As the fistic fever grows, here are some undeniable factors about the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel I’m No Angel Cotto super bout:
1. FLOYD MAYWEATHER IN WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM—Donde esta Money May? Two weeks ago, he was appearing at a New York Jets practice, bah mitzvah parties, supermarket openings and popping up on cable network TV programs. Now, what do we get, just radio silence. Can’t he accept the fact that he MUST fight the Nov. 14 bout winner?
2. BAGUIO WAS NO DISASTER—Pacman’s beloved homeland has experienced some disasters of late but the training camp in Baguio, which has a few minor stumbles at the start, is not one of them. Outside of the Alex Ariza-Michael Koncz skirmish, which was just a family argument, everything came together. It seems as though everyone, especially the sparmates, did their job professionally. (I know, I know, I was like Henny Penny yelling that the sky is falling. So I screwed up, sue me!)
3. THE BOOKIES, AS USUAL, SET THE LINE CORRECTLY—Based on recent performance how could Manny not be sitting where is, a solid betting favorite? That doesn’t mean he wins for sure. Don’t forget the bookies job is to set the betting line at a point where it attracts money from those betting on BOTH fighters. They’ve done exactly that.
4. THE DISTRACTION OLYMPICS—Manny Pacquiao, through his American office of MP Promotions, is hosting a billiards/darts competition in Los Angeles next week. If idle hands are the Devil’s worship, then Manny is never going to wind up in the place hotter than GenSan.
5. MAYWEATHER GUEST SHOT—It would be a Slick Rick move for Las Vegan Floyd to pop up purposefully at the post fight presser and start dogging the winner. We know he has zero interest in fighting Sugar Shane Mosley. I hear the fight hungry and attention starved Mosley is already at the post fight press location getting ready for his beggar’s routine. Maybe he could throw a rubber chicken at the winner like Thomas Hearns once did to Sugar Ray Leonard after the “No Mas” Duran mess in New Orleans.
