I just don?t understand what all the hoopla is about regarding this past Saturday?s bout.
Apparently Manny Pacquiao?s dominant performance against the concrete-footed David Diaz was enough for most observers both in person and on television to propel him as potentially being one of the best fighters of our generation. The Chicago-based fighter in Diaz fought gallantly throughout the night although he was clearly out-matched in virtually every department including strength. My only question is this? was it really a surprise to anybody?
Pacquiao was listed as a 5-1 favorite by the sound of the initial bell and fought exactly like a favored fighter of that magnitude should dispose of his opposition. I don?t understand what all the hype is about?.
Relax people? I?m merely busting balls.
In what was a display that even had former colleague, Preston Wada grinning in admiration, the ?Pacman? showed that he is indeed head and shoulders above the rest of the pack today. The Filipino superstar has come a long way from selling stolen cigarettes on the streets of the Philippines to standing atop boxing?s pound-for-pound throne in 2008.
Yeah I said it.
Manny Pacquiao is number one pound-for-pound without a shadow of a doubt.
While Diaz might not necessarily be a Hall-of-Fame bound fighter himself, it?s the way in which Pacquiao completely dominated the former WBC lightweight champion that left me in awe of the former one-dimensional fighter. In all honesty, he reminded me of another former pound-for-pound in Joe Calzaghe. The huge difference being that the ?Pacman? throws fast, accurate combinations with some mustard, hot sauce, and horseradish on them while Calzaghe tends to stick with merely pepper.
To put it simply? Manny Pacquiao was spectacular in more than one way on Saturday.
Not only did the ?Pacman? show that he could box, punch, utilize lateral movement, etc. etc. etc., he also showed that he?s a relatively solid draw when it comes to live attendance. Close to 9,000 live spectators isn?t bad considering the current economy and the fact that the majority of the Mandalay Bay Events Center made the trek solely to support their fighter in Manny. Both Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor combined weren?t able to draw on that level in their most recent rematch which took place in Las Vegas in February.
It will be very interesting to see what the Pay-Per-View numbers look like being that it seems as though every Filipino alive in the San Francisco Bay Area saw and purchased the bout.
While some might call it racist? I yelled at every Pinoy and Pinay I saw on the street this past Saturday, ?Pacquiao baby!!!?
Each and every one of them responded and acknowledged that they tuned into the massacre of David Diaz.
So what?s next for boxing?s best pound-for-pound fighter?
The rumblings seem to point to the heavy hitting anomaly known as Edwin ?El Inca? Valero. It?s a fight that should take place overseas and be marketed by HBO. If every other top lightweight in the world is busy in the fall, I don?t see any problem with a Valero-Pacquiao bout at all.
It?ll be McClellan-Jackson/Hagler-Hearns all over again my friends?
It?s a good thing that Pacquiao is signed with Top Rank because if he wasn?t, we might see a trilogy bout with Marco Antonio Barrera. We all know why? because Barrera sells.
Yeah right.
I never thought I?d see the day when Mr. Preston Wada conceded that Pacquiao is king but it happened on Saturday night. The ultimate critic and ?hater? of the Filipino icon has conceded that Manny?s performance was the one of the best seen in recent times. In fact, Wada even doubts Juan Manuel Marquez?s ability to even compete with this 135 pound monster known as the ?Pacman? should they ever meet for a third time?
How?s that for an impression made by today?s most exciting fighter?
PS. The boxing world would literally burst into tears if Pacquiao announced his retirement today. Did anybody even blink an eye when Mayweather did so?
