Unorthodox Boxing by Manny Pacquiao
Being left-handed, Manny Pacquiao is not an orthodox boxer because he is a southpaw. But no, we are not referring to his handedness when referring to him having an unorthodox attack arsenal.
We just mean that he is a one-of-a-kind boxer; a unique specimen of an athlete not seen before. If you combine Mike Tyson’s power with “Sugar” Ray Leonard’s hand speed, that was Manny at his peak.
Nevertheless, it took some time for him to develop into an aggressive boxer-puncher and become the complete package that we have come to know him. Speed equals power and legendary boxer 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 ‘𝐏𝐚𝐜-𝐌𝐚𝐧’ 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐚𝐨 has both. With the speed bag, he trains his timing, accuracy, power, and footwork to the maximum.
What enthralled those who saw the Mindanao native early on in his career while he was rising up the ranks was the force of his punches. As some experts stated, his jabs alone can count as power punches.
The proof of this is Pacquiao’s knockout ratio, with only 23 of his 62 wins going the distance, translating to a 63% KO percentage. Most of his victories by decision came in the latter part of his career when he faced tougher opposition coupled with age slightly dulling his natural abilities.
By “PacMan’s” 55th professional bout, a TKO win against Miguel Cotto, 38 of his conquests were by stoppages. There was a period between 1997 and 2006 where all his triumphs were abbreviated contests. To put a number on it, that is a string of 20 fights that went his way where judges were not needed to determine the outcome.
That said, there was a time when he plateaued somewhat and where his opponents were able to check his strength. In came half of fame trainer Freddie Roach, the man responsible for transforming Pacquiao into an aggressive boxer-puncher, a more cerebral fighter and not just a knockout artist.
Through Roach’s tutelage and guidance, Manny improved on other aspects while retaining his deadly form. Boxing analysts became in awe of the eight-division champion when he started to deliver blows at odd angles. There were pictures of him showing him landing a punch while looking away and ducking from a counter.
Add to that is the improvement of his conditioning. He was now able to last longer on the ring in matches that needed him to be more calculating than rampaging.
Then on, he became an unstoppable and unpredictable machine; a fighter capable of dominating his opponent in any fashion, whether it is by force or by cunning. Indeed, Pacquiao turned into an unorthodox attack engine.
