eight rounds. Margarito, in response, seemed to joke saying "does he see me crippled?", and Roach replied, "I've seen your last two fights", and that reply definitely put a serious face on Margarito. Knowing that Pacquiao has been dominating opponents, and is more often being favored to win by knock out, I thought that Margarito really has to put some serious thought on what he's getting into. That simple magic from HBO boxing, was enough to put some fire into my heart, that seemed to burn me inside with adrenaline. So the fight is going to be on the 13th of November, in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the Manny Pacquiao versus Antonio Margarito Fight.

How is it going to be played?

As a boxing analyst, (I have analyzed lots of fights that seemed to agree with my theories and expectations) I will point out the difference between the two, starting off with height. Margarito is taller than Pacquiao, as the fight goes along, I know it wouldn't be a factor. As I've seen Margarito's fights, he is the type who bends his head towards his chest, and is more of a slugger than a boxer. I can compare Margarito to Oscar de la Hoya, but in terms of skills, a prime De la Hoya, to me, is better. Pacquiao will be lunging in and out like he always does, which will help to his advantage. Pacquiao has better boxing ability compared to Margarito. I can picture, Margarito chasing on Pacquiao, as he is turning on angles, going in and out. In terms of speed, Pacquiao is on the clear advantage, hands down. The fight will seem to follow the same pattern of the De la Hoya-Pacquiao fight, as Manny will be utilizing his footwork, trying to turn Margarito, who is a slugger. In terms of power, I believe, Pacquiao should not take a gamble, and trade with Margarito. I suggest that he should be contented hammering him, with boxing. Margarito's uppercuts are lethal, but Pacquiao's "in and out" will neutralize that. Pacquiao will have an advantage of stance, as he is a southpaw. I expect, lots of left straights from Manny in this fight.

My Prediction

Pacquiao will win by knock out! An early knock down, is possible, perhaps in the third to fifth rounds. The knock out will come at rounds eight to ten. It will never go past round 10. Pacquiao will use some boxing in the early rounds, with some flashes of power, here and there. As the fight progresses, I can see Margarito slowing considerably on rounds six onwards. Pacquiao will take advantage on that reduction of speed, and will start hammering and trading shots at that point. Margarito will be on the defensive on the later rounds, and I can see Pacquiao chasing him, and pouring lots of punches. I say this, it's because, Margarito isn't much of a fast fighter, so I can see Pacquiao hurting Margarito early. As Margarito is being pummeled continuously, he won't be the same, that's why I said he'd slow down. All in all, the key for Pacquiao to winning the fight is, boxing ability, power, accuracy, foot work, angles, and speed. As for Margarito, if he could learn to counter effectively, it would make Pacquiao more hesitant, and would work to his advantage. Margarito should fight tall, and use that solid left jab of his. He should not expect a slug fest from Manny, because it's not going to happen, so the best way is for him to box effectively. The first who makes the mistake, will be the first to lose, that is why, patience is a virtue, especially in boxing.

It's Significance

If Manny Pacquiao will win this fight, it would make him an eight division world champion, putting him further to the top, as the first one to do it. The second fighter to win a championship in different divisions, only won at six weight classes, therefore, an eight division champion is definitely unheard of. It will cement his status as part of the Hall of fame, and an all time great. If Margarito will pull out an impressive upset, it will garner him the status as part of the elite rankings in his division, and pound for pound. If Margarito will win this, I think Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be top one, and Margarito will be top two respectively.

Final Thoughts

Again, all these are opinions, and anything can happen in the boxing ring. Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito are great fighters, and I expect a great fight from them that people will talk for ages. HBO boxing has been so great for the sport, I wish they would continue to do what they do, in bringing excitement in major boxing events. I will leave you all with some words to ponder, as I say, "A challenge, is a food for champions, without them, there will be no champions."

Trivia

Antonio Margarito was banned for years due to illegal hand wrapping with a solution of "Plaster of Paris" after his fight with Sugar Shane Mosley.

Antonio Margarito has the same boxing nickname as I am, as he is the "Tijuana Tornado", my nickname is "Tornado".

Pacquiao-Barrera first; a reminisce on the path of a Champion

I just finished the examinations in school. Feeling tired and stressed, I immediately decided to go home as I usually do, hoping to do another set of work outs to punctuate the day. As I stepped into the entrance door mat of my home, the next thing I know, I'm already inside, feeling the familiarity that I've missed when in school, I immediately turned on the laptop and the television at the same time. In an attempt to unwind and put myself at ease, I decided to reward myself with boxing matches on the DVD player. Doing this blog, as I watch Pacquiao-Barrera 1st. It almost looked like "deja vu", as I have already seen this fight several times. It may be a classic, but the excitement and drama never fails to interest me, and the feeling never seems to get old. Watching the young Pacquiao, full of determination, power, stamina, and skills. As I watched the fight, it immediately went into my mind, on how hard, an up and coming fighter would be against a renowned champion. Barrera, at the time, was part of the top five pound for pounder in boxing. Thinking Pacquiao, who was less recognized at that time, winning the match is very unlikely beforehand. It just amazes me, that Pacquiao was able to defeat Barrera, in a fashion that most people would never dare to think of. It is in this fight, that I began to put some thought in boxing for the first time. Although, I've heard of his name even before this fight, I wasn't as tentative, as I knew, he was just some local fighter. His achievement in the international setting, definitely shook the world, and it has definitely shook my mind as well. His intensity is admirable, and his style is clearly a crowd pleaser. I started loving boxing for the very first time. As the hype of Pacquiao-Barrera immediately sets forth to the first ring of the bell, round one is a drama that seems to have been going since the olden days. As Pacquiao's slip turned into a knockdown, it somehow crossed my mind, that it always has been like that. An up and coming fighter, will always have experienced an unfair shake, against a well-known champion. The same way, Muhammad Ali had been treated against Sonny Liston, as a liquid substance coming from Liston's glove bothered Ali for a few rounds. Despite the adversities that they have been confronted with, they still decide to fight back with all their heart, and that, to me, is definitely a mark of a true Champion. As I continue to watch the fight, Barrera bled from an accidental head-butt, and from his frustration, lands an intentional headbutt on Pacquiao's chest, and was warned by the referee. Pacquiao may have conceded with the dirty tactics of Barrera, but he never gave in. As the next round approaches, after a series of combination by Pacquiao, he then lands his own headbutt, hitting so flush on the face, as he hammers Barrera into the corner, and the referee wasn't able to see it. In my mind, It's as if Pacquiao is showing Barrera on the proper execution on how it's supposed to be done compared to Barrera's last attempt. It somehow made Barrera looked like an amateur against Pacquiao, which is logically contrary. As the fight progresses, I begin to see Barrera hitting Pacquiao with a cheap shot, after the referee was separating both fighters. Barrera was called to that, and was deducted a point. It looked like as if Pacquiao was alright with it, but by the next round, he decided to repay Barrera by ending the fight, after a flurry of combinations, he finally finished Barrera by TKO. These moments to me, is another definition of how a Champion should act when given the opportunity. It is the mindset of not giving in against adversities, and immediately trying to fight back, against all odds. It has been the template, of what a Champion is, to me, until this very moment. It is like a man battling cancer, and despite the relatively low chance of survival, he continues to live his life, longer than expected. It is like walking through a dilapidated wooden bridge, and making it through. It is like going into a losing war, and somehow survived it. It is defying the odds, facing adversities, and more importantly keeping the faith alive. Being a champion is a long road, full of trials that we need to overcome, by not shying away, but continuously facing it. In the end of that long road, we will see the light, and we will see the greatness, not only of ourselves, but more importantly, the greatness of God.

Picture: Manny Pacquiao knocking down the great Marco Antonio Barrera, on the third round of their first fight. Including the referee Lawrence Cole on the far left.