MANILA, Philippines — Somebody please check the Hollywood files in Los Angeles for the movie script from where Bob Arum borrowed the theme of Manny Pacquiao’s next fight.
There’s a sure-fire tearjerker waiting to be played out inside the boxing ring.
It will star Pacquiao, not the plain boxing super hero, but as a bothered brother dying to get back at a proud Mexican who on Sunday mauled, bloodied, shamed and stopped his younger brod Bobby at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
It will not be a mere boxing tussle.
It will be a full-blown theater, a drippy melodrama centering on blood debt.
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When was the last time a sensational stuff of this kind was acted out in a prizefight arena?
Did Muhammad Ali, the most dramatic boxer ever, come close to settling a blood conflict involving a family member against a foe inside the ring?
For one, Pacquiao needed a total of three encounters against Erik Morales to sustain the fierce trilogy that finally concluded after the RP ring hero stopped the Mexican ring legend in three rounds last January.
Yes, three hard fights to fuel one of the most memorable grudges in the 130-lb kingdom, which had also spun its own share of legends.
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It’s like this. Before Humberto Soto entered the ring to square off with Bobby Pacquiao, the Mexican was just one in a line of hungry pretenders praying to be paired against the Pacman in a super rich bout.
Soto was said to have been paid $150,000 for that seventh-round stoppage of Bobby Pacquiao.
It may not be the biggest career purse for Soto.
But that gory conquest of Bobby Pacquiao, who didn’t appear properly equipped for that big fight, could’ve lined up Soto for an instant million-dollar pay-off.
Suddenly, Soto is the talk of the boxing town.
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No, he did not display the perfect stuff and depth necessary to put up a winning stand against the Pacman.
But, after that win over Bobby Pacquiao, Soto suddenly emerged as the hottest fighter in the horizon for the Pacman.
This is not easy to believe, but Manny reportedly offered to give up his next purse just to be able to fight Soto — the sooner the better.
“If I have to give my prize money to him, I’d do that,” Pacquiao was quoted as saying by Nick Giongo of the Manila Bulletin.
“I was really hurt when I saw Bobby lose to Soto and I can’t think of anything right now but to seek revenge,” Pacquiao added.
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Has Pacquiao ever wondered when Bob Arum started writing the plot for that sensational revenge encounter against Soto?
You see, there’s nothing wrong with a promoter lifting from a blood-debt story to lure a huge pay-per-view audience.
In fact, Arum could next be lined up for a special entertainment award from the Ring Magazine for innovation in super selling what could otherwise be an ordinary fight.
Of course, Arum cannot be expected to deny that his script was nearly completed after last Sunday’s Soto-BobbyPac mismatch.
As things stand, Arum no longer needs to add a single line to his classic tale.
He scored another promotional coup, a raging knockout.
However, this should not be taken to mean Pacquiao’s next fight is what he needs to fuel his greatness and regain the respect of those who have started to doubt his true worth.
Pacquiao must fight WBC super featherweight king Juan Manuel Marquez if he’s to win what could be an equal to an Oscar award.
