We have grown accustomed as boxing fans to hearing strange claims from fighters, sometimes at the direction of their promoters or managers, in an effort to sell tickets or gain an advantage in contract negotiations.
In a large percentage of those wild claims the fighters themselves actually believe the things they say, having been drilled on a daily basis by the dozens of people that surround them, often depending on the success of the fighter for their livelihood.
A certain amount of positive reinforcement is needed for an athlete, but when it becomes obscenely reversed of fact, it can be to the detriment of a career for the majority.
Floyd Mayweather?s recent comment to Boxingscene.com
“You guys [the media] built Pacquiao up to this level, and said he was better than Floyd Mayweather….you guys did. I’m not pointing a finger at no particular figure. I’m going to stay in my lane and I’m pretty sure that Pacquiao will stay in his lane,” Mayweather said.
Why is Floyd even talking about Pacquiao during a Mayweather/Canelo press tour?
If memory serves me correctly, it wasn?t all that long ago, that a ?Pretty Boy? Floyd was the beneficiary of the same media interest, then suddenly for some media, the ?Money? train began to roll and the love affair was over, though the talent continues. Floyd?s behavior tarnished the persona, exposing to the public, an attitude that ruffles the feathers of some boxing fans.
Credit has to be given to Floyd, he knows that tickets can be bought for two reasons to see the favorite win , or the hopes the favorite will finally lose! Either way it?s a walk to the bank with a smile!
I?m not going to run down the long list of fights that Manny Pacquiao thrilled us with, but the start came for me with Marco Antonio Barrera and just seemed to continue on for nearly a decade.
Back before the yachts, cars, and mansions were the headlines, it was a respectful, calm, confident but not cocky Pacquiao that interested the American audience, a throwback to the days where the drama occurred in the ring, not in the press clippings or police blog.
My first interview with Manny, couldn?t be used but for a couple of answers! Every question he answered in broken English was either yes or no, yet when he climbed into the ring that weekend against Barrera, he communicated volumes to this fight fan.
There is a level of hype that everyone expects from fighters and their camps, some like Malingaggi/Broner press conferences, can cross that line to the detriment of the fighters. A classic battle of skills that could have been even better received was shaded because of the smack talk and ranker, but when you have 1.3 million viewers, a financial success, that is all that concerns the power brokers.
The media is designed for balance, in its reporting, in its fairness, so when a fighter comes along that is at least in the beginning, is balanced in his behavior and talent; it?s easy to attract attention.
People can relate to the guy struggling to become a force in their career, from humble backgrounds, people can even relate to the personal struggles that can face a fighter as he matures, as long as he asks forgiveness. Few can relate, in this era, of burning hundred dollar bills and 5 million dollar basketball bets, when they struggle to keep homes, and jobs, some others take it as something to aspire to.
As trainers we see daily the effects of an over-confidence that begins to grow in the wrong fighters, when they lose that balance. Few are as extremely talented as Floyd, Broner, etc. to pull off the talk, with the dance on the canvas.
I don?t know of any trainer here in America that hasn?t had that talented, humble athlete, walk into the gym, work hard, begin to develop, then blossom into the nightmare from hell, become a hulking, temperamental prima donna, whose uncle, buddy, sister, butcher, or barber convinced them that they knew more about the development of their career than the guy working the corner every day.
Many a manager can tell you of fighters whom they had to purchase shoes and equipment for, find housing, transport daily, bail out of jams, invest small fortunes, and work long hours to secure opportunities for fighters who suddenly decide that they aren?t going to fight that guy, for that much, in that place because their advisor doesn?t agree, advisors that haven?t spent a legal dime in their careers.
In 30 years of press, I can?t tell you how many times I?ve heard from a manager or small promoter, ?I can?t wait to finish building this guy so I can sell his contract? or cocky over the top fighters who were such a headache that they were shut down by their management.
When you have the talent of Floyd and Manny, you can get away with many things, be forgiven by fans and be followed by the haters, but Floyd?s talent is rare, as is Pacquiao?s journey.
With Manny, that talent while perhaps not as well directed as Floyd?s, was refreshing in the sport, a man whose talking came in the form of offense in the ring, win or lose, whose talking came more from those in his camp not Manny himself, who often was the mediator when things got over-the-top.
Floyd?s career and talent is overwhelming, but Pacquiao had a story behind that talent, that people worldwide could relate too. No Olympic medals, no huge signing bonus, no former champions in the family genealogy, no perfect record, and no preconditioning to the media for future success. Instead Manny Pacquiao came to us from nowhere, damaged, having lost already twice, and proceeded to defeat a legend in Barrera, then just continued to entertain America and the world.
Did the media hype Pacquiao; not really, we just latched on to what a large percentage of the boxing public found interest in, and worked it for every click, every interview, and every article we could. Fight after fight, Pacquiao didn?t disappoint, twice a year we could count on him, and in between there was plenty of good works, unproven steroid accusations, and political drama to keep the interest going. Much of which we have Floyd to thank for, perhaps Floyd had just as much to do with Pacquiao’s interest as the media did.
Floyd’s refusal to contract with Pacquiao had more to do with putting Manny on his level than any thousands of articles or interviews ever written, the constant complaints , accusations, and avoidance contributed as well.
Then again maybe it was the media, reporting on a fighter people were curious about!
Isn?t that our jobs though, report what interests people in our industry?
