MANILA, Philippines - How Manny Pacquiao has been able to invade one weight division after another to become the only fighter ever to capture eight world titles in different classes continues to baffle a lot of ring experts. But to researcher Leandro Solis, the explanation is quite elementary.
Solis, quoted by writer Anthony Wilson in badlefthook.com, compiled data from the tapes of the tape of several fighters, particularly Pacquiao, and found out what makes the Filipino icon special is his natural bone structure.
“In bone literature, it has been shown that in males, the wrist size is positively correlated with skeletal frame as well as bone density and mineral content which in short, means bigger wrists equal bigger bones,” said Solis. “For fighters fighting at a given weight class, what this means is that if both fighters weigh, say, 160 pounds, the percentage of that weight is made up of bone in proportion to soft tissue (skin, muscle, fat, blood, organs, etc.) will be more for the guy with bigger bones.”
In Solis’ comparative data, he discovered that the average wrist size for heavyweights is 7.69 inches, lightheavyweights 7.31, superlightweights or lightwelterweights 7.09 and superfeatherweights 6.35.
Factoring height to complete his analysis, Solis concluded that as ceiling increases so does wrist size. He said that a 5-8 fighter would likely show a wrist size of 6.9 inches and the expected wrist size of someone who is 70.6 inches tall is 7.15 inches. Floyd Mayweather, Jr., for instance, is 5-8 with a seven-inch wrist.
A glaring exception is the 5-6 1/2 Pacquiao whose wrist is measured to be a phenomenal eight inches – higher than the average for heavyweights. “One of the things that has characterized Pacquiao during the past two or three years is his ability to punch extremely hard for someone his size against seemingly bigger foes,” continued Solis.
Two heavyweight knockout artists with a wrist size identical to Pacquiao’s are former world champions Joe Louis and Mike Tyson.
Pacquiao’s incredible wrist size means the bone volume in his body is bigger than usual, giving him more sock in his punch. Sugar Shane Mosley’s trainer Nazeem Richardson once said, “The best trick Pacquiao has pulled is making you believe he is smaller than you are.” Mosley, who is 2 1/2 inches taller than Pacquiao, has a wrist size of only 6 1/4. In their comparative physical attributes, Pacquiao also has a bigger forearm size, 12 inches to 11 1/2, and a bigger calf size, 15 inches to 13 1/4. The calf size explains somewhat Pacquiao’s ability to carry his weight from one division to another. The forearm size translates into more punching power.
The logic is the bigger the wrist or bone density, the better able a fighter to move up in weight without losing his power. Solis made an interesting observation about Juan Manuel Marquez who went the distance twice with Pacquiao in closely-contested bouts.
“Marquez has always looked in top form and at his best except when he fought Mayweather as a welterweight,” said Solis. “Even at lightweight (135 pounds), many think he is already pushing the limit, well, according to my calculations, his fighting weight should be 131 pounds, just around the weight where he gave Pacquiao hell in their second fight and defeated (Marco Antonio) Barrera. Pacquiao is 1/2 inch shorter than Marquez yet he was able to move up in weight while Marquez could not. Many people have used this argument to suggest something improper on the part of Pacquiao; what they miss is that Pacquiao’s wrists are eight inches while Marquez’ are only 6.5. inches, giving Pacquiao an overall much bigger skeleton. This highlights why a great fighter like Pacquiao can easily adapt to a much higher weight without losing any speed, power or chin while another great fighter like Marquez can’t, even though both have similar heights.” The difference is in the bone structure, indicated by the wrist size.
The conventional thinking is Mosley will try to force a slugfest against Pacquiao because he doesn’t have the legs and the gas to push him forward into the late rounds. If Mosley fights Pacquiao like Ricky Hatton or Miguel Cotto, he’ll be a sitting duck for the Filipino’s counters. Also, Mosley wouldn’t be able to exploit his seven-inch reach advantage. If Mosley decides to fight from a distance, Pacquiao will use his speed and lateral movement to create the angles for his shots. Either way, Mosley could be in for the beating of his life.