When it became clear that Manny Pacquiao, post-Mayweather cash-out, was not going to ride off into the sunset, basking in the glow of a legendary Hall of Fame career, a feeding frenzy began.
Just about everybody with any sort of money interest in a fighter in the 140-147 lb. weight range began clamoring for a bout with the then-37-year-old multi-division world champ. It didn?t take a Master?s Degree in business to understand what Pacquiao could give them and their fighter(s).
The Pacquiao name still had great value and with him on the apparent downside of his career, he was the perfect foe to help build a young fighter?s marketability or push an already-established star to the next level. He was no longer the fighter against whom other fighters cashed out?he was the legend whose fall helped build future stars.
Or, at least, that?s what the history of boxing business told us about Pacquiao?s career trajectory.
Keeping Manny from a forced passing of the torch was his relationship with long-time promoter Bob Arum, who wouldn?t let the Filipino icon be farmed out to any other company to help build any other promoter?s fighter. Arum was also unable to get Manny into a fight with stablemate Terence Crawford, a unique talent who would?ve benefitted tremendously from a Pacquiao piggyback ride.
Once Pacquiao became a promotional free agent, following a dubious decision loss to Jeff Horn in Australia, he had seemingly entered into Floyd Mayweather territory as someone calling his own shots entirely and purposefully avoiding any uncomfortable matchmaking.
A thrashing of tailor-made fall guy Lucas Matthysse made Pacquiao?s move to independence look like a genius decision. The only problem was that there was really nobody else out there like Matthysse?with name value and fatal flaws that played right into Pacquiao?s post-prime strengths. So, if he wanted to keep the money flowing in, he needed to go where he could get the money fights he needed.
And that?s where Manny is today, one fight into his deal with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC)?a boxing company filled with fighters itching for a Pacquiao piggyback ride.
Manny could play this PBC alliance in any number of ways. The bout with Adrien Broner was a bit of high IQ matchmaking for Manny?s bottom line best interests, pitting him against someone who generates crazy publicity and who, ultimately, would be likely to underperform en route to a decisive loss. The next time out, he could probably go with another fighter from the shallower end of the PBC talent pool, maybe this time one of the game battlers like Omar Figueroa, Josesito Lopez, or Adrian Granados who will go down swinging in a high-profile showcase.
Reports are that Pacquiao?s deal with PBC is only for two fights, but if there?s money to be made, one can be sure that contracts will continue to be signed.
There are also the stories involving Pacquiao?s eye injury sustained in the Broner bout. Media reports vary from describing it as a career-ending detached retina to a relatively minor corneal abrasion.
But if the Manny Pacquiao show goes on, it?s a sure thing that the ultimate goal of anyone doing business with the future first ballot Hall of Famer is to procure a piggyback ride to next-level stardom for one of their own fighters.
PBC certainly didn?t sign Pacquiao with the goal of bringing to light a pair of mid-sized monetary scores with Manny squaring off against their second tier fighters.
If a big-money Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch can?t be brought to life, the goal has to be a forced passing of the torch against Keith Thurman or the winner of the upcoming Errol Spence-Mikey Garcia bout.
Of course, Pacquiao could ruin all outsider plans for his last boxing days by beating everyone put in front of him. Because, despite all the plans regarding how to carve up and feast on his corpse, the truth is that Manny ain?t dead yet.
