Manny Pacquiao: DOOMSDAY FOR BOXING
By Geno McGahee
There have been two huge disappointments as of late in boxing, but it keeps going from bad to worse it seems. The super fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye became a “I won’t hit you if you don’t hit me” survival game, and Paul “The Punisher” Williams was awarded a terrible gift decision over Erislandy Lara. It was highway robbery on HBO, live for the world to see.
Making matters worse is the idea of a “Super Champion.” There is no more “Undisputed Heavyweight champion.” We now have super champions and regular champions and the WBA has now pitted Teddy Atlas heavyweight, Alexander Povetkin against Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA “regular” heavyweight title. I feel this string of profanity coming on…
Why the @#$#$ do we need five dozen heavyweight champions? It’s incredibly frustrating as a boxing fan for the sanctioning bodies to create these distinctions, further muddling the division. It is said that where the heavyweight division goes, so too goes boxing, and if that is the case, it’s dead.
What saves boxing? Manny Pacquiao is the name that comes up typically, but he’s got over fifty fights, and he’s in the tail stretch of his career. So many boxing publications have sailed on his ship for years, because he is the only one that can sell a magazine or attract fans. Pacquiao is a great fighter, but he’s taking on Juan Manuel Marquez in November and then may or may not take on Floyd Mayweather, JR., next, if he gets beyond Victor Ortiz, and then the show is most likely over. Pacquiao cannot fight forever, and boxing will lose its biggest draw when he retires.
The Philippines has invested a lot of stock in Manny Pacquiao. He is a national hero, a man that proves that you can escape poverty and make it to the top of the world. Despite his money and celebrity status, he has kept his feet on the ground and remained true to his roots. He’s got that “it” factor, and he even sells music CDs and makes movies. Pacquiao, although not a good singer by any stretch of the imagination, is not the worst boxer turned musical act. Larry Holmes and Roy Jones, JR., get that nod.
When Manny says the words: “I retire from boxing,” where does the sport go? Floyd Mayweather, JR., if he continues to fight, it might be once a year and won’t be for much longer, and no other fighter has the draw of a Pacquiao. There’s not even a close second, with the exception of Floyd.
This is why the David Haye – Klitschko fight meant so much. Haye had some of the ingredients needed to save the sport. He was cocky, charismatic, and had a great mixture of speed and power. He was just terrified of Wlad and never chanced winning. He just eagerly awaited the final bell. It was terrible.
There are plenty of decent fighters, but they have not made it to PPV headliner status, yet. Sergio Martinez is a great fighter and so is Amir Khan, but neither can merit their own PPV, unless they are fighting Floyd or Manny. Yuriorkis Gamboa is a star on the rise, but he is years away from PPV headlining status. The Klitschkos can’t give their fights away in the states, and there are no challengers that are earning the public’s attention.
Some are pointing to another Filipino fighter as the next big thing in boxing. Nonito Donaire has been a very impressive fighter with great power and could be a breakout star, but it is highly unlikely that he would reach the status of Manny Pacquiao and capture the public’s attention as he has. He doesn’t have the access to the fighters that Pacquiao had to get that attention.
Manny beat Oscar De La Hoya, one of the biggest names of all time, Ricky Hatton, a British national hero, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, two Mexican fighters with huge followings, and Miguel Cotto, the biggest name in Puerto Rico. He has fought in a way that he has earned the respect and admiration from the fans of those he has left in a mangled heap. Donaire doesn’t have a list like that to work off of. So, I don’t foresee him coming close to the popularity of the PacMan.
Boxing needs a reboot. They reboot every movie in Hollywood, why not do the same to the sport that badly needs it? ABC needs to bring back its coverage of the sport and so does every other network. The USA network shows typically garbage. Why not dust off Tuesday Night Fights? Give it the reboot! If boxing is to return, the marketing and coverage must get better. You don’t see the UFC struggling. They have organization and great coverage. Boxing gets strictly bad press it seems.
Get ready boxing fans. Manny Pacquiao doesn’t have much time left in the sport. We should begin planning in advance.
