Almost three weeks ago now, we witnessed one of the rare international Pay Per Views offered in the United States. When a Pay Per View is offered to American soil from abroad, it usually means one of the main attractions draws large crowds. Larger than most boxers. Think about Julio Cesar Chavez and his seemingly endless marathon of Pay Per View cards-one of which, against Greg Haugen, reportedly attracted 120,000 people to Mexico City’s Plaza de Toros-from Mexico. George Foreman against Crawford Grimley from Japan. The ill-fated fight between Tommy Morrison and Herbie Hide which was to take place in Hong Kong, when Morrison was still a big draw among American boxing fans. If nothing else, but because of the fact he was almost fresh off his acting debut and curtain call in Rocky V. Muhammad Ali would have probably sold real well had all his fights in Europe, Asia, as well as his fights in Canada, Zaire and Puerto Rico been broadcast on Pay Per View. Roberto Duran’s victory over Sugar Ray Leonard in Montreal would have been a killer from an economic point of view. And now, we have Manny Pacquiao fighting in Manila, on, you guessed it, Pay Per View.
You don’t need to be a wizard to guess what I am trying to say. Manny Pacquiao has managed to become a big draw among boxing fans. He, along with Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and, if we look further back into the decade when the madness was already on, Naseem Hamed, managed to do to the Featherweight and Junior Lightweight divisions what no other group of boxers had done to them since the times when Salvador Sanchez, Eusebio Pedroza, Wilfredo Gomez, Juan Laporte, Rocky Lockridge, Rafael Limon, Hector Camacho, SR. Bobby Chacon and Chavez crowded the 126 to 130 pounds area. These four guys reevaluated the 126 and 130 pound divisions to an important level among boxing’s 17 divisions.
Pacquiao dropped former Junior Featherweight title holder Oscar Larios twice en route to a wide unanimous decision victory in Manila. The Philippines are a group of islands that are so small and so relatively far in between, that the Philippines has, mile per mile to borrow a boxing term, the equivalent of the United States entire domestic air service. So Larios was not the only one heading to Manila International Airport the day after the fight, as Pacquiao had to get on the roughly one and a half hour air hop to his home city in General Santos. To get a picture of how large his status in the Philippines is, one needs only to look at the welcoming he got for beating a guy who was jumping two weights and had recently lost his WBC Super Bantamweight title to Israel Vazquez by a brutal knockout. According to news wires, the welcome parade extended from the airport to Pacquiao’s gym.
So, what’s in tow for Pacquiao after his Othello like masterpiece against Larios, who, at Super Bantamweight was one of my favorite guys of his era? Due to the success of the Manila fight, perhaps more fights in Manila are on the horizon. But Larios, as always, gave Pacquiao a brave effort, and Manny admittedly was tired at the end of the fight, probably due to the heat in Manila. Making a lay up against Shaquille O’Neal of the Miami Heat can sometimes be easier than surviving the Manila heat. More than likely, Pacquiao will continue fighting in the United States, perhaps with a stop in Europe to fight one of those little, but pesky warriors from the good ol’ continent.
Because of his next opponent however, Pacquiao is in a career defining moment. Roberto Duran probably wouldn’t have been remembered as the greatest Lightweight of all time had he been beaten by Esteban De Jesus in fights two or three. Carlos Monzon would have had to box Rodrigo Valdes a third time to secure his spot as the top Middleweight of the 1970’s had he not pulled a close decision over the Colombian in their rematch. Devon Sawa would probably be all but forgotten by movie fans and his teenybopper fanbase had it not been for his acting in the fantastic Final Destination. Imagine what may not have happened had Rosa Parks not stood up for her rights. And Steven Spielberg would have probably been just another Hollywood producer had he not made E.T. in 1982. Those people have one thing in common. They did that one thing that the general public remembered them for. What will the public remember Pacquiao as? The guy who beat Erik Morales twice, or the guy who was beaten by Morales twice?
The guess here is that Pacquiao will defeat Morales, who like Chavez, Gomez, Duran, Sanchez, Monzon and Wilfred Benitez is a source of pride to Hispanics from every Spanish speaking country-again. Morales hired Daniel Zaragoza, his former victim, to train him for Pacquiao-Morales III. He is thinking of retirement and sounds tired of the sport that saw him become a celebrity. Pacquiao sounds hungrier, and, as he has proven before when recovering from defeats at divisions as low as Flyweight, when Pacquiao is hungry, he is as dangerous as an African lion.
Castillo would be a logical choice given the fact Mexicans would love to see one of their own beat Pacquiao. But how much longer will Castillo be considered a Lightweight? Corrales, on the other hand, is half Mexican and probably would have the same desire to avenge Barrera, Larios and Morales’ defeats to Pacquiao as Castillo, but he was born in the United States and is also half Colombian, so that fight would appeal to everyone except people in Mexico, who have a well documented and, honestly speaking from a Hispanic brother’s point of view inexplicable rivalry with Mexican Americans.
Manny Pacquiao Vs Diego Corrales would be a match made in Heaven as well. Two brawlers with excellent punch and considerable fan bases, with Pacman having the stronger chin, but Corrales fighting as his natural weight. That should be a barnburner.
No matter what happens from now on, Pacquiao has a spot reserved in boxing’s Hall of Fame. The question is, how will the biggest draw in Asian boxing History be remembered when he retires?
