WASHINGTON, D.C.: Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao is giving Floyd Mayweather Jr. a dose of his own gamesmanship, telling the thrash-talking former boxing superstar he does not need him to cement his legacy.
And Pacquiao, who begins campaigning for his second stab at a congressional post this week, just upped the ante by threatening to retire and walk away from what could be the biggest fight in the history of boxing.
Of course, Pacquiao is perfectly within his right to tell the man he succeeded at the top of the pound-for-pound totem pole that Mayweather needs him more than he needs the unbeaten American welterweight.
“I came this far in my boxing career without Mayweather, so I see no need to call him out,” Pacquiao told newsmen upon arrival in Manila on Monday. “He needs me to bolster his career.
Pacquiao, 31, said he remains open to fighting Mayweather “anytime he wants to.”
Hit two birds with a stone Pacquiao, who was given a hero’s welcome by thousands of adoring countrymen, was actually trying to hit two birds with a stone.
First, he was telling Mayweather loud and clear that he won’t succumb to any more of his unreasonable demands to revisit their aborted mega fight, assuming Floyd gets past dangerous “Sugar” Shane Mosley in their May 1 showdown in Las Vegas.
Mayweather, who outclassed former Pacquiao arch-nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez for his only fight since returning from nearly two year’s of retirement, has started making noises that he deserved a bigger share of the purse on top of his demand for Olympic-style drug testing.
Second, Pacquiao was sending a message to the electorate of his adopted province Sarangani that he is willing to walk away from boxing to be their full-time congressman, should he win in the May 10 elections.
Pacquiao is up against Roy Chiongbian, a political neophyte just like him. But the 60-year-old shipping executive has the full backing of his family that has ruled Sarangani virtually unopposed in almost two decades.
Costly battle in the political arena By most accounts, Pacquiao is facing an uphill, costly battle in the political arena. The interesting match-up pits Pacquiao’s immense popularity against the vaunted political machinery of the Chiongbian clan, whose late patriarch, James, was instrumental in the creation of Sarangani as a separate province in 1992.
The retirement gambit—whether intended or not—could be a double-edged sword that may not appeal to the Sarangani voters, who prefer PacMan as fighter and not as their representative in Congress.
One of Pacquiao’s political mentors, Lito Atienza, who is running for Manila mayor against incumbent Alfredo Lim, said that Pacquiao is “quite sincere in helping the people” in his quest for elective office.
Unfortunately for PacMan, his own people just love him for the way he is—a boxer who has brought them great pride and immense thrills as the only fighter to win seven world titles in as many weight classes.
Forget about politics Pacquiao—who has had forgettable forays into acting (his previous movies all tanked in the box-office) while his TV sitcom was not rating too well, either—does not seem ripe for political or showbiz pursuits.
“Manny should stick to boxing and forget about politics, at least for now,” said California sportsman-businessman Bing Manguino of San Jose by phone. “If I were from Sarangani, I would vote against him just to make sure he stays in boxing.”
Manguino, an avid Pacquiao fan, thinks it would be “foolish” to see Pacquiao leave the ring at this point when he is at the peak of his game.
“If Manny sticks to boxing, there are more challenges for him to conquer. People expect him to fight the winner of Mayweather-Mosley. And he can even fight [Edwin] Valero and knock him out,” said Manguino, referring to the unbeaten Venezuelan lightweight star who has won all his fights by knockouts.
Pacquiao might actually retire Filipino American boxing historian Hermie Rivera of Newark, California thinks Pacquiao might actually retire from boxing once he is elected congressman.
Rivera, who used to promote Filipino world featherweight champion Luisito Penalosa, said Pacquiao has secured his boxing legacy, adding that he won’t be surprised if Manny sticks to politics—if he gets elected.
Assuming Pacquiao scores an upset over Roy Chiongbian on May 10, would he be willing to walk away from a fight with Mayweather that could earn his as much as $40 million?
This fight writer does not think so, because Pacquiao needs such a record payday to support his lifestyle and to feather his retirement nest.
But more than the money and the glory, he wants to give Mayweather his comeuppance in the ring for undermining his legacy by suggesting that PacMan might be into steroids or other performance enhancing drugs.
