How?d you receive the news that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao were finally throwing down? It came to me via boxing analyst Teddy Atlas, who showed only slightly more life in delivering the news than the title character of Weekend at Bernie?s.
Atlas was moderating an otherwise uneventful night of fighting on ESPN?s Friday Night Fights telecast from the 2015 Boxino (I don?t know what it is, either) Championships just as word broke that the Mayweather and Pacquiao had confirmed the fight.
Teddy?s delivery of the news was genius. Stunted, but genius. Teddy actually had the first live television reaction by any current boxing analyst, so it was a clean, fresh, top of mind take on the biggest sporting event of the year by one of the most respected announcers in the the sport. Teddy was the luckiest man in boxing. The world received the news at the same time and he would be first to comment on live television.
Here we go.
Teddy is about to go off and tell me all the reasons I should want to spend upwards of $110 to buy the fight on pay per view.
Teddy is about to justify why I?m dropping the money for a down payment on my next house just to sit anywhere inside the arena to watch this fight live in Vegas on May 2nd. And what does good ole Teddy say to open the discussion about the Fight of the Century?
?I hope its a good fight!?
What? That, uh?That?s it?
I was totally put off. Teddy nonchalantly glossed over all the excitement of the announcement of the biggest news in the sport. He then went straight into hard core analysis of the fight, losing the rest of the presumably dwindling Boxino Championships audience with the jargon.
Damn, Teddy. Can I be excited for just one minute? Let me drink in the news before you hit me with the ice bucket shower. Atlas explained in pure boxer-speak that perhaps the blend of the boxers? styles, Mayweather a responsible defensive boxer, and Pacquiao a more explosive but often reckless offensive fighter, could fail to produce an exciting fight.
Way to soil the cornflakes Teddy. Nice going.
I don?t care if this fight is a snoozer, or if it turns out to be an epic tale of guts and stamina. It?s already great in my mind. It?s already great simply because it?s happening. It?s two of boxing?s most celebrated stars finally deciding who the better man is via fists, not social media. Time is standing still. The world is waiting.
Except for Teddy.
