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| With Marquez's defeat of Pacquiao, Manny's fight may never happen |
We’ve all courted her; the girl that is always just out of
our grasp. Whatever you do or say, it
seems to be the wrong thing at the wrong time.
It’s always something keeping it from happening. After time passes, you realize that it wasn’t
that big of a deal, and that there are more fish in the sea.
We’ve reached that point with the Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.
fight. When this fight was first
proposed YEARS ago, it was extremely enticing. Mayweather looked untouchable as he
danced through his opponents, and Pacquiao had begun to flash a power that had
never before been witnessed in his fighting career. The match looked obvious and sublime, the
tactician with the perfect record (Mayweather) against the Tasmanian Filipino
Devil.
Now, Pacquiao looks to have stayed too long and the window
of opportunity has closed…and that’s ok.
I’ve watched boxing two straight weekends in a row, and it
has been great. I saw Nonito Donaire
round out his candidacy for Fighter of the Year as he systematically dispatched
a game, but over-matched Jorge Arce (aired on HBO). I witnessed Amir Khan return
from the verges of being an inconsequential fighter, to showcase his new trainer
(Virgil Hunter) and accompanying defense to remain relevant with his 10th
round TKO of Carlos Molina. I was even privileged to see a potential Fight of
The Year candidate between Alfredo Angulo and Jorge Silva that was full of
blood, guts and heart (Showtime Boxing had a FANTASTIC card top to bottom last Saturday).
In short, we don’t need no stinkin’ Mayweather and Pacquiao
fight.
We were excited at the possibility. We were eager to seize the opportunity of a
classic fight. Now, we’re just thirsty. First it was reportedly the drug testing that
held up the fight, then the money split was not to the boxers liking. Throw in an adversarial relationship with
Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, and Floyd looked disinterested in pursuing the
fight further.
But here is the secret that most boxing-heads know; there is
a glutton of talented fighters. Canelo Alverez, Andre Berto, Victor Ortiz, Amir
Khan, and Robert Guerrero are some of several talented and extremely
entertaining boxers.
{Sidenote: If you get an opportunity, watch the Berto vs Guerrero fight (part two is available on the side of the screen); An action-packed slugfest where two inside
fighters stand in the middle of the ring and bang on each other. It’s another Fight
of the Year candidate and an absolutely fantastic piece of pugilism}
Despite what mainstream media will have you believe, boxing isn’t
dead. Sure, the Heavyweight division isn’t what it used to be. The behemoths that dominated the division
have sought more lucrative waters in the areas of baseball, basketball, and
football. Add to that the fact that the
division has been dominated by the Klitschko brothers, and the Heavyweight division as a
whole hasn’t been entertaining (although Deontay Wilder obliterated Kelvin
Price with a walk-off KO in the 3rd round Saturday, and has tantalized
American Heavyweight fans with a new favorite). The middleweights (here defined
as 135-168 pound fighters) division is overflowing with talent, and the crown
jewel may just be Adrien Broner.
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| Don't miss your blessings choosing style over substance, fellas |
Honestly, Pacquiao vs Mayweather isn’t even the best matchup
on the horizon. Canelo Alvarez is the
new hard-hitting boxing import that everyone wants to see, Khan’s a throwback
fighter that responds with aggression when he’s hurt, and Guerrero is the
scrappy fighter who is finally getting the due that his talent demands. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see Mayweather
and Pacquiao fight (sooner rather than later due to both their advanced
ages). There is no sporting event like a
big-time prize fight. But let’s not get hung up on Robin Givens when Halle
Berry is staring at us in the face.
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