The boys over at Central Casting are just sitting around.
Creative loafing is what they call it. They can’t even find any fake busy work to fool us with when it comes to this May 7 Sugar Shane Mosely-Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas.
Think of it another way. Think of this promotion in terms of I scream, you scream, we all love ice cream.
There those who can appreciate both exotic flavors and plain vanilla. And then there are those who insist on something wild, like Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, Chubby Hubby or Phish Food flavors at dessert time.
If you can’t stand plain vanilla, then you won’t be keen on Shane and Manny. There’s no crazy angles, no sideshow, no carnival barker material to this matchup.
Simply put this is a Mutual Admiration Society fight.
No one is shouting, like Two Ton Tony Galento, “I will moider da dum!”
Neither fighter calls himself the ultimate or compares himself to immortals such as Ali, Robinson and Louis.
The worst thing said so far between the principals was a Tweet by trying too hard Mosley in which he said that the Pinoy Idol will need Botox treatment for his face after he peppers him with punches.
Come on, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and 50 Cent send out more malicious Tweets than that before they sit down for breakfast together.
And, if you think the fighters are too nice to each other, don’t even get me started on the bromance between Coach Freddie Roach and The Nazz, meaning Mosley’s astute and respectful trainer Naazim Richardson.
I should’ve known there would no prefight fireworks involved when I arrived a tad late for the New York City presser and happened upon The Nazz lunching at the same small table with Manny’s wife, Jinkee. Advertisement
I would say Richardson acted like a gentleman but, with the smooth talking and sincere Philadelphian, it is no act.
The man carries himself with grace like a latter day Professor Georgie Benton.
Manny, Shane, Chez Freddie and The Naaz…nary a trash-talking fool in the foursome here.
I preedict constant boredom over the tail end of the promotion here. Shake me, wake me when the bell rings for the opening round.
Then we’ll see the world’s pound for pound ring king making like a buzzsaw against the prideful but faded veteran.
That’s when they run out of plain vanilla.
That’s when we can all snap out of the old ennui.
Sometimes, a fight is just a fight.
Let the crew at Central Casting have their rest.
They’ll be be working overtime if Mayweather ever gets the gumption to report for duty. They will even put in some OT if Juan Manuel Marquez turns up for Chapter 3 and then we revive the played out Mexico vs. Philippines theme.
Right now, there’s not a villain in sight.
If the fighters fight the way they usually do, everyone will forget the prefight tedium.
Sometimes, a fight being just a fight and not a war between Good and Evil is sufficient.
There will be morality plays down the line, just not this time.
