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Philippines, 16 Aug 2025 |
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Pacquiao Sends US Boxing Scene Buzzing Again By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Tue, 22 Jul 2025  Who could have imagined that a 46 years old Manny Pacquiao, fighting for the first time after being away from the ring for five years would send the US Boxing scene buzzing and full of life again? But true, Pacquiao the only man to win a record eight world division boxing championships did just that this last weekend in his attempt to capture yet another major title at welterweight in Las Vegas, USA. And though he "failed" to wrest the WBC crown from Texan defending titlist Mario Barrios after the judges saw the fight a draw, it was undeniable that Pacquiao's mere presence and unbelievable performance at his advanced age have sent fans that packed the arena drooling and every boxing pundit having their say on the "controversial" outcome. Welcome back to US Boxing Scene, Manny! Or should we say, welcome back to life, US Boxing Scene! Indeed, the US Boxing scene has not seen this kind of interest and excitement since Pacquiao and archival Floyd Mayweather Jr were at the peak of their primes battling the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto and each other in the 2010s. Since that time, the US Boxing scene has scrambled to produce worthy successors though Canelo Alvarez and Terrence Crawford came very close. But Canelo has been hounded by an early defeat to Mayweather while Bud Crawford is never known as crowd drawer despite his very fan pleasing fighting style. It didn't help that Saudi Arabia with its cash-rich royalties have decided to turn the Kingdom into a veritable hub for international boxing featuring many popular boxers who used to fight or could have otherwise showcased their talents in the US ring. Japan has emerged as a major boxing power producing many excellent fighters foremost of whom is Naoya Inoue. But most of these talented boxers exclusively fight in Japan reasoning that they could earn as much or maybe more fighting at home before adoring Japanese paying fans. That has been the main challenge, apart from language barrier, that constrained American promoters, Bob Arum included, in introducing them to the US Boxing market and fans. The resurrection of Manny Pacquiao and his famed boxing prowess which was intermittently in display in the fight against Barrios this weekend is therefore is a much-needed shot in the arm for the struggling US Boxing Scene. How huge was Pacquiao's comeback? It was so huge that in the US especially, Oleksander Usyk's recoronation as undisputed world heavyweight champion was hardly talked about despite a football match-sized crowd seeing the fight against Brit Daniel Dubois. Even the co-main event bout featuring the title rematch between Sebastian "Towering Inferno" Fundora and Tim "The Legend's Son" Tszyu which was a slambang affair hardly detract the fans from the Pacquiao course. The scene in the Philippines was reminiscent of Pacquiao's halcyon days where most people were glued to their cable television or cell phones watching his fight live via pay per view or delayed telecast on free TV. Before the Pacquiao-Barrios fight, the biggest fights in the US have been Inoue's mandatory title defense against a gallant but outgunned Ricardo Cardenas (who?) and Rolly Romero's upset win over Ryan Garcia. I doubt if anyone will remember them still after seeing Manny Pacquiao's comeback fight versus Mario Barrios. Manny could have only gotten a draw but undoubtedly, he won over the faith of US Boxing fans again. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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