By Ted Sares:
We all know the deal with Aaron Pryor: tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners, badass from the Cincinnati ghetto. He ruled 140 with an iron fist and had two memorable wars with fellow hall of famer, Alexis Arguello. He, along with Henry Armstrong are the two fighters to whom Pacquiao is most frequently compared.
—Areglado
This Mega fight will be a fifteen round championship affair at a weight of 140 pounds and will feature both fighters in their prime. It will be held at the sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Let’s break it down.
Records:
Their respective records speak for themselves. One is undefeated and the other has not tasted defeat since early 2005 when he lost to Erik Morales (who he later stopped twice). Pacquiao is 31 with a record of 48-3-2 and has not had a tough fight since early 2008 when he beat Juan Manuel Marquez by SD. Pryor’s record is 34-0 with all but 3 wins coming by way of KO. In fact, after his UD win over Johnny Summerhayes in 1977, Pryor won 26 fights in a row by knockout– one of the longest knockout streaks in boxing history.
Styles:
Their styles are strikingly similar. In fact, The Hawk’s style might have been the blueprint for Freddie Roach in training Pacquiao. They both attack from different and odd angles in a whirlwind type of approach and carry power in all of their punches. Manny has developed the full arsenal while The Hawk honed his skills in a legendary amateur career. Pryor throws better uppercuts and straight leads while Manny uses hooks more effectively. Some say Pryor method of attack is undisciplined. I say it is controlled mayhem. Both have uncommon hand and foot speed.
Pryor also is a killer closer and dispenses with tapping gloves with his opponent before each round. Once he had his man hurt, he closes the show quickly and savagely. Pac Man has shown a respect for his beaten opponents that is somewhat out of character with the business of boxing. However, as someone recently pointed out to me, aggression unleashes the Pac-Monster; retreat brings out the Congressman. Pryor is the epitome of aggression.
I do give Manny the edge on defense because Aaron always holds his head and chin too high, but both are such offensive machines, defense hardly seems a factor in this match-up.
Chins:
Both have been down, but both have great chins. However, I give the edge here to Pryor because anyone who can handle straight and flush shots from Alexis “El Flaco Explosivo” Arguello has to have a granite chin. Sure The Hawk was decked a lot, but that was due more to being off balance than to having chin issues. And the balance issue was due to his wild style. If Juan Manuel Marquez could give Pac Man hell for 22 out of 24 rounds, Pryor can introduce him to Dante’s fifth ring.
Ring IQ:
Both know the ring as if they were born in it. Both have high ring IQ’s.
Level of opposition:
The distinct edge goes to Pac Man (notwithstanding shrew matchmaking) as he continues to beat big names at an astounding pace. Opponents like Hatton, Marquez (twice), Morales (thrice), Barrera (twice), De La Hoya, Diaz, Larios, Solis, Fahsan 3K Battery, Julio, Ledwaba, and Sasakul dot his resume. However, Pryor beat many tough men in his own right including the great Arguello (twice), Gary Hinton, Sang-Hyun Kim, Akio Kameda, Dujuan Johnson, Antonio Cervantes, and Alfonso Frazer
Corners:
Panama Lewis vs. Freddie Roach. Each is top notch. Despite the later and unforgivable Resto-Collins scandal, Lewis has always been considered a very savvy trainer. In fact, he is considered one of the best trainers of his time. Each has great symbiosis with his fighter.
Dimensions:
Pryor is 5’6 1/2.” Manny is 5’5 1/2.” One is 31; the other is 32. Pryor usually tips the scales at 140 pounds and is a natural junior welterweight. Manny will be coming off his fight with Ricky Hatton and also will be a fit and ready 140. While he has moved up to 140 from as low as 106 back in 1995, he amazingly has carried his power with him.
The outcome:
In Pryor, Pacquiao finally is set to face someone with equal hand and foot speed and arguably better power. The crowd is screaming in anticipation. The excitement is palpable. When the bell rings, there is no tapping of gloves or feeling out as they go after each other with such fury that the fans immediately sense something special. The crowd rises as one and never sits down again. It’s Hearns and Hagler all over again. It’s whirlwind vs. whirlwind as the two clash and then separate and then clash again. All of a sudden, Pryor is knocked down by a right hook, left uppercut combination, but his storied recuperative power comes into play and he is back up immediately and goes after Pacquiao like a madman. They both feed off each other’s aggression as the crowd roars its approval.
As they continue to rip into each other through the early rounds, The Hawk staggers Manny at the end of the seventh stanza and Roach looks concerned as Manny returns to his corner. He instructs Manny to use the Hook–uppercut combo more often—and above all to to stay off the ropes.
In the eighth round, Pryor is caught off balance and again is dropped by a push/punch that gives Manny another important 10-8 round. But in the ninth, the tide begins to change ever-so-slightly as Pryor picks up the pace and begins to land more punches. He mixes hard body shots with his own lethal uppercuts which are launched with great speed and menace. The two are now trading heavy shots, but Pryor’s seem to do more damage.
Both give and take during the next three rounds, but Pryor is still behind on the cards. All of a sudden, he is decked for a third time and he appears hurt. As he gets up at the 8 count and shakes the cobwebs out, Manny storms in only to be caught by a monster right uppercut thrown by the possum-playing Pryor. Pac Man hits the canvas hard, just makes the count, and is saved by the bell as the stunned crowd looks on in disbelief.
At the start of the thirteenth stanza, The Hawk, sensing the kill, immediately swoops down on Manny and backs him into the ropes where he launches an Arguello–like volley of lefts, rights, straight shots and hooks and then another brutal uppercut that leaves Pacquiao virtually helpless against the ropes. Referee: Stanley Christodoulou looks like he is going to step in, but Manny manages and few punches of his own and survives the onslaught. He is almost out on his feet as he staggers to his corner where he is quickly assisted by his corner men. Surprisingly, however, he shows off his own recuperative powers as he comes out for the next round ready to rumble. The Hawk is up to the task and they both rock and roll like two Roman gladiators for two more rounds until the final bell ends this astounding war. Now it’s up to the judges as the hushed crowd remains on its feet.
Pryor still seems fresh and is prancing around the ring with his hands raised high in anticipated victory. Pac Man is somewhat less exuberant but also raises his hands in victory.
Jimmy Lennon Sr., after acknowledging the extraordinary action, then announces the scores as follows: judge Vincent Rainone scores it 143-142 in favor of Aaron Pryor, judge James Jen-Kin has it 143-142 in favor of Manny Pacquiao, and Judge Guy Jutras scores it 142-142 a draw. The decision is a Draw. Both fighters hug one another as Howard Cosell moves in for the post fight interviews.
This fight will go down in history as one of the great ebb and flow classics of all time.