Too bad they used up “The World Is Watching” as a promotional nickname for the Floyd Mayweather-Oscar de la Hoya fight eight long years ago (May 5, 2007).
While it was a huge attraction, Floyd versus Oskie turned out to be far short of an alltime ring classic. There was widespread agreement, among both media and the public, that the sharper shooting Mayweather captured at least seven of the 12 rounds.
In reality, the entire world wasn’t watching that bout between two Americans.
Mayweather-Pacquiao, in which the 47-0 fighter properly gets top billing because of his beloved zero defeat status, is an event which the whole word is watching.
I bring this up because, in 50 years at ringside at world title bouts beginning with Sonny Liston swooning from the Clay turned Ali “Anchor Punch” in the first round in Lewiston, Me., in May of 1965, I doubt I’ve ever been more sure of a Big Fight outcome than I was in the hours before Pacman fought the bigger, stronger Oscar in 2009.
I was at first convinced that Pacquiao had the mojo, that he would find a way to outhustle the cocksure de la Hoya. But, on the way into the MGM Grand Garden, I lost the faith…and it put a hurting on my pocket, brother, it really did.
Old Boxing Confdiential colleague and “Boxing Bookie” John Chavez and I hit the caisno’s sports book en route to the arena. Like me, Chavez was convinced that Oscar was going to get whipped by the plucky and lucky Pinoy.
Neither one of us knew exactly how the huge underdog would accomplish it and we certainly did not know much, if anything, about the libertine lifestyle OLDH was secretly leading.
But the vibe was so strong it overpowered fistic logic and reason.
Though Chavez told me to keep my hands in my pocket, I went to the betting window and flipped my prognostication script.
Flashback to the brain tidal wave I had before making my donation to the casino: “Oscar will crush this guy. Oscar nearly beat the undefeated Mayweather. Oscar has too many tools for the feristy Pacman. Manny will get a licking and keep on ticking, yeah, but he CANNOT win….”
Ring resumes compared? No contest, really, a walk in the park for Oscar, an Olympic gold medalist and then a 10-time world champion across six weight divisions. And Pacquiao a midget by comparison, a 135 pound climbing up two weight classes.
It was, in retrospect, a cerebral outage. This “White Gorilla” turned into a Doubting Thomas.
The walk in the park came at midnight complete with a vicious mugging for 24 painful minutes before Oscar decided his ring stool was a comfortable seat.
To use one of the few Tagalog expressions I know, Marley went “balambing.” Going “balambing” cost me about 5,000 simeoleons on Dec. 6, 2008.
I mean, I could’ve bought Union Pacific Railroad stock with that, or saved it for my housecat (“Big Papi,” orange and white, ready to fight) higher education bills or gone to the Crazy Horse II in Vegas and “made it rain” Mayweather style.
I bet about $5,000 against the guy I was convinced was going to shock the world. My last minute switcheroo remains vividly etched in my memory.
Ask me the reason why I will not bet against Pacquiao on May 2, I give you about 5,000 Dead Presidents as my reasons.
You want to go “balambing” you do so at your peril.
But, like the crafty Chavez warned me before Manny pounded Oscar so badly that the bigger, more accomplished world champion quit on his stool, I now warn you.
You wager against Pacquiao and your pocket can turn into a disaster area.
