Just read the headlines and the chat rooms. I’m not making this up.
At a time when fighter and trainer should be given a little distance because of a sudden death in the family (Roach) and someone allegedly on promoter Bob Arum’s payroll on the Pacquiao inside is making this his Canadian moment to make an ill-advised obvious but ignorant power play.
This happens frequently in boxing. And now it is happening to Manny Pacquiao. I’m figuring either way Manny has just three or four fights left in his career. Things will get better or worse. But they won’t stay the same.
His promotional virginity is gone.
Michael Koncz doesn’t strike me as that bright. So who is pulling the strings to this puppet show? I don’t think even five years ago that either Arum or Con, er, Koncz thought Pacquiao would be this successful!
Promoters can’t help themselves. Even if the money is rolling in and they have immediate rematch clauses if heaven forbid their money machine falters, the promoter won’t take a chance. That is why they sign fighters like Timothy Bradley for the on deck circle. The promoter must divide and conquer. Isolate and insulate themselves to milk every last penny they can out of their fighter so they are not to be double – crossed by the fighter or anyone else in the food chain.
First a promoter aide is added to the camp as a consultant. Then the long-time trainer, sometimes as far back as the amateur days, is gone. Then the manager, who helped the fighter and his family for no pay get out of literal poverty, is gone.
The term used is, “He’s a great guy but he has taken you as far as he can.”
The weights, the belts, the training camp locations, the endorsements, sponsors, women, are just smoke to buy time, to get into the head of the fighter. The fighter feels forced to make decisions he shouldn’t have to be making unless he is being controlled and doesn’t know who his real friends are or who to trust.
But the fighter’s ego makes him think he is smarter than he is.
It’s a vicious cycle the fighter plays over and over in his head, thousands of times a day, but he puts up a good front. But it’s eating him and his skills and interest up inside. Until one day he loses and by then, nobody really cares anyway.
Ultimately, the local fans and media ask the questions, but can’t believe their little hometown hero is turning sour, that a bad ending is near. So they ignore the signals.
This happens to fighters, musical groups, entertainers, American politicians, etc. This happened to Mike Tyson and Donald Curry.
Good luck Manny. Make your decisions carefully because the free world is watching and now probably expecting a train wreck within a year. Guard your money from everybody, including yourself.
