Manny Pacquiao and his wife, Jinkee, have a good reason to celebrate. The boxing great, who hopes to return for a second fight in his post-retirement career early next year, recently became a grandfather. Their son, 24-year-old Emanuel “Jimuel” Pacquiao, and his partner welcomed a baby boy. Now, Jimuel has a fight coming up tonight.

Making his debut on his father’s promotional card, the young fighter will face another debutant, American Brendan Lally, in a four-round bout. The event at Temecula, California’s Pechanga Resort & Casino is headlined by a featherweight fight between contenders Elijah Pierce and Lorenzo Parra. Still, many eyes will be focused on the main card bout when Jimuel Pacquiao takes on Chicago-born Lally.

Predicting Jimuel Pacquiao vs. Brendan: Who has better stats and a record?

Both Pacquiao and Lally are stepping into the paid ranks for the first time. So a comparison at this stage remains unfeasible. What the records do show is that Glendale resident Pacquiao comes from a decent repertoire of amateur bouts. He appears to have participated in 10 amateur fights, winning 6 of them.

No such details are available for Brendan Lally.

Jimuel Pacquiao vs. Brendan: Height, weight, reach comparison, and more

Details regarding the fighters’ physical attributes are equally limited, given that this is their first appearance on a professional stage. What we do know is that Brendan Lally stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, or roughly 170 centimeters.

The results of their official weigh-ins are as follows: Jimuel Pacquiao: 134.8 pounds; Brendan Lally: 134.2 pounds.

Fight prediction

Given that this is the first fight for both men, it would be futile to make any concrete predictions.

Styles and strategy

Unlike his father, who fought in a southpaw stance, video footage of Jimuel Pacquiao’s amateur bouts shows him as an orthodox fighter. Still, it’s hard not to notice the subtle similarities between their styles. Using short bursts, he leaps onto opponents, working behind jabs to set up sharp right hands.

The most striking resemblance can be seen in his footwork. Like father, like son. Pacquiao Jr. darts in and out quickly. He covers distance in an instant, surprising opponents with angles they never saw coming. Unlike many pressure fighters who move in straight lines, Pacquiao attacks from sharp angles. He shifts a half-step or full step to his right or left before firing.

Jimuel keeps both hands up, catching and blocking punches rather than slipping and rolling. He pulls straight back with fast feet to exit danger instead of shoulder-rolling like Mayweather. After exchanges, Jimuel favors pivoting out or bouncing out of range.

Pacquiao Jr. has been training at the Wild Card Gym, the same place where Manny Pacquiao honed his skills under legendary trainer Freddie Roach. However, it appears he is now being trained by Marvin Somodio, a longtime assistant to Roach.

Tonight will reveal how the son of a bona fide boxing great handles the test in what appears to be a relatively manageable hurdle. If Jimuel wins, it will be the perfect cherry on top for him and the family.

You can share your thoughts in the comments below.