hate to be a Pacquiao party pooper but it says here that the winner of Saturday night?s WBC lightweight title bout at Mandalay Bay will not be able to claim to be the ring king at 135 pounds.
Putting Pacman love aside, my brothers and sisters, even Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder can see clearly that the geniuine ruler of the lightweights, the class of that class, is a ?Galaxxy Warrior? named Nate Campbell.
Campbell got his preminent status the old fashioned way, by kicking the stuffing out of young, cocky triple belt (IBF, WBA and WBO) beltholder Juan Diaz. Let?s face it, Campbell ripped the ?Baby Bull? apart like he was a piece of beef jerky.
I fully expect Megammany to dazzle against the limited David Diaz. I will say this for the Chicagoan, he always gets an ?e? for effort and is unlikely to embarrass himself. But no matter how sensation the Pacquaio pyrotechnics are, the man sitting on the lightweight throne will be the same guy who resides there now, Mr. Campbell.
Soupy Campbell and unbeaten Dominican dazzler Joan Guzman will tee it up Sept. 13 on Showtime and this shapes up as a possible even-money, pick ?em bout. The winner of that match is the true, lineal lightweight champion.
It also says here that the Guzman-Campbell winner will likely never step into the ring against Our Hero Emmanuel D. Pacquiao.
Easier fights and bigger money, for example a fight against slapper Ricky Hatton, loom for Bob Arum?s Pinoy pride and joy. Both Guzman and Campbell have speedy, slick styles which would give Manny some megaheadaches. Coach Freddie Roach has always forthrightly called Guzman the ?danger man? for his pupil.
So, when Brother Buffer intones: ??And the new?? keep in mind that he won?t be calling Pacman undisputed champion, universal champion or anything other than the new owner of the green and gold WBC strap.
Not that there?s anything wrong with that.
