Boxing News 2016: HBO Analyst Harold Lederman Says There Will Be A 'Different Manny' If Mayweather Rematch Happens
HBO Boxing's long-time unofficial judge Harold Lederman believes there will be an entirely different scenario if a rematch between Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and retired undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. does happen.
Mayweather and Pacquiao finally met each other inside the boxing ring last May 2nd, after five years of failed negotiations. It was, however, met by disappointment from fans who paid $100 for pay-per-view, as Mayweather practically dominated the entire 12 rounds and 36 minutes of action.
After the fight, it was revealed that Pacquiao was suffering from a right shoulder injury, a torn rotator cuff to be exact. And in an interview with David P. Griesman for Boxingscene, the 76-year-old Lederman says a healthier "Pacman" could have done a lot more against Mayweather that night.
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According to Lederman, "Manny wasn't Manny," which makes the fight an unlevel playing field. He also says that the injury was the main deterrent for Pacquiao that night, as it hindered him from fighting using his patented manner of moving and using angles.
With all that said, Lederman believes that if a rematch does push through, Pacquiao would be able to do more damage this time around.
"When it comes to the rematch, Manny's going to come in there ready to fight. It's going to be a different Manny Pacquiao," Lederman said, according to the Boxingscene report. "He will attack him, he's going to whack him, he's going to turn, then he's going to go the other way, do stuff that Floyd Mayweather's never seen in his whole life."
"If a guy is asking for a shot of Novocain, you know he's hurt," he added. "And he was hurting. It's going to be a different fight."
As of this posting, a rematch between the two future Hall-of-Famers is not seen to be happening any time soon. Mayweather retired in September, after handily beating former world champion Andre Berto.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, intends to retire and focus on politics after his upcoming rubber match against Timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas.
