While taking a stroll in the casino last night I noticed a couple of things. There was a lot of drunken NCAA sports fanatics as well as a legion of loyal boxing fans in town for the great card taking place tonight. The televised portion of the boxing event which includes Daniel Ponce De Leon vs. Gerry Penalosa, Steve Forbes vs. Demetrius Hopkins, and Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Marco Antonio Barrera promises to be worth the PPV dollars.
I can’t remember the last time a card showcased fighters from such different demographics and backgrounds. The card just appeals to fans at all different levels, at least in my opinion. Although I do feel that this card is one of the great ones so far this year, the pure boxing atmosphere has no comparison to that of the two Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao fights I have attended. It’s not even just the fight night atmosphere within the arena that captivated my soul during those two battles. It was the fact that you knew that any Filipino or Mexican in Las Vegas was completely immersed in the hype of the fight.
The thing that was very surprising is that the rivalry between Pacquiao and Morales did carry over to the fans but there wasn’t much blood spilled on the sidelines. It’s the type of surprise that boxing fans need to acknowledge and follow in these crazy times. It didn’t matter that the electricity in the air was strong enough to power Las Vegas on its own, the rabid fans of both “El Terrible” and “The Pacman” showed a great deal of respect on both sides. I guess it was just that they knew there was no need to fight over their warriors because both men showed enough heart to represent their countries a thousand times over.
While Marquez-Barrera has a great atmosphere in its own sense, Pacquiao-Morales was on another level. That’s why it’s a bit sad to think how that trilogy may never be matched in terms of all around excitement. Maybe the Pacman can fight the winner of Barrera-Marquez in the Fall and we can all relive the frenzy that took place last November.
