Pacman should be in lower division, not in land of giants

MANILA, Philippines - If Bob Arum thinks Manny Pacquiao should stay at 147 pounds, the Filipino boxer and his adviser seem to be looking the other way.

According to a recent report, Arum said that if the Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight doesn’t take place soon, Pacquiao should stay and compete at 147 pounds.

But Mike Koncz said he and Pacquiao have long talked about moving down to 140 after an extended stint at the welterweight class.

“Manny and I have talked about it a few months now,” said Koncz.

“People keep criticizing that, ‘Oh, Manny has gotten old and has lost his power,’ but what people don’t really understand is that he’s fighting at a weight much higher than his natural body weight,” he said.

A few times, Pacquiao admitted he’s more comfortable at 140, saying he can even fight at 135.

“Kaya ko pa (I still can). Maliit naman talaga ako (I’m really small),” he said.

Koncz said that at 147, Pacquiao is in the land of the giants.

“These guys are bigger. These guys are stronger. They are used to the power punches. Anytime we fought in the welterweight division we’re giving away 15 to 30 pounds,” he said.

Pacquiao won the 140 lb title by knocking out Ricky Hatton in May 2009. Then six months later, he fought as a welterweight and stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round.

That was the last time Pacquiao scored a stoppage.

“I think the biggest we gave away was 30 pounds to (Antonio) Margarito. We also fought Oscar dela Hoya. These are big guys and they’ve been to wars. They can take the shots,” said Koncz.

It was the primary reason why Pacquiao insisted at a catchweight of 144 pounds when he fought the taller Chris Algieri last November and knocked the American down six times.

Koncz said prior to the Algieri fight, Pacquiao had to train hard and eat all day just to get near 147.

“It’s getting harder for Manny to eat seven times a day and force himself. That takes away a lot of his focus and concentration in training.