Fantasy Fight: Aaron Pryor Versus Manny Pacquaio!

After the recent Pryor Versus Leonard debate it got me thinking as to who would be the best opponent for Pryor for a classic battle and this one came to me.

Now both men are relentless come forward hard hitting fighters, Pryor quite possibly more reckless and Manny more controlled. This is interesting to me as Manny tends to let his opponent dictate for the first half of the round then really come on strong and take the fight away from his opponent ala Cotto and Barrera, but I'm not sure he could afford to do this with Pryor who just throws non stop shots. I also feel Pryor is more versatile, Manny is very one dimensional in his fighting style whereas Pryor was a well schooled amateur and can sit back behind a jab and can slow the pace if need be.

For me, this is next to a 50/50 fight and I really do not know which way it goes. Both have good chins, both can throw punches in bunches, both have hearts of lions and both will give it his all. Completely different characters whereas Pryor is seen a bit of a mean guy and bitter at times due to not getting the recognition he deserved and Manny the nice humble lad from the Philippines, how do you see this one turning?

RULES:
15 Rounds
Catchweight 144 (Figure this is the weight that may suit them both the most)
And for the hell of it unified rules.

Pryor by a big Margin - bigger, just as fast and with inexhaustible stamina. I don't think Manny could hurt him enough to keep him off and in and out fighting wont work for him because of his strongest punches being those angular hooks. I don't think that Manny is one dimensional rather that he excels especially well on certain areas and is merely good on others - though I agree that Pryor is far more versatile. Neither Man is hard to hit but I think the accumulation would be more destructive to Manny, either worn down to a late tko or beaten UD on points. Arguello had great success against Pryor with the right because he hit straight, I don't think anyone hit as straight as him barring possibly Zarate - his accuracy and sublime technique allowed him a greater showing than in hindsight one should have expected - Manny cannot compare - in timing, in technique or in accuracy.

*Amended Pryor and Pac are the same size - I had believed that pryor was 5' 8*

Interesting, I think I was slightly harsh when saying Manny is one-dimensional in hindsight, however what I meant was Manny doesn't have many other ways of fighting or at least any that he has really shown.
As for straight punches, well perhaps Manny's incredible straight left could pose problems to Pryor, difficult to know who hits harder Manny or Arguello (at LWW let's say) Arguello couldn't stop PRyor even though he hit him with everything but the kitchen sink so I do see it being hard for Manny to stop him. If there is a knockout I can see it being Many being toppled however if it goes to points I could see Manny perhaps stealing rounds off of his in and out movement which catches the judges eye more. So hard to judge in my opinion.

big pryor fan that i am, this is a hard fight to call. Aside from the arguello fights and cervantes, there were some less than entirely convincing displays against far inferior fighters to manny. Pacqiaio has only really struggled with good defensive fighters rather than guys that come to him.... It would have been a great fight, but i wouldn't stick my neck out for a winner

This aint hard to call at all milky. Pryor wins this one. It would be a war but Manny would come off worst as he is easier to hit. Pryor and his movement would be a nightmare for the 1 dimensional in and out Manny. Pryor's right hand would land all night.

Manny's faster onetwo, and arguello didn't find him hard to hit, neither did johnson as i recall.

One of the most strangest things for me since frequenting boxing forums, is how many peope rate my favourite fighter as a lad, higher than i do. Brave man that bets against pacqiaio fighting any fighter that comes looking for him. Pick-em for me.

Pick'em for me, too. Too easy to write Pacquaio off and plump for Pryor, who whilst undoubtedly being a fantastic fighter only really had wins of note over smaller men. I give Manny the edge in speed, and he has more than enough power to stop Pryor walking through him.

Pryor loses big style
Cheated Arguello.He would have won had the doped bottle not been handed up
Not in the same league as Leonard.Coke head.Plenty of stuff to say he was using well before
Panama Lewis greatest fighter..enough said..like your fighters as cheats pick Pryor
One of the biggest myths in boxing is that Leonard avoided him.Not the case he wasn't relevant then

So skidd when Pryor did the same thing in the re-match with Argullo what was the reason????

Manny one dimensional compared to Pryor!
I assume the obvious that you have seen the guys fight?
NEVER ASSUME makes an ASS of U and ME and proves this

It was never proved that he cheated Arguello, and Arguello didn't win the rematch so I don't know why anyone would be so sure Arguello would have won their first fight if there wasn't a black bottle.

As much as I dislike Leonard I don't think he was afraid to fight Pryor, I just think that Pryor was too much risk for too little reward. But, if Leonard could fight regular contenders like Bruce Finch, Dave 'boy Green and be lining up a fight with Roger Stafford before he retired, I've never understood the 'Pryor wasn't relevant until he beat Arguello' argument either. None of the three fighters I mentioned had big wins. Pryor was an undeafeted champ, it would still have been a decent fight and event.

Pryor v Manny? It's a pick em fight for me, but to get off the fence I'll pick Pryor. None of Manny's recent opponents have been as good as Pryor.

The thing about coke, is it only makes you think your invincible! If there is something you can take in a bottle that can make you knock out arguello i'd be taking it.

Sure its controversial, sure lewis is a scumbag, the rematch proved who the better guy at that weight was though. I emphasise, at that weight.

I agree leonard didn't duck him...bigger fish to fry and when pryor became viable leonard was too busy retiring for the first time.

None of this makes pryor a bad fighter though, far far from it... and as per my first sentence, his substance abuse whenever it started was hardly performance enhancing.

ONETWOFOREVER wrote:So skidd when Pryor did the same thing in the re-match with Argullo what was the reason????

The first fight no response to the doping allegation by you
Second fight to Pryor still on gear..off his head on dope? once a cheat always a cheat

Atila... fair point that he could have have fought him instead of those guys, but the only clamour really was coming from pryor who was always bitter as hell at the paydays the 76 olympians were pulling... understandably. Nobody who fights duran, benitez, hearns and kalule is a ducker. And all those guys would be considered a bigger risk than a gobby lightwelter.

How do you know the bottle was spiked skidd? Have you ever heard of a placibo? Anyway the same thing happened in the second fight and both fighters were tested.

skidd1 please, answer me this if Pryor was a myth how come he knocked out Arguello twice, completely outfought and outboxed him the second time to leave no question marks. However to be fair the "black bottle" incident is possibly true, Panama Lewis was a dodgy trainer and was thrown out of boxing for loading gloves... However I am 100% sure that even if there was something in the water that night Pryor had no clue about it.

Also Pryor wasn't "relevant" purely because he was cheated out of being in the 84 Olympics, making him a bit bitter and twisted, he hated seeing the likes of Leonard making millions easy whereas he had to seriously graft to gain some form of recognition. Leonard would have been forced to fight Pryor if he had also been an olympian, I seem to remember seeing a press conference or something with Pryor and Leonard there with Pryor just goading him to fight him, Leonard really didn't want to fight him it was very clear from his body language he looked a bit awkward and sheepish, though I think Leonard would probably have won it would have been a big gamble at that stage.

As for the Manny - Pryor fight I think I'm leaning towards Manny after thinking long and hard about it, Manny mainly struggles with guys that back off of him and I just get the feeling that Pryor didn't quite have the firepower to take him out, Manny's power would have kept him respectable and I think that Manny moving in and out using the straight left effectively whereas I'm not sure Pryor would have reverted to his boxing skills to fight Manny as Manny is a come forward fighter, close and would probably be a classic, but Manny UD for me.

I don't think this is a good fight for Manny. They're a similar style although Pryor is a little more diverse, he's shown he can box his way out of trouble. Add in that Pryor's naturally bigger (wouldn't matter how impverished his childhood was, he could never weigh as little as 106 if you ask me) with more one-punch power and a head of concrete. Manny can definitely hit, but do you remember that right hand Arguello snapped Pryor's head back with late in their first fight. It made a BANG that echoed over the roaring crowd and Pryor barely took a backwards step.

Given their similarity in styles, it could be somewhat like Fullmer v Basilio. Two guys of a similar style, one just bigger, stronger and more relentless.

John Bloody Wayne wrote:I don't think this is a good fight for Manny. They're a similar style although Pryor is a little more diverse, he's shown he can box his way out of trouble. Add in that Pryor's naturally bigger (wouldn't matter how impverished his childhood was, he could never weigh as little as 106 if you ask me) with more one-punch power and a head of concrete. Manny can definitely hit, but do you remember that right hand Arguello snapped Pryor's head back with late in their first fight. It made a BANG that echoed over the roaring crowd and Pryor barely took a backwards step.

Given their similarity in styles, it could be somewhat like Fullmer v Basilio. Two guys of a similar style, one just bigger, stronger and more relentless.

That was an unbelievable punch, Pryors head snapped all the way back and was basically looking at the ceiling and just went ok, now here's mine! True mad man Pryor was.

ONETWOFOREVER wrote:How do you know the bottle was spiked skidd? Have you ever heard of a placibo? Anyway the same thing happened in the second fight and both fighters were tested.

I know about placibo effects but who brought that one in? Give me a source where either Pryor or his trainer suggested it.Or it was thought credible.
Any reputable journalistic source will be fine or you are talking complete s***

Pryor had his number from round 1. Arguello was as text book as they come so Pryor turned cookoo bananas on him just to scare him. Pryor made it a real scrap in the 1st round and the 2nd Arguello could not handle that energy.

I always saw it that Alexis landed well when Pryor scrapped wildly, but lost his way when Pryor started out moving him. Footwork was never Arguello's strong point.

Actully skidd you stated with conviction that the bottle was spiked with performance enhancing drugs so it is you that needs to provide proof not conjecture. As for the placibo effect watch the documentery on youtube I forget the name but just look for it on youtube. Both Pryor and Lewis state it was just a gimic used as a placibo for Pryor.

Skidd1, what was in the bottle though? I have never heard of a stimulant that can act that fast from strictly ingestion. Resto said Lewis would put Anti-histamines in his water to increase lung capacity, but these generally take 20-30 minutes to act. If there was a stimulant or something that tainted the water, it acted in a minute of consumption.

Pryor was all over him at the beginning but lost his way slightly and became slightly predictable and someone like Arguello wasn't going to be fooled by relentless aggression for 15 rounds, but as all good fighters do they find another way around and as JBW rightly says Pryor began using his boxing skills and outboxed Arguello, beat him up real bad and eventually stopped him, struggle to truly believe it had much to do with magic water...

Also he splattered him second time around even worse.

The second fight should answer the critics. Had Arguello won the second fight then skidss argument would have legs.

Exactly Onetwo, the second fight was definitive, 10 rounds and was without a shadow of a doubt soundly when he knocked Arguello out.

6oldenbhoy wrote:Skidd1, what was in the bottle though? I have never heard of a stimulant that can act that fast from strictly ingestion. Resto said Lewis would put Anti-histamines in his water to increase lung capacity, but these generally take 20-30 minutes to act. If there was a stimulant or something that tainted the water, it acted in a minute of consumption.

Lucozade?

Atila wrote:

6oldenbhoy wrote:Skidd1, what was in the bottle though? I have never heard of a stimulant that can act that fast from strictly ingestion. Resto said Lewis would put Anti-histamines in his water to increase lung capacity, but these generally take 20-30 minutes to act. If there was a stimulant or something that tainted the water, it acted in a minute of consumption.

Lucozade?

one of boxing's great mysteries finally solved. Good work fella.

Pryor took a drink from it in round 2 and 13, but nothing acts that fast especially from digesting it like that, there is a possibility of the PED or whatever taking effect from round 2 carrying him to round 13 but I seriously doubt it, no real proof of anything and hate that this topic comes up everytime Pryors name gets mentioned and typically it's always by a stupid WUM but it manages to dominate the entire topic.

you're forgetting alex that pryor was done for and out on his feet in the 13th and then came out suddenly like a man possessed in the 14th. It must have been the magic lucozade.

Actually he battered arguello at the start of the 13th then faded in the round, came out and did exactly the same in the 14th but this time he really hurt him... and the boy could finish. Bit like most conspiracy theories...the truth is a disappointingly bland.

Don't mention conspiracy theories near ONETWO...
It'll only bring up 9/11...