About two months ago, I willingly paid a portion of the pay-per-view Mayweather vs Ortiz fight with a group of friends, I was not only excited for it, but I was counting down the days until it was to happen. It represented a buildup of what could come if all went well. The reason reflected logic; Mayweather wins this and Pacquiao wins his fight next month and then the fight of fights will finally happen in six months or so.
The excitement could also be attributed due to the fact that it had been a long time since I’d seen a Mayweather fight, but it was more because I know Mayweather to be an incredible fighter with an unbelievable record. I also semi-bought into the hype about Ortiz and his hard upbringing and how badly he wanted to win. Then I saw the fight and realized it was nothing but a quick pay day for both fighters. Ortiz relying on diving headbutts to try and deliver an advantage, and Mayweather knocking out a fighter who seemed to have ignored the referee’s first words; Protect yourself at all times. The fight was a mess and something of a mockery to boxing. It was another reason why UFC fans claimed supremacy in the modern age of prize fighting.
So last Saturday it was Pacquiao’s turn. HBO’s famed series, 24/7 did a great job at highlighting and educating anyone watching that Marquez can be remembered by more than the guy who drinks his own urine before fights (which he recently stopped doing, only after a doctor told him it wasn’t doing him much good). The Marquez / Pacquiao fights I and II were testaments that Marquez does indeed have a warrior spirit and if knocked down, will not stay down. His punches and talent appeared very level to Manny’s. The fights appeared to be almost completely even, with the exception of Manny having the advantage in knocking Marquez down (Marquez sprang up every time) more than being knocked down. Still, both fighter’s faces were equally bloody after both matches and in the end, Manny walked away the winner.
This past Saturday, both fighters showed up to defend their will. The fight was reminiscent of both their previous altercations and while watching (through a website) it became clear to me that the feeling that encompasses all of those with Manny fever is a myth. He is not the best ever. He took many hard-hitting counter punches from Marquez, and the fight, from my point of view – was clearly Marquez’s. Still, the judges scored it very tight with Manny winning by a few points over Marquez. It was obvious that if anyone was to win this fight, it was Marquez. The crowd knew it, the fighting world knew it and many others knew it.
It was clear that the “human error” if that’s what you want to call it – had decided the fight based on either ignorance, promoter Bob Arum’s bribes or for the global popularity of boxing and Manny Pacquiao. The Pacman representing some of our country’s money-lenders, too big to fail.
Recently, Mayweather put the offer on the table to Pacquiao saying he would fight him at the MGM Grand in a few months. Pacquiao’s promoter declined the offer and now is talking about a Marquez vs Pacquiao IV next year. I think it is clear that Pacquiao would definitely lose if the two were to face off, especially considering Mayweather made Marquez look like a ranked amateur when they fought in 2009, and Manny having a very hard time trying to beat the loser of that fight two years later.
Everyone wants to see a Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight, but I don’t think it will happen. Let’s say I highly doubt that it will happen. I believe that Pacquiao wants to make as much money as possible while holding his chest out and head high as long as he can before being humiliated by boxing’s best pound-for-pound boxer, Floyd Mayweather. Still, the fight would gross both fighters an unreal amount of money, widely known that it would be the highest grossing pay-per-view fight of all time. Maybe the Pacman will end his career with it? Head back to the Philippines with some 70 million and retire in congress. There’s too much speculation surrounding it. One thing is clear; with all the gossip and media attention surrounding both fighters, if this fight doesn’t happen – the world will grow even more apathetic towards boxing.