Okay, so it isn’t the fight that boxing fans were hoping for, but Manny Pacquiao will be facing Shane Mosley on May 7, and that’s that.
Everybody knows that Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is the fight that the world wants to see. This fact has been chronicled in 123,432 articles, give or take a few. We all know that everybody gets the point by now, but admittedly, about half of those articles were written by yours truly, and I’m not done yet.
The boxing media, and fans alike have been heavily critical of Pacquiao’s match-up against the 39 year old Mosley.
Michael Mayo of Springdale said, ?I personally don’t think Mosley should be in the ring with Pacquiao. I like the idea of a Marquez or Berto fight much better.?
Professional boxer Delray ?The Rainmaker? Raines of Paris, Arkansas feels that Berto would have been a more interesting match, but has his own opinions about the reasons behind the Mosley bout.
?I’d say Berto would be a good match for Pacquiao, but Mosley is the next closest step to get to Mayweather,? Raines said. ?But I do believe that Pacquiao will do just as good, or better, against Mosley than Mayweather did.?
Boxing trainer Stacy Goodson, also of Paris, thinks that Pacquiao is simply biding his time until he lands the Mayweather fight.
?Pacman is the new Tyson,? Goodson said. ?He’ll fight a Holmes, a Spinks and maybe even a welterweight version of a Foreman, but he won’t fight the Holyfield until the money is right. Just hope that Sugar ain’t the next James ‘Buster’ Douglas.?
To elaborate on Goodson’s point, in the unlikely event of a Mosley upset, a fight with Mayweather would never occur. When Mosley faced Mayweather, he did prove that he still possesses a dangerous right hand, and shouldn’t be completely dismissed.
One problem that a few elite fighters have to contend with is related to the fact that every time they sign a contract with anybody, it’s not only perceived as a mismatch, but it often is.
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have both reached that level, thus the screams that resonate from the boxing public for the two pugilists to fight each other have become deafening. Both fighters tend to make every pugilist they face look like they’re making their professional debut.
The unfavorable judgment that Pacquiao is facing a lesser opponent is nothing more than a recurring theme that has been repeated with every fight he has had since his December, 2008 annihilation of Oscar De La Hoya. The logical question would be; who is a worthy opponent within the welterweight division besides Mayweather?
Undoubtedly, a Marquez or Berto bout would have drawn the similar criticisms from many pundits.
It’s completely understandable that few fans are drooling with anticipation at the thought of what’s likely to happen on May 7, but Pacquiao shouldn’t be expected to fight men who outweigh him by 17 pounds just to silence his critics.
Wait! He already did that, but his one-sided victory over Margarito didn’t impress his critics either, did it?
Oh well.
Pacquiao vs. Mosley ? May 7, 2011.
