LIKE it or not, Manny Pacquiao’s forthcoming fight against a car battery seller from Thailand, whom we’ve never heard of before, should be made to appear like a good shot.
This thing about Fahsang 3K Battery suddenly looming as the best possible opponent for Pacquiao should be impressed upon the boxing public.
This is the only way promoters and backers of the fight slated at The Fort on Dec. 11 could sell the card.
There is the fear and promise of a mismatch.
But did you know that Pacquiao tarried and had to be told by a sage that, under the circumstances, it was a win-win deal for him?
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Instead of the original $500,000 promised, Pacquiao will be paid $300,000 which, you bet, is a tidy sum considering the opposition, or the lack of it.
Pacquiao could actually earn more, that’s if the fight grossed more than P35 million.
Anyway, Pacquiao had also to be reminded that, with a foe like the battery peddler from Bangkok, the Filipino world prizefight celeb could lose only to himself.
If you lose to this guy, it’s because you had allowed yourself to be beaten, Pacquiao was told.
That’s as cute as saying that Pacquiao, with his fiery worth, could beat Fahsang with only one hand.
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No laughing now.
There could be worthier foes for the Ring Magazine world featherweight boxing champion.
But, knowing Pacquiao, he would charge at first bell and tear at his opponent with both fists blazing.
In short, he cannot afford to enter the ring half-prepared.
If he tags him hard in the first round, the fight could be over before everybody gets seated.
The prayer at this point is for Pacquiao to also try and avoid serving a tasteless dish.
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Both Pacquiao and his adoring public need a great fight.
But, putting one and one together, the bout against Fahsang should partly serve its purpose.
Repeat: It’s not ideal. This is not the bout fans have craved for.
There’s no promise of Pacquiao getting a man-size workout as good as what Juan Antonio Marquez, his rival, had when he went 12 rounds against a countryman in the undercard to the Hopkins-De la Hoya thriller the other month.
But the fact that it would, at least, momentarily pull Pacquiao away from the pool table should make the emergency bout with Fahsang worth it.
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If Pacquiao works hard enough and hits peak form for Fahsang, that should count as a bonus.
At least, the promoters cannot be accused of squandering good money on a useless card.
Add to this the fact that promoter Murad Muhammad, whose contract with Pacquiao expires in February, was able to deliver a necessary fight, even if it had to come in an ambulance.
Pacquiao had reportedly made initial negotiations with Oscar de la Hoya of the Golden Boy Promotions, and this could only mean Murad’s lucrative tenure doesn’t look very secure.
Oh, by the way, there’s a plan to sell Fahsang 3K Battery as a destroyer of Filipino fighters.
Let’s hope the geniuses behind the next Pacquiao bout don’t end up fooling Filipino boxing fans.
We’ve had enough bad shots under this government.
