“The fight’s off. Mayweather never wanted it,” said lead promoter Bob Arum, Wednesday night from Las Vegas, after talks officially collapsed for the proposed historic Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs Manny Pacquiao fight.
It’s hard to put into historical perspective something that officially never happened. This is new territory for the dying sport though. Fighters that only want challenges on their own terms rather than responsibilities.
What ever happened to fighters that wanted to fight?
I hope Arum can get his deposit back from the swanky Manhatten hotel that was to host the press conference.
I don’t believe this is a phoenix that will rise from the ashes of this disaster, but Manny Pacquiao is now poised to face New Yorker via Belarus (former Soviet Union) 154 champion Yuri Foreman next and attempt to win a record eighth world title in as many different weight divisions.
I know. Yuri who?
Foreman, 29, is a Jewish rabbinical student but he’s not chopped liver.
28-0 (8 KO’s) as a professional. 75-5 as an amateur. Has been fighting since he was 7. He won the World Boxing Association’s version of the 154 lbs. title on the televised under card of Pacquiao’s last fight November 14 against Miguel Cotto against defending champ Daniel Santos via unanimous decision. This will be his first title defense.
Those eight knockouts aren’t a misprint. That’s the real deal. And he hasn’t scored a knockout in his nine previous fights.
However Foreman has physical advantages over Pacquiao. He’s 5’11 to Pacquiao’s 5’6. His reach is 72 inches to Pacquiao’s 67. He’s only 29 year’s old to Pacquiao’s 31.
Foreman has fought his entire career at 154 and makes the weight easily. Pacquiao has weighed as much as 144 once – in his last fight against Cotto.
But Pacquiao has more knockouts (38) than Foreman has total fights (28). That’s the statistic that’s hard to get around and believe this is a competitive fight as opposed to just a gimmick to get Pacquiao another title.
I think Pacquiao may catch some heat by the few that care anyway that this is more than just a step below a Mayweather fight as far as competitiveness. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mayweather is leading the complaining about this softy in Foreman, while he himself is trying to land Yo Paulie Malignaggi as a cream puff opponent.
Pacquiao, 50-3 (38 KO’s) gets a pass from me on this fight because Foreman is what’s available and looks good on paper. I believe Foreman will stand up and at least make a respectable account of himself.
But Pacquiao has to seriously consider his options. After 154, he would have to move up to 160 and then 175. Seriously, he better park himself between 144 and 154 and find serious challenges as he winds down his career in the next two years and leaves his Hall of Fame legacy.
He’s run out of weight divisions and he’s pretty much eliminated all the fighters between 130-144 as he moved up in weight class after each fight.
Maybe six months from now Mayweather will come around and agree to the terms and we’ll have a fight. So he shouldn’t be bashed too much.
But in the meantime, the sport of boxing needs a serious infusion of new blood in the glamour divisions of 135, 147, 160 and heavyweight.
