Speaking candidly inside of the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas during last month’s Pinoy Power 3/Latin Fury 13 weigh-in, Showtime analyst Steve Farhood shared with me his early foray into the sport of boxing and everything it has meant to his life. The New York native went on to claim that each and every day he devotes a good deal of effort and thought towards helping him become a better professional in boxing and his love for the sport was extremely evident.
As our interview came to a close Farhood spoke about the fallout over Olympic style drug testing that prevented a Manny Pacquiao bout with Floyd Mayweather from becoming an immediate reality. Farhood noted that he felt both parties were to blame while also trying to stay optimistic about Pacquiao’s new dance partner for March 13th, Joshua Clottey.
When reflecting on the result of the Pacquiao-Clottey contest Farhood went on to state that while the fight was quite boring, he believed that it was of no fault of Pacquiao, as the champion simply did what he needed to do in order to win. Pacquiao’s next challenge is one that will take place outside of the ring as he has an upcoming bid for a seat in congress in his native Philippines. When asked his thoughts as to how his involvement in politics will impact his future in the sport, Farhood reveals an interesting side to things.
“I think he’ll keep fighting,” Farhood believes. “Kind of a funny angle to it, from what I understand, is that a lot of the Filipino people will vote against him because they want him to keep fighting. He’s more of a valuable source of national pride being Manny Pacquiao the fighter than he would be Manny Pacquiao the legislator. I think we all selfishly will root for him to lose the election so that he undoubtedly will be back in the ring. I think he will be back in the ring either way. That would be the best care scenario for boxing.”
Recently promoter Bob Arum announced that if the Mayweather bout never comes to fruition that undefeated Edwin Valero or former champions Antonio Margarito and Juan Manuel Marquez could be next in line to face the Pacquiao. While all three men have drastically different styles that would likely produce something memorable inside of the ring, Farhood doesn’t seem to be overly excited.
“Valero is real good but remember he would be moving up again,” he says of the Venezuelan. “It wasn’t that long ago that Valero moved from Jr. Lightweight to Lightweight. He’d be moving up again to Jr. Welterweight to fight Pacquiao at 140 pounds. Valero does not have a big profile in the United States. Valero is a very exciting fighter but I’d like to see him establish himself as a star more in the United States before he takes that huge jump to Pacquiao.”
Without Valero indeed out to establish himself as a star in America, his next rumored bout would certainly help as he is expected to be clashing with once-beaten Lamont Peterson, granted the DC native can get by his April 10th fight with Damian Fuller in Las Vegas. Peterson is a pure boxer with much skill and Farhood seems to feel it would be an adequate step for Valero.
“That’s fine,” Farhood says. “I think Valero will make Lamont Peterson fight. Lamont is more of a boxer and Valero has a big edge in power but again if he fought Lamont he’d be moving up in a division he’s not proven at. So that’s the type of fight that Valero needs to establish himself as a star here before he starts gunning for the biggest names.”
As far as Margarito is concerned, Farhood seems to feel that there is a black cloud over his head that may never fully go away. The Tijuana fighter was caught with elements of plaster of paris in his hand wraps before his January 2009 loss to ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and a year-long suspension soon followed. Farhood notes that while Margarito may well return to have success in the ring, boxing fans won’t be so quick to forgive or forget.
“I think to a lot of American boxing fans he won’t recover,” Farhood states. “It’s a very hard thing to overcome. He will always be viewed by some as a cheater. Unfortunately what happened puts a lot of doubt into people’s minds about the legitimacy of the fights he did win. And that’s unfortunate.”
If there has ever been a fighter who has pushed Pacquiao to the brink time and time again it would be Marquez, who fought the Filipino to a hotly contested draw in May of 2004 while losing an equally riveting split decision in March of 2008 that he still believes he won. Farhood reflects on those two bouts with much affinity as well as discussing his decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. this past September.
“Great fights,” he says. “If anything Marquez laid down the blueprint for how to fight Pacquiao. To counter punch when Pacquiao is aggressive. He’s not a great defensive fighter but you have to be able to hang in there and weather the storm. Marquez is a legitimately great fighter he’s just not a Jr. Welterweight. So if Marquez could stay at Lightweight and fight his big fights there he will be fine. I have no reason to think he was an old fighter going into his bout with Mayweather, judging by his immediate past. I think it was a case of the wrong opponent at the wrong weight.”
One man who has been dying to test his abilities against Pacquiao inside of the ring is Palm Springs native Timothy Bradley. The WBO Jr. Welterweight champion is regarded by many as the best fighter in the division and looks to have an interesting showdown with Welterweight contender Carlos Abregu lined up in the summer.
“Abregu is an interesting fight because Abregu is a full Welterweight,” Farhood points out. “The 140 pound division is kind of hot right now. The fight I would like to see of course would be Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley. Maybe it’s not time yet for that fight because Alexander is just starting to emerge as a star. Bradley could increase his star appeal before that fight as well. The division is good and I would like to see Bradley in with a lot of other 140 pounders, which there are a lot of good, young ones.”
Elaborating on Alexander further, Farhood believes we may be looking at a diamond in the rough. The St. Louis pugilist has come a long way in recent years and Farhood was impressed with his stoppage victory over then IBF champion Juan Urango earlier this month.
“I was surprised he stopped him but I wasn’t surprised he beat him,” Farhood claims. “Alexander is a great young kid. I think he suffered somewhat up until this point from lack of exposure because of Don King’s type of promotion. Don never gives his young fighters very much exposure and as a result Alexander isn’t as known by as many fans as he should. But he’s very young and he just needs one more win over a big name to serve as a launching pad to him being a star.”
Another bout that will have a huge impact on the 140 pound landscape is the May 15th showdown between WBA Jr. Welterweight champion Amir Khan and flashy Brookyln favorite Paulie Malignaggi. Farhood believes that the Madison Square Garden clash will give us the exact answers that we are looking from each man.
“Khan-Malignaggi will create a star one way or another,” Farhood predicts. “It’s a boxer’s fight. We can’t expect fireworks. Khan has a big advantage in power and he is fast so it’s a tough style matchup for Malignaggi. Malignaggi is probably going to have to be the aggressor. He’s not a puncher but he still has to make the fight. I look for him to be the aggressor in front of his hometown and he’ll try to test Khan. Unfortunately Khan’s biggest weakness, which is his chin, doesn’t play into Malignaggi’s strength.”
Another pivotal bout will take place two divisions north the month after as newly crowned WBA Jr. Middleweight champion Yuri Foreman defends his belt against Miguel Cotto, who is coming off of a devastating loss to Pacquiao. On that same night inside of the MGM Grand Foreman would have somewhat of a coming out party as he twice dropped Daniel Santos while capturing a clear decision win and Farhood believes the Belarus native will carry that momentum with him into his fight with Miguel.
“I think that might be the right fight for Foreman at the right time,” Farhood says. “I’m picking an upset there and I think Foreman can win the fight. Cotto at 154 might be a little slow and he is on the downside anyways. Foreman has the speed and mobility to make it very difficult for Cotto. I think it’s a very dangerous fight for Cotto and that may be a passing-of-the-torch type of fight.”
When refocusing on Pacquiao and his immediate future, Farhood fully believes that much hinges on the May 1st clash between Mayweather and the still dangerous Shane Mosley. While Farhood may believe that Pacquiao-Mayweather is the contest we all want, he also feels that Mosley can’t be overlooked.
“I think again we have to look at the only fight that really, really matters, assuming Mayweather beats Mosley,” he says. “Or even if Mayweather doesn’t beat Mosley the only fight that matters is Mosley against Pacquiao. Rematch clause or not. I pick Mayweather to beat Mosley but it’s probably the biggest test of Mayweather’s career. I don’t think people are overlooking Mosley, I just don’t think he’s the first choice for a fight that they want to see.”
With so many talented fighters near his weight class, it would be a shame for Pacquiao to walk away from the sport while still at the top of his game. There have been reports circulating that Pacquiao may indeed be contemplating retiring from the sport and while Farhood admits it would be a devastating loss, he closes out with the belief that there is too much on the table for him to simply walk away.
“It would be a tremendous negative for the sport because we wouldn’t get the one fight that everyone wants to see and that’s what boxing needs right now. Pacquiao is a non-American and he’s the biggest name in American boxing. Only a Duran in the past and maybe a Chavez have done that. It would be a crippling blow for boxing but when a fighter talks about retirement and he’s at Manny’s age and has Manny’s earning power, I ignore it.”
For a closer look at the surrounding characters and storylines that could impact Pacquiao’s near future please click on the collage and links below…
