I?m all good with the upcoming Pacquiao v. Mosley showdown next month on May 7th. I?ve complained about the fight in the past, but now that it?s coming up, and the hype has started, I?m excited about the matchup. Mosley is not the perfect opponent for Pacquiao at this time; that perfect opponent would be ?he who shall not be named until he schedules a bout.? Since that fight hasn?t been scheduled, and likely never will be, let?s look at some of the reasons why Pacquiao/Mosley is a compelling showdown.
If Not Mosley, Who?
The easy choice is Juan Manuel Marquez. I?ve personally lobbied for that matchup, and was initially disappointed when it didn?t come to pass. Did I think Marquez would pose a real challenge for Manny? Well, no.
Manny has no interest in going down to 140, and nor should he. Manny?s at the tail-end of his prime and just happens to be the best welterweight fighter in the world. He?s also the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and the sport?s biggest draw. Fighters are to meet his demands, and concede in his favor. That?s just the way it works in boxing. Always has and always will.
In the mid 140?s, with a 147 pound limit, Marquez would get destroyed by Pacquiao. Marquez is a bit too old and slow to compete with Manny in a realistic way. I think Manny would knockout Marquez inside of seven rounds.
So why did I want to see a third fight between the two?
Because I thought Marquez deserved it. Marquez fought Pacquiao on even terms during two former encounters at a much lighter weight, he has fought well is recent years at an elite level, and he?s regarded as the best 135 pound fighter in the world. Marquez is also on his last legs as an elite fighter, and ?deserves? the payday.
That?s an erroneous position. This is boxing. This is professional sports. It?s a business. To steal a great line, from a great film, ?deserves got nothing to do with it?.
Marquez is tied up with Golden Boy and Manny is a Top Rank fighter. The two companies are at ?war?. In the meanwhile, the sport goes on. And the sport?s best fighter needs to stay active in the ring, while he still has some prime stuff left. Shane Mosley managed to sever his ties with Golden Boy and negotiate a deal with Team Pacquiao. Mosley also still has a big enough name for the fight to do well at the box office.
So does he ?deserve? the fight more than Marquez, considering his recent performances and diminishing skills? It doesn?t matter. I do know this: if Mosley and Marquez met at welterweight, I?d favor Mosley to win the fight easily. So Manny isn?t getting an easier day at the office. Rather, he?s fighting a bigger man, who still has the knockout power to put him to sleep.
What about Andre Berto? He was in the running for this bout. The problem with Berto is that he has virtually no marquee value. I was at the arena in Sunrise, Florida, where Florida resident, Andre Berto, dominated Carlos Quintana in an arena that was less than a third full. It was pathetic to draw such a sparse crowd, in his home state. Despite Berto?s best efforts through social networking, he still isn?t very well known by non-hardcore boxing fans. Even among hardcore fans, Berto isn?t known as a particularly dangerous fighter at an elite level, but rather as a highly protected underachiever.
Berto is still pretty young, and things can change in the next couple years, but right now, it?s hard to make the argument that Berto ?deserves? the fight more that Mosley. Add in the fact that if Mosley and Berto were to be matched up, it would likely be an even-money fight. Trust me, if you?re hearing shouts that Pacquiao is ducking Berto, you?re probably sitting around in the Berto household, or perhaps you?re schizophrenic.
Considering how the top 140 pound fighters are tied up with each other and Manny is way too small for elite 154 pound fighters, there just weren?t many other options out there for Manny this spring. Let?s just accept the situation we?re presented with and enjoy the festivities.
CBS/Showtime
Say what you will about Bob Arum, and he really deserves all of the venom and bad feelings directed his way. But taking Manny Pacquiao to Showtime, in association with CBS, was a stroke of genius. It taught HBO an important lesson about how it conducts business, and has spread Manny?s brand.
The awesome Fight Camp 360 series has already premiered on free television, right before the Final Four on CBS. Top Rank is taking advantage of an invaluable piece of marketing, as it spreads the boxing brand to a more mainstream audience. As fight night approaches, there will be countless commercials airing on CBS? primetime hour and word will really get around. I expect this fight to do at least a few hundred thousand more PPV buys, than it would have if it appeared on HBO PPV.
The Fight
Shane Mosley will be Manny Pacquiao?s 7th future Hall of Fame opponent. (Barrera, Morales, Marquez, De La Hoya, Hatton, and Cotto are the others). Heck, he could be at number 9, if Oscar Larios and Margacheato sneak in by some half of a miracle. At this point, Manny is just adding to his legacy, so it makes sense to throw another future Hall of Famer on the resume.
Fighting Shane Mosley would also quiet the race-baiters out there, who claim that Manny avoids Black-American fighters. I guess the annihilation of Joshua Clottey didn?t count, since Clottey is ?African-African?. *eyeroll*. Whatever. The whole topic is silly, but this fight will put it to rest.
