HBO Poll On Pacman: World’s hardest puncher

Does Manny Pacquiao really have the power to go up against the likes of Ricky Hatton or even Oscar dela Hoya?

If you ask Larry Merchant, the longtime boxing commentator at HBO, the answer is a big, big yes.

“Pacquiao is a freak in terms of his punching power,” Merchant, a former sportswriter with The Philadephia Daily News, said in a recent HBO article.

“Pound for pound, Pacquiao is the hardest puncher in boxing, and when you can hit like that it sometimes makes up for shortcomings,” said Merchant, who turned 77 last Feb. 11.

The respected analyst has reason to say so.

In a poll conducted recently by HBO, fight fans were asked to rate boxing’s hardest punchers. There were 18,000 hits, and yes, Pacquiao came out on top.

The 29-year-old Filipino, who started out as a light-flyweight (107 lbs) but is now competing as a super-featherweight (130 lbs), garnered 29 percent of the total votes.

Heavyweight Vladimir Klitschko was next with 28 pct., followed by welterweight Miguel Cotto’s 21 pct., middleweight Kelly Pavlik’s 15 pct and Samuel Peter’s (another heavyweight) 7 pct.

Merchant believes that Pacquiao could carry his punch to the lightweight (135 lbs) class for a fight against WBC champ David Diaz or against welterweights Hatton (140) or Dela Hoya (154).

“At 135, Pacquiao will probably still punch harder than anybody in that weight class. If Pacquiao beats (Juan Manuel) Marquez (March 15), and then beats David Diaz and Juan Diaz, who wouldn’t want to see him fight Hatton or Oscar?” Merchant asked.

“The point here is Pacquiao would fight Hatton or Oscar for a huge purse, and it would be a no-lose situation,” said Merchant. “If he loses to bigger men, so what?”

“Hatton is the same age as Pacquiao. Pacquiao and Oscar would appear to be a mismatch, especially in height (De La Hoya is 5’10 1/2”), but Oscar is six years older, and would be fighting a big puncher, a phenomenon still in his prime,” Merchant observed.

Bruce Trampler, the matchmaker from Top Rank, is on the same page.

“Would you say Miguel Cotto’s skills changed when he moved to 147 (from 140)? No. He was better able to fight his fight when he went to welterweight, and it may be that Manny will perform better if he doesn’t strain himself making 130,” he said.

Pacquiao had difficulty making 130 lbs against Marco Antonio Barrera last October. As he prepares for Marquez and his last fight at 130, he said his weight shouldn’t be a problem.

All Pacquiao needs to do now is beat Marquez. Then think about Diaz, Hatton or even Dela Hoya next.