I have had a difficult time reconciling whether another fighter in recent memory has had the “golden ticket” impact that Manny Pacquiao has today. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. believes that he has always had it; however, any rational thinking person knows that such is not the case. Oscar De La Hoya had the golden touch, for whatever reason, and it is said that Pacquiao is filling his void. Apples and oranges.
Oscar De La Hoya was one heck of a pay-per-view draw, but my guess is that as many people purchased his fights to see him lose as those who wanted him to win. Regardless, Pacquiao is an entirely different animal. He transcends boxing and he transcends pay-per-view. We want to buy his fights to see if he can continue to do the impossible.
Countless fighters are buying Manny lottery tickets from Bernard Hopkins on down. Given the state of the heavyweight division, I’m not sure why Manny doesn’t do the unimaginable and go after Wladimir Klitschko’s title belts. Then again, ESPN Classic doesn’t pay as well as a pay-per-view broadcast.
In my view, the following fighters are the leading contenders who may well hold the golden ticket:
1. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The obvious selection would likely have a miraculous recovery from a rib injury in order to take a fight with Pacquiao in late summer or early fall. This is the fight that most fans want and will reach circus proportions before it is made. I absolutely hate this match up because Floyd fights not to lose as opposed to win. He is crazy talented, but his counterpunching preferences are not exactly crowd pleasing. Floyd’s list of opponents reads as a who’s who of geriatric pugilists. Freddie and Bob, look past the money!
2. Miguel Cotto. Cotto’s recent battle against Joshua Clottey probably places him in late fall consideration at best. At a catch-weight, Cotto is vulnerable (see Paulie Malignaggi). At any weight, Cotto’s habit of bleeding like spillage from a Red Cross blood drive does not bode well. One thing about Cotto, however, is that he would never quit on his chair like a recent Pacquiao opponent. Out of the five, this is my favorite match up.
3. Sugar Shane Mosley. The guy wants the fight so bad he is willing to work for minimum wage. No offense to Mosley, who has mad skills, but the desperation does not fit the potential benefit. He would be expected to beat Pacquiao and if he failed to pull it off, his legacy would be forever tarnished. Regardless, Mosley may well be the toughest fight for Pacquiao and complete the Pinoy trifecta over Golden Boy Promotions.
4. Juan Manuel Marquez. I am a rare breed in that I scored both previous fights for Pacquiao. The catch is that I only gave Manny the victory by the slightest of margin, one point, in both fights. A rubber match between the two needs to happen eventually; however, Manny is not the same fighter today–he is better. The fight will eventually happen for closure and nothing more.
5. Timothy Bradley. A long shot; however, a perfect fight if Freddie Roach keeps true to his word and demands that Manny seek out a tune up bout before another mega-fight. Bradley also just happens to hold 2 belts at 140 at lacks the power to hurt anyone north of bantamweight.
If I were a betting man, which of course I am, I would say that Marquez is out of the mix for numerous reasons. I would eliminate Cotto next because of the beat down to victory he had a few weekends ago. My view is Mosley is the most dangerous of all the potential fights, even though he is willing to do whatever it takes to make the fight happen. Mayweather, Jr. has to be the leading contender, but don’t forget about the politics. Sugar Ray Leonard drove Marvin Hagler into a mad frenzy before the two fought. I’m not so sure that Manny doesn’t make Floyd take an interim fight if for no other reason than to gather further intelligence on him. This leaves Timothy Bradley.
A Bradley-Pacquiao fight will not set the world on fire with regard to pay-per-view buys. It will, however, most likely stoke the fire and drive all of us raving mad for another historic Pacquiao blockbuster. While we wait, Floyd and Mosley should fight to see who is really worthy of the golden ticket. If they reject each other, then Paquiao should set a date with Cotto. It’s not Pacquiao’s job to fight everyone who demands a piece. It’s his job to fight the best piece.
Ironically, as I write this, boxrec.com is reporting that Pacquiao will fight Miguel Cotto on November 14th in Las Vegas. Sorry to get your hopes up Tim.
