What is there to say? There is no one in the sport of boxing that creates the same buzz and excitement as Manny Pacquiao. Even with a little known opponent as Joshua Clottey as his dancing partner, he was still able to attract more than fifty thousand fans to Texas Stadium.
Some may say that the fight was boring, but Pacquiao was his usual self, an energizer bunny who threw a record amount of punches. It’s more a case of Pacquiao setting such a high standard in terms of dominance and providing the best entertainment that nothing short of matching his past performances will be considered a disappointment.
It’s like Lebron James scoring only 20 points and getting 5 rebounds along with 5 assists in a game. No doubt great numbers for most basketball players, but far short from his usual numbers.
So, as always after his fight, fans must find a way to rid themselves of the Pacquiao Phenomenon cold turkey. Not the easy thing to do, when there’s not a glut of exciting fighters that provides the same charisma and of course the drama that often surrounds his camp.
The only consolation for fans this time is that the Mosley vs. Mayweather is on the horizon to temporarily provide relief like a nicotine patch to a smoker. It’s certainly a great match and should be more competitive, but lacks the overall hype and excitement that a Pacquiao fight can bring. I mean, when was the last that Mayweather was involved in an exciting fight and there’s a great chance that he might turn the event into a Las Vegas version of Tour De France.
Kellerman recently anointed Mayweather in the HBO faceoff as new ‘Golden Boy” of boxing, but the fact is that he hasn’t proved that he can carry an event by himself. In fact most of his great pay per views was arguably the responsibility of his past opponents. Pacquiao sold out Texas stadium and the PPV numbers are expected to exceed 650k in pay per view buys according to Bob Arum and he did it with an unknown opponent. As great a fighter Mayweather is; I highly doubt that he could have done the same.
It won’t be a surprise if somewhere; Mayweather was grinding his teeth in annoyance as Pacquiao, a non-English speaker from a third world country proved the he is the face of the sport as his fight recorded the third highest attendance record in history.
Pacquiao is no longer a superstar only among Filipinos, but also globally. It’s a level of success he achieved by earning the respect of boxing fans around the world by constantly fighting the best. One only needs to attend a Pacquiao fight to see the diversity in his fan base. Is there any other fighter that attracts fans of different ethnicities to wave his country’s flag and don t-shirts that includes his image and symbols of his country? In fact, Pacquiao’s Mexican fans probably outnumbered the number of Filipinos who attended ‘The Event’ and many of them were seen buying the Philippines flag and other Pacquiao items.
Also, those who have attended Pacquiao’s fights or enjoyed the festivities that often precede or follow his fights in Las Vegas can tell you that the atmosphere is one of a kind. Fanatic fans covered with Pacquiao themed accessories and clothing from head to toe in obvious support of their hero. Celebrities and athletes walking around. Boisterous fans talking trash to each other; all in fun in support of their respective fighters. Pacman inspired characters such as ‘Minny Pacquiao’ and ‘Manny Paksiw’ mingling with fans.
It sounds like a circus, but that is exactly what drives many to attend his fights along with the excitement that Pacquiao often provides in the ring. The exact same reason that fans might now be browsing the internet for a Pacquiao patch to get them through until the Filipino icon’s next fight.
