Remember the old Broadway show tune that went, ?Anything you can do, I can do better!?
That got me thinking about being effective worldwide and, in doing so, I feel the time is ripe for a comparison of Money Mayweather and Powerhouse Pacquaio. No, folks, they will never fight each other but that doesn?t mean those of us who are sane can?t have some fun matching them up in terms of particular and overall skill sets and also some of what might be labeled intangibles.
Please keep in mind I am subjectively rating not one but two true legends herein. No disrespect is meant to those two Little Giants!
So here goes:
1. SUPERIOR PUNCHER: Megamanny with his wicked blows coming from portside. Definitely Pacman hits harder, single shot for single shot, than does Moolah Man. But those two left hooks that sent Hatton flying were not exactly love taps, were they? EDGE: PACQUIAO. 2. POPULARITY: I think it is fair to say Pacquiao is more popular than Ricky Hatton (no OFWs from UK). So it follows that the Pinoy idol enjoys more worldwide popularity than the American superstar. EDGE: PACQUIAO. 3. BOX OFFICE: This one may surprise but I think that, having worn the villain?s black hat so effectively against Oscar and Ricky, Mayweather is even-steven now with Pacman in terms of putting rear ends in the seats of the arena. This one is too close to call. EDGE: DRAW. 4. MEDIA PERSONA: Having dramatically dispatched Hatton, I see Floyd about to rise a tsunami like wave of newfound popularity. You don?t have to like the person to admire his awesome skills. Mayweather has a distinct advantage at the microphone because he will say anything that might be politically correct, politically incorrect and/or put more money in his bulging pockets. With the Hatton fight, Floyd did the Muhammad Ali routine in trashing Hatton before the event and praising him to skies after he defeated the plucky Brit. EDGE: MAYWEATHER, 5. DANGER LEVEL: Manny can whack you out, send you to dreamland, from the first second of the first round. He can explode at any given time whereas Mayweather has to?to use Larry Holmes old line?get his opponent drunk before he mugs him. Megammany packs TNT but Mayweather?s Roman candles explode also and they burn brightly when they do. EDGE: PACQUIAO. 6. RING GENERALSHIP: Mismatch here. No fighter uses the office, meaning the boxing ring, with the exquisite slickness that Money Mayweather does. When it comes to hand and foot speed and staying on course in the squared circle, Floyd is a human GPS. He is never off course, never lost, never out of position. Btw, didn?t you love how the Grand Rapids Trickster used an old family ruse to get that penalty point from bamboozled referee Joe Cortez? That was slick, Rick! It?s not that Manny is a clumsy guy, a lummox, but Mayweather strictly comes dancing. Fred Astaire was not as nimble. EDGE: MAYWEATHER. 7. ON THE CORNER: Roger Mayweather may be perceived as a One Trick Pony but he, Floyd Sr. and Jeff Mayweather have all produced and directed top shelf world champions. Right, Oscar? I have to?and I know there will be howling from Mayweatherville on this one?give the nod to No Joke Coach Freddie Roach over ?Black Mamba? Roger because I think Roach is more flexible and more versatile in first devising and then altering a fight plan in midfight. Mayweather?s skills were God-given and so are Pacman?s but clearly Manny had more rough edges that had to be smoothed out. Most of them have been corrected but my point is that while Mayweather?s skill set has been over the moon from Jump Street some really hard work went into refining Manny?s talent. EDGE: PACQUIAO. 8. THE JAB: Sometimes, I think Mayweather invented the left jab. What was it, the ninth round, when Floyd?s laser jab connected right to Hatton?s face 11 out of 15 times? That is precision bombing that Raytheon could appreciate. While Manny?s southpaw right jab is no joke, he does not use it as a defensive-offensive weapon and shield the way master boxer PBF does. EDGE: MAYWEATHER. 9. GLOBAL IMPACT: It was neat to see Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns sitting at ringside with popcorn-munching Jeff ?Contender? Wald in between them. It just underlined the point that Mayweather is just the red, white and blue ring superstar of this era. Pacman follows in the tradition of Flash Elorde, Luisito Espinoza and other Pinoy punchers but Manny has broken out now, gone beyond the national icon label in some respects. That?s why he is a Nike endorser. Have to say that Pacquaio is to Filipino boxing what JC Chavez is to Mexican boxing and what Wheaties is to corn flakes. Speaking of which, I wouldn?t be surprised to see both Mayweather and Pacquiao becomes Wheaties box cover guys. Floyd may be a flake but he?s not so corny. However, I don?t see President Bush or our next leader, Hillary Clinton, branding Mayweather ?the National Fist.? EDGE: PACQUIAO. 10. DRINK UP, YOU SHRINERS: Trick question: which one will go immediately into the Hall Of Fame five years after retirement? Duh and double duh! Both Manny and Floyd have already punched that ticket. They will ride that glory train, no doubt. Hall enshrinement for both is a no-brainer. EDGE: DRAW.
Okay, let?s throw it up to Michael Buffer in the ring for the Boxingconfidential official verdict. We have a split decision, 5-3-2, in favor of the winner and still Charismatic Champion of the World, Manny Pacquiao. Let the hate mailers begin!
