Some nights it?s the losers who get top billing. Certainly, it was that way when it comes time to explain the final results in New York and Las Vegas Saturday night.
Marco Antonio Barrera is our lead loser because he was in the higher profile bout, dropping a unanimous 12-round decision to Megamanny Pacquaio. You could say MAB, in his final fight we hope and trust, followed to his fight plan to a T. His scheme was not to win but to avoid getting knocked out and he achieved that. Is that any way for a ring legend, particularly a Mexican ring legend to go out? So much for going out your shield and defeat with honor and all those clich?s.
As far as Pacman goes, the only story going forward is whether he moves up to lightweight. Manny was better than the cautious, retirement-minded MAB made him look. You cannot knock out a guy whose only goal is NOT to get knocked out.
In New York, Jameel McCline, as is his custom, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The lethargic lummox dropped WBC interim heavyweight champ Sam Peter three times and still lost a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden.
McCline must have felt he lost it because, in speaking to Jim Gray over his shoulder, all the perennial loser and sparring partner said was he should?ve lost by one point or it should?ve been a split verdict. The words ?I won? or ?I got robbed? did not come out of McCline?s mouth because, truth be told, he knew he deserved to lose.
Sam Peter, savior of the heavyweight division? Don?t make me laugh.
