Pacquiao/Mayweather fell apart again, and for what it’s worth, Top Rank is moving on with life. Too bad the result leaves a nasty layer of slime. Ryan Bates returns to 411mania with his take on Manny, Floyd, Arum, and the man who would be top dog… had his career not been torn up by a little plaster.
I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaack…
You didn’t think I’d pass up a perfectly good opportunity to write an article about my two most favoritest boxers of all time, did you? Of course not.
I took some time off of the writing game but should be back on the fairly regular, toying with new ideas for the weekly column. A lot of you liked “Calling a Spade a Spade” but said it was too negative all the time. Although I defend my choice of topics, I gotta say I agree. I tried to make it more positive at times, but the nature of the column made it hard to go down that path every week and be positive. So I hope with this new format, one which requires me to at least examine the positive facets of boxing on a weekly basis, will balance out the Debbie Downer attitude other columns might have brought about.
But that being said, there’s still a lot that needs to be called out in the boxing world, and it’s with that focus that I bring you “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.” Of course, in true boxing format, that last category will probably see more than its fair share of changes.
But let’s start with the most talked-about non-event in sports today. It’s not Lebronageddon or the 3 Miami Musketeers, because something happened there ? Lebron left Cleveland to go to Miami. It’s not A-Rod breaking into the 600 Club, because any day now (they tell us) this will be an event.
No, the most talked-about non-event in sports today is the fact that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will not fight each other. Again. Instead, Manny Pacquiao will fight Antonio Margarito, and Floyd Mayweather will fight… no one, it seems. He’ll just enjoy a vacation, thank you very much.
THE GOOD
Wow, this “being positive” stuff is harder than it looks. OK, what’s good to come from this…
Revenge is a dish best served in Reyes gloves ? Does Margarito really deserve the position he’s in? See below. But all early indication suggests that Margarito’s style is tailor-made for Pacquiao, and listen, any chance I can get to see Marga-cheato get his ass whooped, well, I’m for it.
Viva Las Pacquiao ? If the Pacquiao/Margarito fight can wind up in Las Vegas (after much legal wrangling and gnashing of teeth), it will be a huge, much-needed economic boost to Sin City. The city is struggling, people can’t afford to gamble, they can barely even afford to come out here. But they’ll do it for Pacquiao. They’ll do it for Margarito (at least his die-hard So Cal fans will).
THE BAD
Pretty much everything else ? Yeah. There it is. Nothing good can come of this. Nothing. The one supposed thing that Floyd claimed was stopping him and Manny from getting it on was the drug testing, and Manny said, “Fine, I’ll do your baseless drug testing.” So how is it we STILL don’t have the super-ultra-mega fight we’re supposed to be having? And how do we really make it look like a big ball of evil? Let’s bring in the most despised fighter possible ? the loader Antonio Margarito!
Now, I’ve said on the record I think Margarito, by technicality, should get his license back. That doesn’t mean I thought he should be put on such a high pedestal so early and without such retribution as seen fit.
And Floyd? What’s HIS excuse? “I never got papers.” Yes, you did, says Arum and Top Rank. “No I didn’t.” Yes, you did, says Greenburg of HBO Boxing. “Nuh-uh. I’m going on vacation.” Well, shit, I want to go on vacation too! In fact, I’m going right now ? Hawaii here I come! You know what will be waiting for me when I come back? A pink slip from work! You see, Floyd, you’re welcome to vacation, but in order to vacation, you have to have worked to earn it.
THE UGLY
It’s me again, Margarito ? Let’s go back to this idea of Margarito getting mixed up in this for a minute. I’ve publicly said I’m for Margarito getting his license back. He’s slimy, he probably knew about the tampering of his gloves, but we can’t prove it. Therefore, he did the time, let the man box.
But after just one bout out of the can (in Mexico, no less), he’s immediately catapulted into the highest spot in boxing. This I’m not okay with. As kids we are taught that if you work hard and play fair good things will come in life. This whole situation with Margarito adds in, “Oh, and if you get caught cheating, don’t worry, people will forget about it eventually.” Not so. You don’t go from being a cheating scumbag to fighting the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. You earn your way back. You fight as if you’re 0-0 again because in the public’s eyes, everything you’ve done to that point is just an asterisk.
Maybe if Margs had strung together about five to ten wins or so, I’d be more at peace with this situation. But to have it flop at your feet is a disgrace.
Weight a Tick ? Manny, Manny, Manny. Enough is enough. I love you. You’re a great fighter. But you couldn’t demand to fight for the heavyweight belt if you were 196. Why do you think you can change the weight limit and still win the belt? That’s what belts (in theory) are for… to determine who the best is at that weight class. Yes, the worth of a belt in boxing these days is dropping faster than Lindsay Lohan’s jail sentence (which I think has now been reduced to 40 minutes), but for the love of God, just uphold the illusion, will you? We let it go for one belt; there was only two pounds difference. But four pounds? Fight the fight, but not for the belt.
To sum up, I’m not going to say boycott this fight. I won’t be the one to deny people the chance to watch Manny Pacquiao when he’s in his prime. But all the players should know, from Bob Arum to Manny to Margarito to Floyd and even Leonard Ellerbee and Richard Schaefer should know, that the boxing world deserves better.
