Drama, fun, and boxing — the perfect combination
Manny Pacquiao is a man who transcends ?superstar? status, and he carries the burden of being boxing?s most exciting fighter and the Philippines? biggest celebrity with an amazing balance that has been achieved by few in his position throughout history. Despite dealing with myriad distractions on a daily basis, Pacquiao retains his status as one of the world?s greatest fighters by winning time and time again. In essence, he?s a hero.
Today?s state of boxing is putrid ? and its lack of success isn?t due to its fighters.
Boxing?s media bigwigs are in daily wars with people in the industry, letting personal vendettas get in the way of solid journalism.
Fight promoters are more concerned with making money than they are the future of the sport.
Television stations ? outside of ESPN2 and HBO ? don?t provide enough boxing coverage.
The sport is hurting, and the sport?s athletes aren?t the problem. In a game as brutal as boxing, letting anyone other than athletes get in the way of success is a complete travesty. Maybe ?the sweet science? should be called ?the savage science?.
So guess what: as a result of boxing?s businessmen, Pacquiao has yet another agenda on his plate? he?s going to need to make the sport fun again with his next fight.
I?ve never been one to think that one fight can revive boxing. Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. didn?t ?save? the sport, and neither will De La Hoya-Pacquaio. But the reason I?ve been pushing for ?PacMan? and ?The Golden Boy? to square off is because of the stage Pacquiao will inevitably be put on if he shares the ring with Oscar. De La Hoya, like Pacquiao, is larger than life, but he brings an entirely different fan base to his fights. By combining Pacquiao?s fan base with De La Hoya?s, boxing will have its version of the Super Bowl. I have one-hundred percent faith that if such an event takes place, Pacquiao will do his sport right by providing an exciting show. If casual fight fans see a dynamic event featuring Pacquiao, they?ll become hooked on boxing, and the sport will have some desperately needed fresh air.
But what if Pacquiao-De La Hoya doesn?t come off? The Filipino fireball will need a new dance partner, and if Bob Arum, Pacquiao?s promoter, has his way, Pacquiao will be fighting a B level opponent. That won?t do the sport any good.
Pacquiao and Arum need to brainstorm and think outside the box. Fighting Humberto Soto will only put fans to sleep. And taking on an Edwin Valero type would be redundant; Pacquiao has proven himself against elite competition on numerous occasions.
If the Pacquiao camp does not land the De La Hoya fight, they should look no further than Pacquiao?s own flesh and blood for an opponent. Confused? I?m talking about Manny?s brother, Bobby.
Boxing is in desperate need of a fun fight, and what fight could be more fun than a sibling rivalry that features the world?s best fighter south of middleweight?
Granted, Manny is on another level than his younger brother. But sibling blood has a way of changing things.
Bobby Pacquiao, many feel, is almost as talented as Manny. Despite tasting defeat eleven times in his career, he?s beaten big names Kevin Kelly, Carlos Navarro, and Fernando Trejo. He has natural ability; he?s just yet to elicit his talent consistently.
So what better way for Bobby to bring out the best in himself than squaring off against his older brother, his mentor, and his ring idol. The fight would be a mega draw, and most importantly, it would be fun.
Imagine cameras showing footage of members of the Pacquiao family during the fight; imagine the media buzz around the Pacquiao childhood; imagine the weigh-in, the press conference, and the fight stare down. Everything about a Pacquiao-Pacquiao matchup would be fun for the fans ? and the fans are what keep boxing alive.
