The business of boxing
Pacquiao has gone a long way since his contractual disputes with former Filipino business manager, the late Rod Nazario, and former promoter Murad Muhammad.
And a thousand fold better than his scrappy gym beginnings.
Like Tyson and de la Hoya before him, Pacquiao reached the stratosphere where he commands and dictates the terms of his fights ? outside only of Top Rank?s Bob Arum, perhaps.
But Pacquiao knows the ins and outs of boxing long enough to be in the business of boxing himself. As soon as he found the opportunity, he was quick to cash in. After avenging his loss to Erik Morales with a spectacular stoppage in the 10th round in 2005, Pacquiao stock as a bankable boxing superstar increased. He became the man to beat in the featherweight and lightweight divisions and soon became a million-dollar purse fighter.
Spectacular and convincing wins over the best in the featherweight divisions moved him closer to inheriting the mantle of boxing?s biggest draw.
It came a little over three years later when he took the biggest gamble of his boxing career by agreeing to fight Oscar de la Hoya, the undisputed king of pay per view boxing and the sports? biggest crossover superstar. Not only did he silence his critics, Pacquiao also literally snatched the reins from de la Hoya who was forced to quit at the end of the 8th round.
When he was done and over with de la Hoya, he became boxing?s biggest cash cow and would henceforth command eight figure fight purses. It also has its downside (or another upside depending which view you will take), however. Pacquiao?s began to limit his ring appearances at no more than twice a year. He and his promoter likewise began to be more and more selective with his opponents, taking painful care that the Filipino boxing star did not end up at the receiving end of the bargain and making sure that he will not be handicapped in his fights. After all, Pacquiao rings in the cash register.
Thus, whilst before he hit the big time Pacquiao did not have the compunction whatsoever to go up in weight to face the biggest names there is in boxing, he is now making sure bigger opponents will meet him halfway or forcing smaller opponents to move up in weight. He fought Antonio Margarito, Miguel Angel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Oscar de la Hoya and even Ricky Hatton at different catch weights. This is not to take away Pacquiao?s phenomenal skills and knockout power. Pacquiao was simply too quick and too fast for them to catch with their haymakers. Whenever they could, Pacquiao saw to it that they could not land as many punches as they would like to give. And when they take the risk, they find themselves pummeled into submission or reduced into fear.
Pacquiao however slowly became a victim of his success. The spectacular knockouts are now coming far in between either because opponents were simply heftier than him or success eventually are taking away the fire and hunger in him. Observers say he lost his killer instinct and is now contented on carrying his opponent throughout the rounds. Or maybe his day time job as an elected member of Philippine Congress is already taking its toll on his passion and dedication for the sports. Perhaps his newfound religiosity is another distraction from boxing. Whatever, age will finally catch up with him, sports aficionados who has been following his career are now saying. And in many corners, some people are now growing wary of Pacquiao?s dedication to the sports.
Pacquiao, too, came when the US economy was in near free fall and only his phenomenal run at the boxing records books, coupled with a dearth of new American faces to carry on the torch from de la Hoya kept fan interests alive. Floyd Mayweather Jr would have been a perfect fit. But his abrasiveness and real life bad boy persona are rubbing off even the hardest core of boxing fans from the game, if not away from it.
With Floyd forever reluctant to face the only man that matters in his own quest for greatness, Pacquiao is running out of competition and his novelty act can only sustain so much interests. Boxing fans will eventually reach the point where patronizing both fighters in the hope of one day be able to see them finally square off the ring will become an exercise of futility. The sooner they find a rising star that will titillate and quench their thirsts for blood, the better. For promoters, they would like to discover, any prop up, a hungrier and younger fighter that will come in docile and cheap and from whom they can squeeze money pound for pound.
Pacquiao cannot singlehandedly bring back the economy of the US (the boxing side of it) and forever be in the good graces of the gods of Las Vegas. Somehow somewhere, something will have to give in and give way.
Pacquiao was a diamond in the rough when he stunned the boxing world by bulldozing his way against Lehlo Ledwaba and Marco Antonio Barrera. Top Rank?s Bob Arum polished him into a priceless sparkling jewel. But unlike diamonds, boxers do not last forever.
