First, I need to offer congratulations to all of the supporters of congressman-elect, Manny Pacquiao. From the way I understand it, Manny beat a pretty formidable foe, from a powerful family, and beat him badly. I guess Manny is set for his future life outside of the ring. But Manny has more business to take care of inside the ring, and he already has a November date set for his return.
I’ve written it before, and I must stress, Manny will eventually hang on too long, and get embarrassed in the ring, while way past his prime. That’s how boxing works. It just comes down to whether he’ll retire in the next year or two, and then come back in his mid to late 30’s, or if he’ll just fight on, until his mid 30’s.
If we’re looking at the latter, Manny needs to drop down to the 140 pound division. That’s the deepest, and most talented division in boxing. Manny can easily keep himself busy for the next 3 years or so, battling it out with the likes of Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley, Victor Ortiz, Carlos Maidana, any newcomer, and eventually a possible showdown with stable-mate, Amir Khan.
After reading about how much Manny has to eat to maintain his weight as a welterweight, and seeing how he still only tops out at about 143 or 144, I believe 140 is the best weight for him to carry on at. I’m not sure whether he’ll start back down there in November or not, but that’s where he should be heading in the near future. I do have a feeling Manny will be defending his 147 lb strap, at least one last time, this November. But perhaps he could go for greater glory.
So who should Manny be fighting this November-likely back in Dallas Cowboys Stadium? I’ll look at some likely scenarios from least appealing to most. I won’t engage in any far fetched possibilities, and I’ve already written extensively about who Manny won’t be fighting and why.
ANTONIO MARGARIO
You know how you get that dizzy feeling, and that watery taste in your mouth, right before you puke? Well that’s how I felt after typing the name in bold. This is the likely fight for Manny, and the first Manny Pacquiao fight in many years that I won’t pay to watch.
I don’t for a second believe that Margarito didn’t know that his hands were “loaded” before the Mosley fight. Even if you give him the full benefit of the doubt concerning the plaster of paris?I don’t– there is no excuse for his lack of knowledge about the additional pads by the knuckles. A fighter of his experience knows better.
Margarito got caught cheating, lied about it, and has shown no remorse for his actions, or the actions of his trainer. The man is simply disgusting. Shame on Bob Arum for trying to continue shoving Scumbagarito down our throats, to simply make some more Mexican money off him. The best reasons for this fight not happening are: (A) no attractive states grant Margarito a license to fight, (B) HBO, the network who just won a deserved Emmy for “Assault in the Ring”, refuses to buy the fight, out of respect for the supporters and family of the late Billy Collins Jr, and for the sake of basic human dignity.
If this atrocity of a fight were to happen, Manny would overwhelm Antonio with speed and power; even easier than Shane Mosley did. Margarito wouldn’t try to survive like Clottey, but rather would leave himself open with his mummy-like offense. Pacquiao would win by TKO in the middle rounds.
SHANE MOSLEY
I know all of you just collectively sprained your necks with a dramatic eye roll, and I don’t blame you. But I can see this fight happening. Mosley will likely fight again, and he could campaign that Freddie Roach is so scared of him fighting Manny, that he wanted Mosley to drop all the way down to a 142 lb catchweight a year or two ago. My proposed fight would be for Manny’s 147 lb strap, without a catchweight.
Mosley could make up some excuses for his loss to Mayweather, and proclaim that the punches that stunned Floyd in the second round, would have knocked Manny out. I know, I know, try not to laugh. Mosley could announce before hand that this will be his last fight: win, lose, or draw.
You have the makings of a storyline, though a weak one. The main benefit for Manny is that he would put another Hall of Fame name on his resume, and knockout another opponent that his “rival” Mayweather was unable to. Manny could attempt to generate more revenue than Mayweather/Mosley did, and the bout would take place in a major American football stadium. I think well over 60,000 people would show up in Dallas, if the fight were promoted properly.
This fight could be interesting for a couple rounds, but if Shane couldn’t KO Cotto, or Mayweather, he certainly won’t stop Manny. Shane certainly won’t outwork him. Manny would keep Shane on the defensive?where he struggles? and knock him out in dramatic fashion sometime between rounds nine and twelve. Not sold on this fight? Me either, but I’d pay to watch it.
MARQUEZ/DIAZ WINNER
Such a fight would be for Manny’s WBO 147 lb strap. It wouldn’t be as sexy of a match-up if Juan Diaz was the challenge, because he’s simply way too small to campaign at welterweight. Manny would simply eat the pudgy, slower, less powerful, Diaz alive with an early round knockout. Still, the fight would sell well in Texas, and the Mexican fans would be out in full force hoping to see Diaz pull off a miracle. Unfortunately, for that to happen, Manny would have to pull an extreme “Damon Wayons in The Great White Hype”. That’s not how Manny is wired. Diaz would get smoked.
However, if Marquez has some gas in the tank, and can whip Diaz again in July, he and Manny could have the war to settle the score. After their first two controversial battles, Manny is in the position to prove that he really is the better man, and Juan Manuel Marquez would try to prove he has the “blueprint” to beat Manny.
This would be major event in Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and an intense promotion. If I were Manny, I’d even give JMM a catchweight of 142-144, and stick to it, to one-up his big-mouthed, shady, rival, who disregarded his catchweight versus JMM last September. In another show of one-upmanship, I think Manny would “settle the score” and knock JMM out in the middle to late rounds. I think Manny was weight-drained during their last battle at 130, and at the higher weight, the younger, much faster, and stronger Manny would be too much for Marquez. If properly promoted, this fight would do well over 1 million PPV buys, and Cowboys Stadium could sell out.
COTTO/FOREMAN WINNER
This would be huge. First of all, no catchweight, the fight would have to be at the 154 lb limit to increase the risk factor for Manny. Manny could face a formidable, but winnable, challenge for 8 titles in 8 divisions. Even in this era where belts have lost some of their symbolic value, 8 in 8 is still historic, and not something we’d likely ever see again.
This fight would be difficult for Manny, because he’d likely weigh in close to 148-150, for the 154 pound limit. This would dramatically slow him down, and hurt his stamina. Either opponent could produce a lose-able fight; particularly if they worked on Manny’s bloated body.
Yuri Foreman would have excellent endurance at his proper weight, and his jab and movement could give Manny problems. Cotto would have revenge on his mind after losing a heartbreaker last year, and being forced to defend his strap at a 145 lb catchweight. First we’ll have to see how strong Cotto looks at 154 in June. Considering he began his career at 140, I expect him to thrive.
Whether we’re talking about Foreman’s Israeli fans or Cotto’s Puerto Rican contingent, you’d likely get over 80,000 people in Cowboy’s stadium, and well over 1 million PPV buys. I’m picking Manny to win either fight, in a close unanimous decision, but it wouldn’t be a cake-walk. It would take clean, effective, power-punching for the majority of the fight, and a higher output. I’d pay big bucks to see that challenge.
That’s all for this week. Let me know what you think about Manny’s possibilities. Of course, I’d be a happy man if Manny would simply drop down to 140 right away, defend his Ring belt, and excel in the sport’s deepest division. But there are some exciting other opportunities out there. Enjoy this weekend’s fights. Peace.
