Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring tomorrow night in Las Vegas trailing the usual mixture of glee, outrage, and incomprehension that follows him whenever he so much as arches an eyebrow. To some, this fight deserves a flashing neon asterisk beside it; to others, it is a long-awaited sequel to a pair of blistering slugfests. To the Anti-Pacquiao Squad, this fight is worth the usual hot tears and blubbering.
Because of all the gnashing and mewling about Pacquiao, however, it is easy to overlook a simple fact: Manny Pacquiao, along with Floyd Mayweather Jr., is one of only two moneymaking machines in boxing, and tampering with a $100 million dollar formula is senseless for any enterprise, not just for the rare prizefighter who can produce bonanza after bonanza.
And to make sure the gold keeps panning out, careful attention is paid to the merits of each Pacquiao bout on a prestige basis. Yes, his opponents have been selected carefully over the last two years?they have been chosen to maximize marquee value. This way, the cash register never stops ringing. With the exception of Joshua Clottey, a top 5 or 6 welterweight at the time according to The Ring (and everyone knows its Ratings Panel holds dominion over heaven and earth in boxing), Pacquiao has faced only opponents that will generate Powerball payouts. More than anything, this is what seems to be the stumbling block between the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps: When a boxer can bring in as much as $80-$100 million in revenue per fight, a pick ?em affair is not what a manager or promoter is looking for.
