Would Manny Pacquiao be a household name if he were white? I am guessing that he would be. White boxing fans are always looking for “The great white hope” the blue collar guy that rises to the top from nothing and becomes world champion. Oh wait, a guy just did that didn’t he? His name is Manny Pacquiao, but wait, he isn’t white is he? No, he’s not white, he is Filipino from the Philippines. So why is it still that Pacquiao is not a household name to say someone in Boise, Idaho? Would a white 105lb fighter who grabbed 7 world titles be a household name in America? You are darn right he would be.
If Manny Pacquiao was a white fighter not only would he be a household name in America, but he would be a household name in Germany, France, England, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, heck even the penguins in Antarctica would be pacman fans.
Mississippi has had it’s share of racial discrimination over many decades. All white water fountains, all white bathrooms, African Americans couldn’t vote, and they could not go to white schools, etc, the list goes on. Manny Pacquiao is not African American, but has he been subjected to the color barrier on the way up to the top? Sure Pacquiao makes HUGE money now, but would a white 7 division world champ make even more money? I think probably, yes.
If it was a white guy that thrashed all of the Mexican legends like Morales, Barrera, De La Hoya, Diaz, Marquez, and Larios, how big would that be? Recently former Jr middleweight world champ Sergio Mora and I were talking about this very topic. Mora brought up former champ Kelly Pavlik’s name as a white guy that beat the bleep out of black guys that his promoter hand picked on the way up. White America fell in love with Pavlik. The blue collar guy from Youngstown, Ohio who became the world champ. Pavlik’s name was talked about in all of the boxing circles across the country.
So what if Pacquiao was a white guy? How much different would his career be if he were?
