Manny Pacquiao vs. Aaron Pryor: The Tale of the Tape for the Dream Matchup

“I like Pacman in the fight. I think Pacman throws a lot of punches and I don't think that Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather is gonna be equipped to handle it. That's just how I feel. But he's proved himself so many times. But that's what the fight game is about. Every time you fight, prove yourself. I had 11 world title fights. Each time I fought one of those title fights it was about proving myself" - Link

It is evident that Aaron Pryor is a fan of Manny Pacquiao. If not he is at least showing respect for Pacqauiao’s skills. In a way, maybe Pryor is comparing himself to Pacquiao, and is looking for similarities to understand him a little better. I can clearly see how Aaron Pryor and Manny Pacquiao share some of their boxing attributes and priorities.

Both Pryor and Pacquiao share the gift of the ability to throw a mind boggling volume of punches with power and intention. They both proved to be virtuosos in overwhelming their opposition and denying them any opportunity of restoring their confidence. Pacquiao and Pryor would show no indication of pain or discomfort when hit hard, masking their emotions better than most others. Both can take a punch and give a few back at any point in the fight.

Their physical and mental strengths are the very properties which prompt the question, "what if history worked out in a way where Manny Pacquiao and Aaron Pryor got to fight each other?" It seems that Pacquiao has been placed into every possible dream match that a fan could imagine. Despite a very wide spectrum of possible fights, Pacquiao vs. Pryor must be one of the most exciting, explosive, controversial and abysmal dream fights imaginable.

Manny Pacquiao:

• Welterweight
• Southpaw Stance
• 169cm
• Won 52 (KO 38 = 66.6%) + Lost 3 (KO 2) + Draw 2
• Notable Opponents: Marco Antonio Barrera (66-7-0), Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1), Erik Morales (51-6-0), Oscar De La Hoya (39-6-0), Shane Mosley (46-6-1).

Aaron Pryor:

• Light Welterweight
• Orthodox Stance
• 169cm
• Won 39 (KO 35 = 87.5%) + Lost 1 (KO 1) + Draw 0
• Notable Opponents: Antonio Cervantes (91-12-3), Miguel Montilla (38-9-3), Alexis Arguello (82-8-0).

 Reach/ Height:

-              Both Pacquiao and Pryor were about the same size. I was unable to find an accurate reach for Aaron Pryor, but I would believe it was just a tad bit longer than Pacquiao’s. In this category, I would not be able to accurately judge size, as there is very little official information on Aaron Pryor’s true reach.

Ultimately, being that both men were the same height, I would say it was a DRAW.  

 Offense:

-              This is a rough one. Both Pacquiao and Pryor are raw animals when it comes to letting those hands go. Pacquiao is a master of moving in on an opponent and laying down a series of punches all over the place, after which he moves back out and quickly re-adjusts to another angle or another set of offensive maneuvering. While Pacquiao is quick and strong, he can be interrupted. Countering Pacquiao would save some time and damage to one self, as Pacquiao moves back and quickly reassembles his strategy. Pacquiao is also easily enticed into a brawl, which most of his opponents end up losing, realizing that Pacquiao can take a punch as well as he can give it.

-              Aaron Pryor was like a bull, and the bell was his red velvet drape. The only difference was that the drape followed his opponents closely. He knew only one direction: forward! When Aaron Pryor caught anyone on the ropes, he threw a mind boggling number of punches from all geometrically possible angles, possibly not even realizing himself where the next one was coming from. He would start his attack early on with reaching right hands from the outside, and then move inside with a variety of unrelenting uppercuts and hooks. Pryor simply ignored what his opponents did to him, and kept his momentum going.

While this is a close one, I would have to declare Aaron Pryor a clear WINNER!

 Defense:

-              Manny Pacquiao likes to fight. He likes to be in a fight. He likes to have his hands out there, exploring the face and body of his opponents. A respectable number of his previous opponents simply had no chance to properly hit back, or invite themselves for an opportunistic brawl. Still, when some (we all know who) fighters were able to adjust and hit Pacquiao back; we realized that Pacquiao’s defense may not be all that optimal. He tends to give priority to punching rather than defending, and can very likely be hit at any given time. His main defense is his foot work and body maneuvering. Like a man made out of rubber, he keeps bobbing and weaving, making his opponents look like amateurs playing with a double ended concentration bag.

-              Aaron Pryor liked to come forward with his hands down, thus being on the receiving end of numerous shots upstairs. Still he was able to stand up to the bombs and do his thing. Aaron had an amazing chin, and tremendous offensive arsenal, but his defense was lacking. Neither hands nor the body had much part in Pryor’s defense. His balance was very suspect, as sometime hitting from an awkward angle or from a squared up position would wobble Pryor and almost make him trip over himself.

Defensively, Manny Pacquiao WINS.

 Speed:

-              Manny Pacquiao is fast! When I say fast or quick, I mean that he is capable of moving in and throwing a full-throttled combination before his opponents realize what is happening. His footwork is not matched by anyone else’s. He can move about the ring and change his positional angles like no other. The speed of his punching is, well, rapid. Sometimes, when Pacquiao would throw some well positioned combination, I would find myself having trouble counting his shots as he landed them.

-              Aaron Pryor was fast, but not as fast as Manny Pacquiao. His punches were pretty wide and took time to arrive. Sure he threw so many from such awkward angles that fighters were unable to figure out what to protect next, but that doesn’t define speed. He was average at most. His footwork was decent, but rarely gave him the edge over his competition.

When comparing the two, Manny Pacquiao takes the WIN!

 Power:

-              Here it is crucial to consider body mechanics. Manny Pacquiao can punch, and he can punch well. His KO percentage speaks for itself. Still, looking at the power of a punch, I think Pacquiao is surely above average, but he doesn’t possess raw force in his punches. His knockouts come primarily from the overwhelming volume, and only later does power play a bigger roll. Overwhelming the opposition and throwing shots that they can’t see can also provide a fighter with a great KO rate against world class opposition.

-              Aaron Pryor’s wide angled shots were all in synchrony with his body mechanics (most of the time, when his balance was in order). Like a pendulum his shots gained more and more momentum, and soon became a heavy handed barrage of merciless force. When a power right hand is coupled with a left uppercut and a right body shot, one harder than the other, well you get it.

Aaron Pryor WINS!

So who would win the fight?

This proposed fight would be alike to hostile warfare. Imagining it is not easy at all, as there are very few fights that have happened in boxing history which resemble this one. I can see Manny Pacquiao landing a lot more punches, and constantly trying to confuse Pryor with his lateral movement. Pacquiao I assume would concentrate on Pryor’s body, as that’s the area more easily accessible.

The main difference between Pryor and any other opponent that Pacquiao has faced in his entire career is that Aaron Pryor would be able to do something no one else could: he would walk through Pacquiao’s punches. Pryor would start throwing from a distance, and would keep walking in with awkward angled shots, and there is nothing Manny Pacquiao would be able to do to stop him. Only evading and moving away could free Pacquiao up for a quick combination himself. 

Pacquiao’s strategy of imposing pressure on Pryor is out the window. Like stated before, only in-and-out movement could be effective against Pryor. What I can imagine happening is within the first half of the fight Pryor starts cutting off the ring, and Pacquiao’s lateral movement becomes risky and ineffective. Pryor of course starts forcing Pacquiao to the corners and onto the ropes, where his angled shots become a nightmare for anyone on the receiving end.

Pryor would start backing Pacquiao up early on, forcing him to fight backwards. Pacquiao can do that very well, but not good enough to be able to keep Pryor off of him. At the same time, who can say that Pryor would not walk into a monstrous hook like Ricky Hatton did? Or who can say that Pryor would not jump in and get hit by Pacquiao’s fast responding hands when off balance? All possible and even probable. But knowing Pryor’s chin and determination, this would simply not do.     

Some years ago, I would argue this fight would end by an easy KO for Aaron Pryor, but that was before. Manny Pacquiao has been steadily improving, and his ring awareness has enhanced. 

As for the result, I would predict late round stoppage or a close split decision win for Aaron Pryor.

What time is it? "Hawk time!"