Saturday night, Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao shared the main stage of a mostly disappointing pay-per-view at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
While the main event featured a passive performance from Shane Mosley framed by an unsure, uneven output by boxing’s pound-for-pound top dog, Manny Pacquiao, fans also saw a wildly entertaining upset win from Jorge Arce, and the return of Kelly Pavlik.
Here are some random thoughts from Saturday’s show:
Premature Evacuation
Just as the action started heating up between Ghana’s Ray Narh and Denver’s Mike Alvarado, Narh decided to quit on his stool and call it a night. His third round bail-out answers the question of why such an obviously talented prospect has had a career plagued by inactivity and uneven performances. This surprising ending set the tone for a mostly unsatisfying evening of action.
The Ghost’s Ghastly Management
Kelly Pavlik’s management has been horrible, making horrendous matchmaking blunders like putting him in against a mega-shrewd Bernard Hopkins at a catchweight of 170 lbs. and signing the Sergio Martinez bout after battling a hand injury and, apparently, alcohol dependency. This time, they booked him against a mobile boxer, Alfonso Lopez, for his big comeback after a stint in rehab. He was able to adjust to Lopez’s mobility and shake off the ring rust to take the majority decision, but it was hardly the kind of “feel good” victory Pavlik needed as he steps back into the spotlight.
Coolest Hometown Ever
Alfonso Lopez, hailing from Cut and Shoot, Texas.
Pavlik’s Ink
Have you seen anybody get so many tattoos in such a short period of time? A couple of fights ago, he was a blank slate. Now, he looks like he fell asleep on an active tattoo gun.
Big Things in Small Packages
Jorge Arce is not the best boxer in the world, but there are few fighters as compelling as “El Travieso.” Even had he not pulled off the upset against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., he still would’ve provided the only real memorable performance of an utterly forgettable card.
How do you say “Upset” in Spanish?
2011 has become the year of the world class Mexican upset. Saturday night, it was Jorge Arce over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., before that, we saw Orlando Salido stop Juan Manuel Lopez, Hernan Marquez finish Luis Concepcion, and Marco Antonio Rubio upset Canadian middleweight star, David Lemieux.
Old School or Just, Plain Old?
Shane Mosley brought LL Cool J to the ring with him on Saturday, rapping “Mama Said Knock You Out.” Manny Pacquiao was accompanied by Survivor’s Jimi Jamison as he belted out Rocky III’s “Eye of the Tiger.” Too bad neither fighter’s performance was as “old school” as their taste in music.
Weirdest Boxing Sponsor
O’Reilly Auto Parts? I guess it beats the Cialis sponsorship of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.
Who Agrees?
Right around the eight round, I would not have complained one bit if the cameras stopped covering the fight and just started focusing on Mosley’s girlfriend, Bella Gonzalez.
Gimme Five!
Shane Mosley “high-fived” Manny Pacquiao thirty-five times over twelve rounds, but only landed twenty-two power punches.
The Judges Weren’t Buying It
The usually reliable, Kenny Bayless made an obvious botched call by ruling that a clear push was a knockdown against Pacquiao, but the three judges made an unusual stand by overruling the call and not crediting Mosley with the knockdown. It’s customary for the judges to respect the call of the referee, even if it’s a questionable call. Saturday night, not only didn’t the judges give Mosley credit for the knockdown, but they didn’t even give him the round.
Most Perplexing Post-Fight Quote
“I thought I did a pretty good job.”?Shane Mosley
Meanwhile, on HBO?
Manny Pacquiao’s former home network countered Showtime’s pay-per-view with a Lady Gaga concert from New York’s Madison Square Garden. Floyd Mayweather Jr. claims to have been watching Gaga over Pacman.
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