YOU WERE surprised Floyd Mayweather Jr. has emerged the initial oddsmakers? favorite in his proposed summit clash against Congressman Manny Pacquiao?
A Sportsbook list which came out the other day pegged Mayweather as minus 150 and Pacquiao plus 120.
Nothing truly stunning there, folks.
Simply put, a $150 bet on Mayweather wins $100, while a $100 gamble on Pacquiao pays $120.
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That was the least surprising, of course.
Those odds reflected purely American sentiments.
It?s Yankee-stamped as baseball, bacon and ketchup.
In case you?re not aware, poor Uncle Sam has all along been waiting for that break.
It has all along been aching to shout to the world that, hey, it?s not a Filipino who reigns as world pound-for-pound (P4P) boxing king.
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In fact, there have been several claims, courtesy of US media, that Mayweather Jr. has officially assumed that P4P kingship.
This corny coronation was obviously based on Mayweather?s marvelous conquest of Shane Mosley.
This was coupled by the brag that Mayweather had higher PPV buys than Pacquiao based on their last fights, versus Mosley and Joshua Clottey, respectively.
Floyd Jr. reportedly totaled 1.4 million PPV buys, compared with around 700,000 by Pacman.
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You see, America loves to go to specifics.
But, before trying to take away the undisputed boxing kingship from Pacquiao, they should also determine the manly reason behind Mayweather?s dogged determination to avoid a fistic confrontasi with the Filipino superhero.
Or is it not a man, and a heartless duck, that has been trying all these unimaginable escape routes?
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There should be an honest-to-goodness query.
Look, after Pacquiao relented nobly and agreed to be tested 14 days to the fight, Mayweather squirmed.
He is now insisting blood-testing should be allowed even on the day of the fight.
What could be odder than this runaround by an unbeaten American superstar continuously maintaining he would fight Pacquiao?
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In fact, latest accounts said Mayweather would not agree to a 50-50 sharing of the fight loot.
Eric Pineda, Pacquiao?s business manager, said he has been told Mayweather wanted a bigger purse.
?Of course, Manny won?t agree to that,? Pineda was quoted as saying.
It has become crazy, even distasteful.
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Listen, please.
Without meaning to offend, Mayweather must be told he has slurred the image of the American male.
By continuously behaving like a rotten robot, he has also sold the inborn dignity of the man from the land of the brave and the home of the free cheap.
Maybe the eminent Larry Merchant could tell him how to behave nobly, like a true champ.
Maybe Oprah Winfrey and Muhammad Ali could step in, too.
If not, President Barack Obama, after his recommendation for Lebron James to suit up for the Chicago Bulls, could come forward.
Or will they need a unanimous vote from Congress for Floyd Mayweather Jr. to start conducting himself like an honorable American?