LAS VEGAS—Is Manny Pacquiao losing his killer instinct?
Or, did the cramps in his left leg really slowed him down in his successful defense of the WBO welterweight crown Saturday night?
Pacquiao threw just 552 punches at Shane Mosley—the lowest volume in his last four fights—and landed 182 for a conversion rate of 33 percent.
Mosley fared worse, unloading just 260 and connecting 82 for a 31.5 percent rate.
This was the reason why Pacquiao’s face was hardly marked after 12 rounds.
In contrast, Mosley had to wear dark shades during the postfight press conference, an indication that there’s swelling in his eyes.
Having a shorter wingspan (by 7 1/2 inches) it was but natural for Pacquiao to miss with his jabs, landing only 48 of 268 that he unleashed, or 17.9 percent.
His power shots were accurate, however, with 134 of 284 punches hitting Mosley on the head and the body for 47.2 percent, or a conversion rate of nearly one of two.
That the usually offensive-minded Mosley went on defensive mode can be gleaned from the fact that the future Hall of Famer only threw 199 jabs, connecting on 51 for an accuracy rate of 25.6 percent.
With his 74-inch reach, Mosley was able to land more than half of his power shots (31 of 61 for 50.8 percent), but the minimal number hardly took its toll on Pacquiao, who unloaded more than 1,000 punches in his last two fights against Joshua Clottey (1,231) and Antonio Margarito (1,069) last year.
Even in his 2009 battle against Cotto, whom he stopped in the 12th round, Pacquiao was busier with 780 punches thrown.
Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao tends to be compassionate once he knew that his opponents are ripe for the kill.