Over the years undefeated pound for pound Picasso Floyd Mayweather Jr has blessed boxing fans with the gift of his magnificent boxing ability. In the last ten years Mayweather has remained undefeated while holding titles in five different weight classes, a feat no previous “fighter of the decade” had ever accomplished. With that being said, it’s difficult for me to find a greater gift that Floyd Mayweather has given us than Manny Pacquiao the mega-star.
There can be no denying that Manny Pacquiao was a force to be reckoned with before his match with Oscar De La Hoya. His fights with Barrera, Morales and Marquez were legendary, but not mainstream. Manny Pacquiao owes much of his current status to the opportunity afforded to him by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Had Mayweather Jr. not retired and decided to go through with the not so anticipated rematch with Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather would have likely won the fight more convincingly than he did the first time around, thus preventing Pacquiao from being able to give Oscar De La Hoya the worst beating he’s ever taken.
“We owe Floyd big time for making that move, for vacating the stage, for leaving De La Hoya available, staying out of boxing for the period that he did, and letting us clean up, and educate the public about Manny Pacquiao. We owe Floyd big time for that. Did he do it to help us? Of course not, but that’s the way it happened,” said Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum.
Ah, Manny Pacquiao, perhaps the most wonderful accident boxing has ever had. With all these Ivy-leaguers running the networks and big time promoters, who have an abundance of resources at their disposal, our mega-star was born by accident, not by the development of a network executive. Imagine that.
In the eyes of many, the nature in which Pacquiao capitalized on Mayweather’s gift, has made him bigger than Floyd ever was. He’s certainly more beloved to boxing fans and one of his fights provides more action than you’d likely get out of three fights from Mayweather.
Bob Arum certainly doesn’t disagree. “I think Manny is bigger now than Floyd has ever been, and is bigger now than Floyd will ever be, because Manny Pacquiao is now a world wide figure. Floyd Mayweather, for all of his great drawing power in PPV, was never a world figure like Manny Pacquiao.”
We all owe Floyd Mayweather a great big thank you, so muchas gracias amigo.
Hopefully Mayweather realizes that some of his outside of the ring antics are childish and uncalled for. As disciplined and unflappable as he is in the boxing ring, his composure outside of one has a lot to be desired.
His non-boxing related troubles are the primary reason the biggest fight in boxing history wasn’t a possibility for May 7.
Thanks Floyd.
