This post was due last Sunday but due to my busy schedule, I wasn’t able to finish it and publish it. These are my thoughts on the recent Pacquaio vs Barrera 2 - Will to Win fight.
I watched the fight live via PPV at my friend’s house. While watching the undercards, I was getting excited and anxious to watch the main event. I was expecting a thrilling boxing match because before the fight, Marco Antonio Barrera said that Pacquiao would be in the fight of his life and that he would emerge as the new no. 1 pound for pound fighter and also because this was gonna be his last fight before he retires from boxing. I expected him to use a different strategy and go all out on this one. On the other hand, I expected Pacquiao to prove that his previous win over Barrera wasn’t a fluke and would want to knock him out as early as possible. I knew he could beat Barrera but I was a bit worried because I’ve heard and read reports that he wasn’t 100% ready and that he didn’t prepare or train well for the fight. He even barely made the required weight and had to rehydrate quickly before the fight.
Yes, Pacquaio won by unanimous decision but that wasn’t what his fans wanted and what most people expected. Fellow blogger Sonnie even thought it was boring, but he pointed out several lessons we could learn from the fight. I’m sure almost everyone expected a knockout or even a knockdown from Pacquiao or Barrera to fight better than their previous match. The only knockout that Manny Pacquiao scored was on Derek’s blog which crashed due to the traffic surge for his post Watch Pacquiao VS Barrera II LIVE! for FREE?
Inspite of his corner’s instructions to be more aggressive, Barrera continued on his “technical” fighting strategy. He boasted that he had a Plan A, a Plan B and a Plan C. I think his Plan A was to be a technical boxer, Plan B was to make sure Pacquiao doesn’t knock him out and Plan C was to get his revenge on Pacquiao by hitting him while the referee was trying to break them up. I couldn’t believe when Barrera said that he shouldn’t have been penalized for that hit. It was nothing but a cheapshot and I don’t blame Manny for acting up a bit to show that he was hurt. Some people say that he lost the momentum by doing it but I’m sure he knew he was ahead in points and was winning the fight so might as well make sure Barrera loses a point for it. I also admire Manny for not retaliating and being a good sport.
In fairness to both fighters, I think everyone expected too much from both of them. Barrera fought the way he wanted to and ended his career in his own terms. As a fan, I’m glad that Pacquiao won this fight but I’m disappointed on how he lost focus and how he lazily prepared for this fight. I hope he learns from this experience and start to prioritize and focus more on boxing rather than doing commercials, filming movies and other distractions if he wants to continue his boxing career that is.
How about you guys? What do you think of the fight? Were you disappointed or did you expect the fight to go that way? Share your thoughts.
October 11th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
@mr nice ash - So you’re wife is your editor? Sometimes, I also ask my wife to help me proof read my entries.
That’s the thing about showing the fight for free, they have to make it up by having a lot of advertisements. Here in the US, our only option is to watch it on PayPerView for $50 but without commercial breaks or watch it on the Internet via SopCast.
October 11th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I also have an entry of disappointment on my blog, though it’s still being edited by my wife :).
but my disappointment is on GMA7 who aired the show for 6hrs… about 20 mins commercials after every 2 min round. nakakagalit talaga… natutuwa sila na sila yung nag air nung fight pero sa totoo lang, they were after the sponsors money… mukhang pera…
October 10th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
@Teejay - Yup, too boring. I thought it was just during the first few rounds and expected both fighters to take it up a notch and slug it out in the last rounds but I guess it wasn’t part of Barrera’s plan.
October 10th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
I also think the fight was boring. Barrera was no match for Pacquiao. It was clear that Pacquiao was the better fighter from the very beginning.
October 10th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
@iRonnie - Yup, you’re right about that. He should realize that he’s good in boxing and not in politics or showbiz therefore he should focus and spend time in his training. I hope he realizes it before it’s too late.
October 10th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
i agree with you that if pacquiao wants to remain in the limelight he must give his dedication in boxing. we have already proven that people are not keen in welcoming him as a politician (a law maker at least) and im not so sure if he has a place in showbiz either (where he might end up like onyok).