You just can’t read an article on this week’s Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera fight that doesn’t somehow mention the distraction factor. HBO’s Countdown to Pacquiao-Barrera is practically dedicated to the topic. It appears to be a deliberate attempt to make the fight seem more competitive by creating the illusion that Barrera had the distractions in the first fight, contributing to his defeat, and now the situation is reversed because of Manny’s rock star status in the Philippines. The implication is Barrera might be able to turn the tables and win.
It’s brilliant promotion but not very likely.
The oddsmakers, those noble sportsmen who think with their wallets rather than their hearts, initially installed Pacquiao as a huge -350 favorite, meaning a $350 bet on Pacquiao wins $100. At last glance, Manny is still -260 and Barrera is +220, meaning that a $100 bet on him will bring a return of $220.
Whether the odds dropped because bettors are worried Pacquiao hasn’t prepared 100 percent is debatable, but it’s a safe bet potential PPV buyers have thought about it and feel that Manny is due for an upset.
I know it occurred to me a couple of months ago when I wrote, “How can anyone prepare for a fight this way, even a supremely talented specimen such as Pacquiao?” Later, I added, “I think Marco Antonio Barrera has one more moment of greatness in him and it could well come at Manny’s expense.”
At the time, Pacquiao, who had come to America a month behind schedule on Aug. 8, returned to Manila on the 10th without notifying anyone, including long-time trainer Freddie Roach, blowing off a commitment to serve as captain for Team Philippines in the Golden Boy-promoted World Cup against Mexico the next evening.
The Philippine Daily Enquirer quoted Pacquiao’s business manager, Rex “Wakee” Salud as saying that he had heard that “there is a minor family problem that Manny needs to attend to.”
The Enquirer reported a source as saying that Salud was referring to Manny and his wife, Jinkee, who, “due to unknown reasons were at loggerheads when the boxing champion flew to California. Manny wanted to settle their differences and that’s why he decided to immediately fly home.”
The problem was quite likely due to the rampant rumors of a romance between Manny and Filipino actress Ara Mina, rumors both parties denied. But given Pacquiao’s celebrity, it didn’t matter; it was big news anyway. Wives have been known to protest about considerably less than when their man is taking a trip without them while stories of a mistress circle overhead.
A week before he left for California, it was reported Pacquiao held up a PAL flight to L.A. while he decided whether he should leave or not. And this was after he had postponed his departure five times.
So, given all of the circumstances, Roach joined Pacquiao and trained him in Cebu City and, before heading back to L.A., pronounced Manny as “sharp and in shape.” For Pacquiao, training in Cebu was probably as serene as his life could possibly be at the moment.
As for Barrera, his 2003 distractions included a forest fire that drove him out of his Big Bear Lake training camp. OK, that’s inconvenient, but much has been said about Barrera only getting 50 rounds of sparring. I think you can make a case that there was a gym somewhere in the northern hemisphere where Barrera could have gotten the work, so the fire didn’t cause him to be dropped twice in that fight.
Then there was that ugly breakup with his management team, along with revelations from former team members that small metal plates had been inserted into his skull after his second consecutive loss to Junior Jones in 1997. Barrera had since had 22 fights but was forced to take a brain examination.
I suppose it was a nuisance to go through the required medical testing to see if he was fit to compete. Still, again, it’s doubtful an experienced veteran such as Barrera would have been distracted into a knockout over it. Personally, I’d rather face the doctors than an irate Jinkee Pacquiao.
It’s a story line, that’s all. If you want to say that Barrera is highly motivated to avenge his 11th-round TKO loss to Pacquiao in 2003, fine. If you say that the old warrior wants to show that he can still rise to the occasion, I’ll buy that, too. But seriously, in my opinion, the departure of long time trainer Rudy Perez is more of a problem than any of the so-called distractions of 2003.
On the other hand, Manny Pacquiao’s entire life is one huge distraction. He’s a movie, television and recording star in his home country, featured in video games and admired as an athlete and a hero. He is also, or has been accused of being, a bar-hopping, billiard playing, philandering womanizer, not to mention charges of being a compulsive gambler. But if/when he loses, the entire country will feel the loss.
It’s a lot of pressure to carry the hopes of an entire country on your back. He has been placed on a pedestal that humans cannot live up to — so both his achievements and his foibles are blown out of proportion.
Manny made an unsuccessful run for congress that was in large part rejected because of the corrupt image of politicians in the Philippines. The fact that he might not have been qualified was of little matter; the fact is that his countrymen want him as a boxer, not a legislator.
They still have to fight the fight, so we’ll see if Barrera has another moment of greatness in him. But when you analyze it, you can see why the promoters are pushing distractions. Manny, at 28, is in his prime now, fully matured at 130, plus he’s faster and stronger than Barrera. This is not a good sign for the Mexican icon, who was completely dominated in their first fight four years ago.
You have to give Barrera points for savvy, but after a close split decision win over Rocky Juarez, then a win in the rematch with Juarez in a boxing masterpiece that some would call running, Barrera lost a decision to Juan Manuel Marquez in his last outing. At age 33 and with 18 years of pro boxing behind him, it’s difficult to conceive any possible scenario in which Barrera can beat one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best, regardless of how many distractions he has.
I see a Pacquiao TKO within eight rounds or until Barrera’s legs betray him, whichever comes soonest.
If Manny does have anything to be concerned about, he can look to the future and wonder what his standing will be at home when his own skills begin to fade in a couple of years. When Manny “The Conqueror” becomes “Ordinary” Manny, when some young gun bats him around the ring as he is likely to do to Barrera, will he still be a national hero? And when that day comes, as it does for all fighters, will he have shown the financial responsibility to exit gracefully and still be able to support his family?
