On the surface, there would appear to be many similarities between Manny Pacquiao and middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin, but those similarities don?t extend beyond the very, very superficial ones. As we?ve seen from Golovkin?s flop of a recent pay-per-view, it takes a lot more than good promotion and a pleasing ring presence to earn a spot close to Manny?s.
Yes, both are foreign-born fighters who have been accepted and widely praised within the United States and both are also all-action fighters focused on providing compelling action for fight fans. Taking one step further, they are also legitimately likable characters. But that?s where the similarities end.
Manny Pacquiao became a cash cow the hard way, coming up through the ranks as ?just another street kid? looking to make a buck with his fists. No red carpet was ever rolled out for him, nothing at all was ever given to him. As he fought his way to the top of the sport, very often cast as the underdog, he was forced to earn every title he won, from regional straps to world belts. And even when he achieved superstar status and was afforded the privileges that come with being a proven cash cow in the business, he still continued to take risks and put himself into situations where the end result of a fight was not just a foregone conclusion. Manny never stopped taking challenges and never stopped trying to challenge himself.
In contrast, Kazakhstan?s Gennady Golovkin was brought up as a highly-decorated, privileged amateur star who, when he decided to turn pro, was essentially given the WBA world middleweight title on a silver platter without ever having to beat anyone of note. And as Golovkin?s career has advanced, he has remained the beneficiary of dodgy matchmaking against inferior opposition right up to last Saturday?s PPV bout with IBF paper titlist David Lemieux.
Reportedly, sales for Golovkin?s recent fight are below 150,000, which sounds about right for a blow-out disguised as a big ticket main event, but completely goes against all of the hyperbole that boxing reporters have been using these last weeks to elevate ?Triple G? as boxing?s next big superstar.
The thing is that people aren?t stupid and you just can?t fake your way to being a superstar. Fans demand that you earn your spot among the elite in the sport. And while Pacquiao smoothly slipped into his role as crossover superstar and boxing?s second biggest draw, ever, Golovkin has just received the biggest of all possible red lights from the fans.
The sanctioning bodies and TV networks may have been willing to allow a quick, easy path to the main stage for Golovkin, but the fans will only let him go so far until he finally earns his place among the stars.
