Legendary boxing commentator, ?The Colonel? Bob Sheridan joins the all-time greats of the sport in the boxing Hall of Fame this June. Sheridan has commentated on the sport for over forty years and has many of the greats come into the sport, rise to the top and then close out their careers by retiring.
In this interview with Bob Sheridan, I discuss with him Manny Pacquiao?s final fight of his boxing career, a dominant win over Timothy Bradley. I get his views on the performance, if the retirement will stick and what Pacquiao has left. Additionally, Bob talks about a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the chances Pacquiao takes a fight with Terence Crawford or Saul Alvarez. Here is what Bob Sheridan had to say.
Robert Brown: What were your thoughts on the conclusion of the Pacquiao-Bradley saga?
Bob Sheridan: I was really surprised that Manny was able to deliver that great final effort ? if in fact it is his final fight. Timothy Bradley was so well prepared for this fight but he just couldn?t seem to do anything.
The early part of the fight I thought Bradley did well, in fact I thought he won the first three rounds ? very close rounds though ? and then Pacquiao started to turn things around by the fourth. I had the fight with Bradley in front after five rounds but from that point on, it just seemed like Pacquiao just took over.
On the judges scorecards, Pacquiao won the whole second half of the fight. It was a spectacular effort by Manny but this guy is a certain Hall of Famer, eight time world champion and he just went out like the great fighter that he is. At 37 years of age he showed plenty of speed, plenty of pop, he just fought a terrific fight.
Robert Brown: Do you think this will be Manny?s last fight or do you think he?ll fight again?
Bob Sheridan: Well I talked to him on Friday before the fights and we had a private chat and we did everything we could do to try to get him to say if in fact he was going to retire and his answer to the question was that his wife and his mother and his family want him to retire from boxing, they don?t see anything else that he has to do to prove his greatness ? which is all so true ? but he?s a fighter and we couldn?t get him to admit that he wanted to keep fighting but he had that big broad smile on his face.
We?ll have to wait and see what happens with the election. If he gets elected senator in The Philippines in May, that could have a big influence on whether he wants to come back and box again. The other factor of course is the money factor. If Mayweather decides that he?d like to have one more fight and go out in style himself, a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight might be huge or a fight with Canelo Alvarez or Terence Crawford. Any of those fights could be a possibility but we?ll have to wait and see what happens.
Robert Brown: If he was to fight again, would you still prefer to see Manny fight Terence Crawford?
Bob Sheridan: That would probably be the fight I?d like to see but I think that the money fight would be if Mayweather came out of retirement, that would be a huge money fight now that Manny is 100%. But we are talking at least a year away, so we?ll have to wait.
There?s a lot that would have to be negotiated, Pacquiao would have to come out of retirement, Mayweather would have to come out of retirement. There?s a lot up in the air with that fight, and a lot hinges on his election, if he gets elected senator that may be enough to keep him busy because he?s very sincere about helping the people of The Philippines.
If Manny becomes a senator, he may just want to spend full time at that and then he would have gone out in great style. In terms of the sport, I haven?t seen enough of Pacquiao, I wouldn?t mind seeing him one more time but in terms of his life, it would be a good time to hang it up and that?s what his family sees.
Robert Brown: Bob Arum?s talked about Canelo Alvarez perhaps facing Pacquiao, but do you think that fight is realistic? Can you see that fight taking place?
Bob Sheridan: Anything is possible I?ve learned in this sport after being in for about fifty years. It?s all about the money, it?s all about the promotion. But I think the bigger fight now providing that Canelo Alvarez gets past Amir Khan, and that?s no step over, Amir Khan is a very good fighter, very fast, but anything is possible in the sport of boxing.
Robert Brown: Does Manny Pacquiao?s performance over Bradley open the door to a rematch with Floyd Mayweather?
Bob Sheridan: It?s possible but a lot would have to get done. The first time they fought there were tremendous negotiations. I think the atmosphere for it would be there again because Manny came through, his shoulder is healthy, Mayweather?s gotta come out of retirement but everyone seems to think he will.
Stranger things have happened in boxing and it would be a huge money fight again and in spite of the people who thought they were taken in the first fight because of the interview that Pacquiao announced afterwards ? which was a foolish thing on his part to even say anything about it ? it left a sour note in the mouth of people who paid for pay-per-view.
I think that this fight would be huge money wise, I think it?s the biggest money fight because it would be the definite swan song for both fighters and people would be interested in seeing that fight again with a healthy Manny Pacquiao. Yes it?s possible, is it likely? I don?t know, not in the foreseeable future and the clock is ticking on both of them age wise.
