Boxing
We had hoped for something really special. Something we had experienced decades ago. Instead we were left with the same old outcome. It soiled the sport even more.
It’s boxing, the way it is, the way it has become.
Floyd Mayweather has his money, his entourage, and his own self proclaimed ideals. Manny Pacquiao has a legendary career record, respect, no crown, and a torn labrum The Nevada Athletic Commission has what is always seems to have, another controversy on its hand.
When you conjured up the words Money and Pac Man, you would get excited. Two of the most successful boxers in a time when the sport needs credibility and quality content.
I had hoped what we would see last Saturday night would be a remake of the aura-era of Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran-Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns. It could have been, but then again, it probably could never be, for this is boxing.
It was a typical Mayweather fight. Delay the bout for five years, wait till the opponent might be on the downside of a career, fight a boring defensive fight against a beatable opponent, and go to the bank and cash the check.
When he fights, he obviously wins, (48-0) proves that, though it sure seems his career record is against aging tomato cans. The ledger shows Pacquiao fought anyone, anytime, any place, enroute to 8-titles in 8-different weight classes. I think you will remember the early wars with Eric Morales , the trilogy wars with Juan Manuel Marquez, and the wars in between with people name Margarito, Cotto, Judah, Moseley, Hatton, DeLaHoya.
What disappoints even more than the poor fight we had to see, is the knowledge now that the Manila mauler had a torn right labrum, hurt in April, and that the fight was allowed to go on. That and the fact the Nevada Commission was asked to allow a pain killing cocktail injection, all legal by USADA standards, but turned the Pacquiao camp down.
So the fight goes on, it is poor in quality, and I get the sense this was just a huge ripoff. The MGM crowd of over 17,000. The 2.9M subscribers on Pay-Per-View. The $100M fight purse and the $1.5B television revenues, all gained from a bout that should have been delayed.
Mayweather takes his check and goes on to the next adventure in life, cars, money, women, trips, hopefully no more arrests. Pacquiao heads home to face surgery and maybe retirement. Boxing gets another black eye, but no problem, because there will be other championship fights.
The sport so badly needs an era of Ali-Frazier-Forman-Norton-
The Sweet Science-boxing, as we used to know it. Again it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, doesn’t it.
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