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LAS VEGAS, USA – Bob Santos knows what Manny Pacquiao brings inside the ring.
The head trainer of WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios was a keen observer in several of Pacquiao’s training camps at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood and has scrutinized a lot of his fights against elite opponents.
And from what he’s seen, Santos, the 2022 Trainer of the Year, believes Pacquiao is even more fearsome than Mike Tyson.
“He’s the biggest killer inside the ring, even more so in a sense, than Mike Tyson. Because with Mike Tyson, I know there’s the bravado and he wants to kill you, but a lot of times he fell short because he didn’t have the lifestyle of like a Manny Pacquiao,” Santos told Filipino sportswriters after the final press conference of the Pacquiao-Barrios fight for the WBC welterweight belt.
“So Manny Pacquiao, when he executes his mind and what he’s trying to do, guess what, if you don’t knock him out, you’re gonna take a lot of damn punishment for that entire fight.”
So, when he heard Pacquiao said he’d spring a few surprises against Barrios on Saturday, July 19 (Sunday, July 20, Manila time), Santos got deeply alarmed.
“He’s an absolute assassin, he’s an absolute killer. The nicest guy. Manny Pacquiao has never disrespected me, he never disrespected Robert Guerrero, but boy once you step in that ring, you better get ready,” he said.
“Like I said, ask Erik Morales how well that worked out for him, ask (Antonio) Margarito how well that worked out for him, ask Oscar de la Hoya, he didn’t have the kill-or-be-killed mindset and he sent him into retirement. You don’t play with Manny Pacquiao when you get in the ring. If you don’t have that kill-or-be-killed mindset with him, it’s good night, Irene.”
That’s why Santos didn’t take back his pronouncement that Pacquiao would either land at the cemetery or hospital after fighting Barrios.
“Manny’s always had that mindset of kill or be killed and he’s got so much experience where he could play possum for a second and he’s lulling you, lulling you, lulling you, and boom. Or he could just come forward and just blaze you,” said Santos.
“So he has the ability to do two different things, and when he says he has a lot of surprises, I think he’s gonna vary his attack and we gotta be super, super alert with him because he’s obviously very dangerous and Manny’s very awkward. He has his own unique style, and therefore, we gotta be very, very leery when he goes, ‘Oh I got a few surprises.’ We know you do because you got one of the most unique styles in the history of the sport.”
No wonder, Santos gave Barrios the hardest camp ever in his career, spanning 13 weeks, and the champion responded without any complaint.
“I think he realized that not just he’s fighting an icon, if you look at a lot of the sparring sessions and things like this, Mario really turned up because I think he realized you take a lot of punishment against Manny Pacquiao. He takes a lot out of guys. Look what he did to Margarito, look what he did to (Miguel) Cotto. Those are damaging fights.”
Santos said when Pacquiao fights you, he’s taking off your career.
“He’s very damaging to guys. Look at De La Hoya, he retired him. Margarito, he’s blinded him in one eye. That’s the unfortunate part of the sport,” said Santos.
Asked whether Pacquiao could still finish the full route, Santos refused to be proven wrong again.
“We’re gonna see. I don’t think he was gonna last 12 rounds with Keith Thurman because of what he did to Robert Guerrero. I thought there’s no way Manny Pacquiao could beat this guy. It’s impossible. Thurman’s got better feet, he’s a big puncher,” he said.
“People forget this, but Keith Thurman fought as an amateur as a middleweight, started his pro career as a junior middleweight then came down to welterweight so I know he’s a big ass guy, put Guerrero on the deck, big boned, great feet, and I’m thinking Manny shouldn’t be doing this fight, this is too much.”
Then the improbable happened. Pacquiao knocked down Thurman in the first round and became the oldest welterweight world champion at 40 in July 2019.
“I’m watching sitting at ringside, boom Thurman’s down. I’m in the sixth round I can’t believe what I’m witnessing, he’s gonna run out of gas. The 12th round happens, and… no, you gotta be kidding me. This isn’t real what I’ve seen and that’s the Manny Pacquiao I’m getting ready for,” said Santos, who admitted to the difficulty of preparing for Pacquiao as nobody could really duplicate the Filipino’s style.
“He has so much experience and he can fight you in a plethora of different ways, and therefore, that’s the challenge,” said Santos, who believes that Barrios should prepare for a Pacquiao onslaught.
“Manny’s got a good lead hand and that’s what put Thurman on the deck. And I tell you right now, if Mario Barrios isn’t prepared, he’s gonna be on the deck.”
Or worse, could land in a hospital or cemetery. – Rappler.com
