Manny Pacquiao is a class act. He is humble, always acts in a honorable manner, displays a genuine respect for his fellow gladiators, always comes in shape, fights better competition than any other fighter in the sport, and pleases fan with his offense orientated style. Plain and simple Manny Pacquiao is the anti-thesis of Joan Guzman, a fighter whose actions have disrespected fans, boxers, athletic commissions, and major television networks by not following the weight guidelines specified in contracts.
First in September of 2008, Guzman was scheduled to face IBF 135 pound champion Nate Campbell in a highly anticipated clash between a boxer and a puncher, but the talented Dominican showed up three and a half pounds over the limit the day before the fight and ended up going to the hospital for dehydration and the bout was cancelled. And no one was more hurt by this lack of professionalism than Nate Campbell who was finally going to capitalize off of his career reviving win over the then undefeated Juan Diaz the previous March. Nate had trained for eight hard weeks and had made the necessary sacrifices to make the weight, and at no time did Guzman?s camp inform Showtime or Campbell?s team that he was going to have trouble making the weight. As a result Campbell lost out on a Showtime sized payday and wasn?t able to get another fight for another five months. And for a fighter in his late thirties the cancellation probably negatively impacted Campbell?s overall career earnings since five months were unjustly taken from the twilight of his career.
It?s not like Guzman is a huge lightweight. In fact he won his first title at 122 pounds and had fought at the super-bantamweight limit as late as 2005 so he should have been able to make the 135 pound limit. And if he could no longer make the lightweight limit, he should have moved up earlier and not misled his opponents or the multitude of people involved in putting together the bouts with Funeka and Campbell.
Guzman shouldn?t be blamed for the unjust scoring that occurred in his first bout with Ali Funeka which was erroneously scored a draw, but Guzman should be held accountable for coming in at 144 pounds for Saturday night?s bout that had been contracted at 135 pounds. In coming in as a welterweight Guzman put Funeka in a comprising position. Funeka could have walked away and decided not to fight, but he wouldn?t have been paid and would have lost all of the money he spent on training expenses, and for a poor black fighter from South Africa, he couldn?t afford to turn down the pay day or the opportunity to win a world title even though Guzman?s actions had had put him in a grossly disadvantaged position.
Come on, Funeka is 6?1. You know how hard it is for a six foot-one man to make 135 pounds. In the late eighties Michael Moorer used to fight at 175 pounds and talked about only being able to have a tiny piece of chicken breast and a small salad without any dressing at night in the weeks leading up to his bouts. And Moorer is 6?2 and only had to make 175 pounds and was still only able to eat one small meal a day. At 6?1 how much do you think Funeka ate leading up to his second bout with Guzman? I would guess that it probably wasn?t very much. To think Guzman who is listed at 5?7, but appears to be shorter had the audacity to show up to the scales as a welterweight. He didn?t even try to make the weight so it wasn?t surprising that he seemed to have more zip in his punches throughout Saturday?s fight since he had been able to eat and nourish his body in way that prize fighters making weight usually can?t.
I just feel for Funeka. He was a promising contender riding a sixteen fight win streak before he came over to the States for the first time for his bout with Nate Campbell last February. Then Campbell came in overweight and Funeka lost a razor thin decision that could have gone either way, but probably would have gone his way if Campbell had actually dried out and made the weight like Funeka did. Then last November in Canada in his return to HBO, Funeka completely dominated Guzman only to get a draw in a contest that wasn?t even competitive. Then this past weekend, his third time fighting for the IBF 135 pound title, Guzman shows up for their lightweight title bout at 144 pounds and Funeka doesn?t win the IBF 135 pound title because he loses a decision to a welterweight. Poor Funeka, he?s like one of those guys from an underdeveloped country that comes over to America chasing his dream and then gets hit by a bus except in Funeka?s case he just didn?t get his once, but three times.
Since Guzman has acted in a manner unbecoming of a honorable prize fighter, HBO as well as Showtime should make an example out of Guzman and banish him from their networks or more fighters will engage in this un-sportsman like conduct and fail to abide by the modern day warrior?s code of ethics that Manny Pacquiao has so honorably upheld throughout his career.
