It’s Pacquiao by knockout

By Al S. Mendoza

THE QUESTION IS NOT whether Manny Pacquiao will win or not.

He will win. 

To say that Pacquiao will not win is to say JDV will not win against Benjie Lim in 2007.

To say that Pacquiao will lose is to say Agbayani will lose to Estrella in 2007.

Before the day ends today, July 2, this boxing-mad nation will be dancing in the streets again to celebrate another Pacquiao victory.

The question is not even whether Pacquiao will win by knockout or not.

The politically correct question is, what round will Pacquiao knock Oscar Larios out.

Before the day ends today, July 2, Larios will be the fourth Mexican victim of Pacquiao.

I say fourth because in my book, Paquiao had beaten all his three previous Mexican opponents – Barrera, Marquez and Morales.

Pacquiao knocked out Barrera in the 11th in 2002.

In the Marquez bout in 2004, the judges gave Pacquiao a raw deal. They declared the fight a draw when it was obvious Pacquiao was the clear winner, having decked the Mexican thrice in the first round and controlled the most part of the fight up to the 12th.  The reason a Pacquiao-Marquez rematch remains a dream is, because Marquez continues to cower in fear; he’ll surely be knocked out in a return bout.

In the first Pacquiao-Morales fight in 2005, Pacquiao lost on points because of a head butt-inflicted eye brow cut that Pacquiao suffered in the fifth. The injury blurred his vision due to blood continuously oozing down his eye, resulting in an impaired strategy from the sixth.

When they clashed for the second time last January, Pacquiao made sure Morales would miss not only with his head butt but also with his most lethal blows.

Moving swiftly like a swirling wind generated by a tornado, Pacquiao, almost un-hittable from any angle of the ring, punished Morales with telling body shots and piercing combinations to the face to score a  sensational knockout in the 10th round.

It marked the first knockout loss for Morales, known as “El Terrible” for his powerful punches, giving Pacquiao the rare distinction of being the only conqueror of Mexico’s two greatest boxers today to include Barrera – by unprecedented knockout at that.

I cannot imagine Larios beating Pacquiao.  It’s like seeing Dada Reyna beat Benjie Lim in a bicycle race.

 For one, Larios has no solid credential, except for the fact that he was formerly a two-time world champion.  But that was years ago. He’s old hat now. Washout.

For another, Larios does not even come close to the stature, much less punching abilities, of Barrera and Morales.

When Pacquiao fought Barrera, Barrera was known as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter in his division. Never tasted a knockout loss.  That’s why when I picked Pacquiao  to win by KO (the rest of my peers went to Barrera), I received brickbats left and right.  When Pacquiao won, I had the last laugh.

In both his fights against Morales, I picked Pacquiao to win by knockout.

I failed in their first fight but only because of that fifth-round head butt suffered by Pacquiao.

In their rematch last January, though, I got my vindication, Pacquiao terribly pummeling “El Terrible” without letup till the merciful end on the 10th.

And so in today’s fight, I repeat: The question is not whether Pacquiao will win by knockout or not but rather, what round will Pacquiao choose to knock Larios out.

It’s Pacquiao’s call.

Definitely, not between Rounds 1 and 4 or Pacquiao will incur the ire of the public, if not TV sponsors. Anti-climactic. Bitin.

Fifth, sixth? Either round would be also too early, I guess.

Maybe seventh or even eighth?  Pwede na.

In short to sweeten the show because, let’s admit it, this is all showbiz if not a mere solo concert for the nation’s boxing virtuoso, Pacquiao will have to wear out his dancing shoes if need be just to delay the coming of his knockout punch.

Now should Larios prove uncooperative and decide to insist on having two left feet, impatience might prod Pacquiao to end it abruptly.

It takes two to tango, you know.

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