More on Pacquiao and Steroids

Take a look at Pacquiao as a younger fighter. He was taller, lankier than other Flyweights and Bantamweights. It's similar to Paul Williams among other Welterweights. Assuming that Williams does well as a Middleweight does that mean he's on steroids? No.

Manny's new found dominance is due to his improving as a boxer. He was a wild swinging brawler as a youngster and is now a superbly trained boxer.

Alexis Arguello v Kevin Rooney

I never thought I would see this. Kevin Rooney, one of Mike Tyson's trainers under Cus D'Amato, fought Alexis Arguello while they were both with D'Amato. It was a second round KO by Arguello. No shame there.
Here's the footage from YouTube:

Greatest KOs by a Body Shot

Most of the time one uses body shots to wear down ones opponent, to slow down a swift-footed opponent. It's rare to see a one punch KO to the head, and even more unusual to see one to the body. Here's some of my favorite one punch KOs to the body.

Roy Jones v Virgil Hill

Mayweather Should Roll / Half Guard

Interesting training video.

Marciano v Walcott I -- The KNOCKOUT

Arguably the greatest knock out in boxing history.

Mike Tyson's Foot Speed

Outrageous footspeed displayed at 7:10

Cus D'Amato on Fighters Getting Tired

"When two men are fighting, what you're watching is more a contest of wills than of skills, with the stronger will usually overcoming the skill. The skill will prevail only when it is so superior to the other man's skill that the will is not tested.... As many times as you see a fellow get tired in the course of a fight, note that he gets tired when pressure builds up, after he gets hurt or he's been in some kind of doubtful situration, not being able to control the situation. That's when he starts getting tired. That's why when two good fighters get to fight, they're head to head, so to speak, they won't give an inch and they're using all their skill and ability, until maybe about the seventh or eighth or ninth round, one fighter starts to visibly weaken. It only means he's reached a point where he no longer can stand the pressure. He's now become dominated, because when two people fight it's very much like two armiers. They seek to impose their will on one another."

"When the novice throws punches an nothing happens, and his opponent keeps coming at him ... the new fighter becomes panicky. When he gets panicky he wants to quit, but he can't quit because his who psychology from the time he's first been in the streets is to condemn a person who's yellow. So what does he do? He gets tired. This is what happens to fighters in the ring. They get tired, because they're getting afraid ... Now that he gets tired, people can't call him yellow. He's just too "tired" to gon on. But let that same fighter strike back wildly with a visible effect on the opponent and suddenly that tired, exhausted guy becomes a tiger. ... It's a psychological fatigue, that's all it is, but people in boxing don't understand that."

From Bad Intentions

Pacquiao and Steroids

Now people are saying that the Pacman is on steroids. His rise up the boxing weights is remarkable but why would he need steroids to do so? He started boxing in his mid-teens, obviously his body would fill out. The new argument is that he's put on 20 pounds of muscle in two years while keeping his tone.

What would be interesting to know -- and I don't have the time for the research -- is how hard was it for him to make weight for his Featherweight and Super Featherweight. We could tell a little bit by how much he rehydrated after the weigh-in. If I remember he has not being "gaining" weight after his recent weigh-ins at welterweight.

I don't see steroid use as a means of putting on muscle but I do see it as a means to recuperate faster after training; this would allow Manny Pacquiao to train harder and train more frequently. Is this being done? Maybe.

EDIT 12/17/2009

There's a great article dealing with just this at The Boxing Truth