Warnings for Pacquiao

They may not be saying it, but Manny Pacquiao’s handlers and management team are certainly very wary of the hazards of facing Erik Morales again. Morales is probably the most dangerous fighter that Pacquiao could face at this point, for a variety of reasons. According to insiders of Pacquiao’s camp, among all the opponents the former world champion has faced, it was only against Morales that he finished the fight with marks on his face. The unspoken fact is that, aside from having a longer reach, Morales is an uncannily accurate puncher. In the vernacular, "Marunong magpatama."

Also, consider the fact that, no matter what may be said in the papers, Morales could bow out after a triumph over Pacquiao, which would be of great relief to his countrymen, considering the extraordinary number of Mexicans Pacman has put away just in the last four years. While most people have been watching the battle to make the weight, perhaps what would be of greater importance is the manner of training each fighter is undergoing.

The biggest factor would be endurance, which turned things around for Pacquiao in the last fight. Losing weight took the steam out of Morales, and he wilted after the sixth round.

Another advantage of superior conditioning would be the ability to keep the heart rate at a manageable level and avoid panic. Dave Grossman, a former US army lieutenant and author of the book On Killing, believes that the optimum state of "arousal" — or the state in which excitement improves performance, is when our heart rate ranges between 115 to 145 beats per minute. Grossman studied great athletes like NBA All-Star Larry Bird and champion marksman Ron Avery, and found their heart rates to be near the top of that range during important competitions.

"After 145, bad things begin to happen," Grossman was quoted as saying. "Complex motor skills begin to break down. At 175, we begin to see an absolute breakdown of cognitive processing. The forebrain shuts down and the mid-brain — the part of your brain that is the same as your dog’s — reaches up and hijacks the forebrain. Have you ever tried to have a discussion with an angry or frightened human being? You can’t do it... You might as well try to argue with your dog."

Imagine being in the ring with someone trying to take your head off, thousands of betting fans screaming for the kill, and your corner frantically trying to shout over the noise to give you instructions. All this while taking a pounding, ignoring great pain and trying to maintain your focus. It is extremely difficult to do, to say the least. And it is very easy to lose your cool and panic. Then, you’re unable to receive and comprehend instructions.

Another phenomenon that most people are unaware of is the sudden weight gain after the boxer makes the fight’s prescribed weight. Another former world champion, Gerry Peñalosa, told this writer that, within the 24 to 48 hours between weigh-in and fight time, a boxer can gain from five to 10 pounds. The body is just so stressed and worked up, and simultaneously so deprived of nourishment that boxers start eating heavily immediately after the weigh-in. And the body sucks up all the protein, carbohydrates and other nutritional elements that it has been missing. The extra weight is another adjustment that fighters have to make when the bell rings.

Holding is another tactic that older fighters like Morales rely on to get an advantage over strong punchers like Pacquiao. Frequently tying up an opponent’s arms make them use up a lot of energy, and pulling down on an opponent’s nape (as Muhammad Ali learned from Angelo Dundee), weakens the neck, shoulders and consequently, the arms of a harder puncher.

There are other factors to consider. How big is the ring; and how soft is the floor going to be? Harder floors favor boxers who use the ring a lot, and dance around to avoid trouble. Softer floors make it difficult to run, and weaken leg muscles in the course of a long fight. The kind of gloves also makes a huge difference, and not just because of the weight. Certain kinds of gloves (like some filled with horse hair) tend to break down and offer less protection during the course of a long fight, because of repeated impact. These kinds of gloves favor hard hitters like Pacquiao.

A loss would hardly be devastating for Pacquiao, but it may delay his inevitable rise to a title fight, given the backroom maneuverings that plague pro boxing. Still, this is an opportunity for him to prove that his strongest muscles aren’t in his arms, but between his ears.