“There seems to be a strategy with the handlers of Manny Pacquiao”…”There is a reason Ortiz had so much energy”…all recent comments made by some of the biggest names in the sport. Looking back at this week’s key quotes of note, Boxing Scribe Vivek Wallace offers his own unique perspective, giving fight fans “a little something to think about”. Check it out!
“Age is important, but in my case, I can’t lose sleep about it. To give you a living example, you have Bernard Hopkins, who beat an opponent 20 years younger than him. But there seems to be a strategy with the handlers of Manny Pacquiao who waited four years for this fight, and the first one was in 2004. It seems they expect me to be diminished, considering the long period between fights. I even tried to get them down to 143 pounds, but negotiations closed at 144.” – Juan Manuel Marquez speaking to BoxingScene.com about Team Pacquiao’s decision to face him now
Perspective: A deeper analysis of this statement offered by Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez can be taken two ways, yet in the end, neither come across in a favorable light for Team Pacquiao. The 8 world titles in 8 weight classes, the fan-friendly ‘stalk-until-they-can’t-walk’ ring style, and the happy-go-lucky sentiment all help the Pacquiao persona, but the voice of the critics, which was once only a whisper in the dark, has suddenly grown to a deafening roar in the light as many will continue to question the blueprint to history taken by the fightin’ Filipino.
In this case, Marquez sheds light on the fact that he feels it comes as no coincidence that Team Pacquiao has waited this long to finally offer him another shot. In November of 2009, I can remember sitting in the post-fight conference after Pacquiao had defeated Cotto and asking him directly would he consider a rematch with Marquez, only to be met with a swift two letter response: “NO!” Pacquiao would continue by saying he “has nothing left to prove and has no interest in facing the Mexican again.” Two years, a few uneven performances by Marquez, 14 pounds and a few weight classes later, and suddenly we find ourselves on the brink of a trilogy.
It’s hard to logically reason why this move is being made now? At age 38 and clearly on the proverbial ‘west-side’ of his career, as great as he is, in theory, it’s a bit tough to fathom Marquez being able to do any true damage at this stage. But that’s precisely where the plot thickens. Something about this fight seems appealing now to Team Pacquiao that didn’t appear too appealing before. The operative question now is how much of a true calculated risk was it to make such a move?
We’ve seen Marquez hurt against Katsidis and Diaz, and shut out against Mayweather. What could it really do to Pacquiao’s veil of invincibility if he actually struggles with a 38-year-old, shop-worn warrior fighting nearly 15 pounds above his typical weight? The old adage has it that “styles make fights”, and these two certainly make for a deadly mix! Some feel Pacquiao’s negotiating leverage (with Mayweather) already suffered from the Mosley fight. The Marquez showdown will not come close to the 1 million PPV buys Marquez did with Mayweather, so what benefit will this fight be to Pacquiao ultimately? (Even if he does accomplish a KO).
Just a little something for he and his team to think about.
“There is a reason Ortiz had so much energy…..it wasn’t Flintstone vitamins.” – Andre Berto speaking on the possibility of Victor Ortiz using performance enhancements
Perspective: Wow….so this is what the sport has come to, huh? What really sucks about this is the fact that steroids in boxing remains a double-edged sword. In one breath, there’s the realization that you have more under-the-radar enhancement drugs at this point than any other era in the history of sports, but the flipside is that this reality has also become an excuse for men who simply perhaps lost to a better man.
I have always supported Andre Berto. I still support Andre Berto. I will continue to support Andre Berto. But I will not support this! Victor Ortiz fought a helluva fight, he was stunned, and even hit the deck like Berto. The only difference in the end was heart. Ortiz walked through the fire….Berto chose to lick his wounds when he felt he got burned. Period.
It’s unfortunate that Pascal and Berto have taken this angle to serve as damage control in the eyes of fight fans around the world, but it also solidifies the fact that we do need better testing in the sport to remove this new alibi from the losers equation. Many took fault with Mayweather for requesting the test, but in hindsight, you have to agree that his request to ask first, rather than lose and speculate later, was the best approach one can take. At the end of the day, this has made the young Berto appear to lack integrity, and we’ll never know if his point is true. Some may never care because of the way he presented it.
Just another reason why everyone needs to “TAKE THE TEST”. Just a little something to think about.
