PACQUIAO: I can still make 135. AP
HOLLYWOOD—The power of his punches remains the same, but bigger opponents can withstand their impact better.
Manny Pacquiao admitted this Monday as he explained why he hasn’t scored a knockout in his last eight fights, two of which ended in losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.
After a long layoff due to that brutal sixth round knockout by Marquez, Pacquiao rebounded by ravaging Brandon Rios in Macau last November. “I’m really small for a welterweight,” said Pacquiao.
“I should be fighting at 140 pounds [junior welterweight].” The 5-foot-6 Pacquiao scored his most sensational victory yet against Briton Ricky Hatton, a second round knockout, when they fought at 140.
He also knocked out David Diaz when they tangled at 135 pounds, then made a giant leap to welterweight where he forced boxing’s former poster boy Oscar De La Hoya to quit after eight rounds.
Pacquiao’s last scored a knockout against Miguel Cotto in 2009, and he hasn’t stop an opponent since then.
“Up to now I can still make 135 pounds,” said Pacquiao, who came in at 145 pounds during the official weigh-in.
If Pacquiao decides to slide to 140, chances are he’ll be facing the likes Ruslan Provodnikov, and Amir Khan.