Manny Pacquiao – Floyd Mayweather Salvaged?
With all of the money to be made, all of the powers that be have jumped in and attempted to save the March 13th super fight between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, JR.
It is up for debate whether there was legitimate concern from Team Mayweather over steroid abuse or if it was just mental warfare to rattle Manny before the biggest showdown of his life. I would wager that it lies somewhere in the middle. When a fighter moves up in weight and packs on muscle, appears to be stronger and better, there is sometimes the assumption that there is foul play. With fighters like Shane Mosley, Roy Jones, JR., and James Toney all proving to be on steroids at one point or another, it’s not out of the question that a top fighter could try to get an edge on the competition.
Remember that boxing is called “prize fighting,” and that the goal is to get the big prize. Fighters don’t usually have a long run where they make gobs and gobs of money and when there is a chance to cash in, they are most likely much more open to suggestion.
Manny – Floyd is going to be worth millions of dollars…more money than either has ever seen, and that right there is incentive to use illegal drugs, because the winner of this fight will move on and make even more money. Manny has not been proven guilty and there has been no other allegation but Floyds. He has also passed every other drug test. Mayweather contends that he knows how to play the game and can gear his usage to pass the tests and still take them.
I, along with the rest of the world, hope that this fight happens. Who would want to see Pacquiao take on Yuri Foreman or Paulie Malignaggi, while Floyd goes after Timothy Bradley? Foreman, Malignaggi, and Bradley are good fighters, but they are a class below or maybe two or three classes below the two guys in question. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is the fight that the world wants and with everything going to mediation, expect it to finally be settled…maybe.
Shannon Briggs Too Big?
Former WBO Heavyweight Champion, Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs, tested positive for an illegal substance after his comeback win over a fighter by the name of Marcus McGee, a fight that Briggs easily won via first round stoppage. The Briggs camp is stating that it was asthma medication showing up in the tests, and it may very well be. He has had a long fight with asthma, but others point to his freakishly large size and make the assumption that there are performance enhancing drugs involved.
Briggs, at 38 years of age, with a record of 48-5-1, 42 KO’s, is still a viable and marketable contender in boxing. He would be a fun challenger for either Klitschko, especially Wladimir, where his big punch would give him quite the chance to pull off an upset, but this controversy may make any future title shot an impossibility.
If it turns out to be asthma medication, then I don’t see a huge issue. They do give a steroid to asthma sufferers and that may be what this is. We’ll have to wait for the reports to come out.
Briggs is good for boxing…well, good for the heavyweight division. He has always been a fan favorite and is capable of knocking any heavyweight out. His lack of stamina and the loss of his speed over the years have hurt him. His inability to deal with a mobile and quick opponent was responsible for his loss against Sultan Ibragimov in 2007, where he dropped the WBO Crown.
With a big punch and charisma, we should see him back in the title picture, if he comes back clean. Let’s hope that he does. The division needs some excitement.
Mike Tyson Cleared of Charges
Iron Mike, right when things were going great for him…at least is seemed that way, was in the news in a negative light again when he had an altercation with a paparazzi in Los Angeles. Good news for Mike…there will be no charges filed against him and although I wasn’t there, I understand why he was cleared. Paparazzi are known for being pushy and for overstepping their bounds. With Tyson’s long record with the police, I’m sure that they felt safe to do what they wanted to do because Tyson would not retaliate because of the risk of imprisonment. An altercation broke out with conflicting details as to what happened. It is squashed now and should be. Tyson seems to be in better mental shape than ever before and we’ll see if it holds up and he can keep this new public persona going.
Tyson’s documentary called “TYSON” has done very well and his appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) has been a popular segment, downloaded millions of time on the net. Tyson has made amends with Don King and Evander Holyfield, and now plans a comeback to the ring. With the weak division and money to be made and with Don King in his corner guiding him through winnable challenges, we may very well see a return of the great Mike Tyson to the boxing ring.
Evander Holyfield has been rumored to be the opponent and according to various sources, Tyson stated that he would be facing him in a third bout should Holyfield get past Botha, a bout that was pushed to February. Tyson – Holyfield III…is there really anything bigger either man could do?
