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Manny Pacquiao & Boxing History: Aaron Pryor

By Jeff Stoyanoff

In the final installment of my look at Manny Pacquiao and boxing history, I will make a prediction, not for 2011 or even 2012 which would be most appropriate, but a shadowy possible scenario for 2031. Like any good prophecy, there is still time for the people involved to change the future.

Aaron Pryor: The cold gaze of history

A shadowy future for a beloved legend of the game.

There is perhaps no other fighter in the rich history of boxing that reminds one more of Manny Pacquiao than the great Aaron Pryor. Pryor retired with an outstanding record of 39-1, with an astounding 35 KO’s. The record of Pryor is even better when you consider that his lone loss came after a two and a half year layoff and nearly four full years after his second victory over Alexis Arguello. Truthfully, Pryor really retired undefeated. How good was Aaron Pryor? Even, his last three utterly meaningless fights tell the odd and sad story of what could have been. Pryor attempted one last comeback in 1988 at 33 years of age. Boxing fans have seen this numerous times. A once great fighter, well passed his prime, gives it a go one more time.

Usually, the fighter will score a lackluster win against an opponent who represents absolutely no danger. At that point, they sometimes retire again. But, more often, riddled with the denial required to make it to the top in the savage world of boxing, the fighter presses on and steps up to a tougher opponent. Eventually, usually sooner rather than later, the fighter is humbled and is severely beaten by a younger fresher fighter. That sad occasion is followed by permanent and unavoidable retirement. Not Aaron Pryor. In his mid thirties he strung together three wins, all by knockout. Granted, the opponents weren’t headed to Canastota, but he came back and knocked three guys out and then retired again. I don’t think I can even name another fighter who did that. Aaron Pryor was special. Only cocaine addiction could beat him. And anybody who has seen him in the ring shouldn’t have a hard time conjuring images of Manny Pacquiao.

Fittingly, both men are of almost identical size. Both are devastating offensive fighters with a style built around relentless aggression and pressure. But, mere words fall short when attempting to describe the level to which these two fighters represent kindred spirits in the ring. Oscar De La Hoya said that Pacquiao was so fast that he felt like there were ten of him in the ring fighting him and he just couldn’t tell where the punches were coming from. Alexis Arguello once said that Aaron Pryor was the only fighter he ever faced where he swore that Pryor hit him with both hands at the same time. Pacquiao established himself as a dominant fighter in the lower weight classes and then moved up and shocked experts and fans alike by seemingly becoming even better and stronger as he moved up. Pryor was a stunningly talented lightweight who was completely avoided at 135 pounds and thus made the decision to move up only to shock experts and fans alike by crushing a durable and talented champion in Antonio Cervantes with a 4th round KO to win the WBA Junior Welterweight Championship. Who knows what Pryor might have been able to do at 147 if he had ever been given the chance? Perhaps, Pacquiao would be following in his footsteps once again.

The words and the stories yield an almost uncanny resemblance. And then there are the images in our minds of the two in the ring. Once again, they both exhibited speed and aggression in such measure that they were constantly unloading punches from all angles in a seemingly never ceasing stream. Just ask Joshua Clottey…or Alexis Arguello. Yet, here again, the offense only tells part of the story. Who can forget the way that Pacquiao raises his arms after absorbing a good shot from his opponent? It’s not simply a move to psych out his opponent. It is as if he is almost energized by the moment. It is as if that moment quantifies that it’s a fight and Manny Pacquiao doesn’t lose in a good old fashioned fight. And then there is the image of Pryor dropped by Cervantes in round one of their title fight in 1980. Pryor rose smiling and winding his right arm over and over as he stared down Cervantes. Again, it didn’t seem as though Pryor was offering false bravado in the least. Rather, Pryor was strangely energized. The fight was on and that meant only one thing in Pryor’s mind. It was “Hawk Time.” Every fighter is unique of course, but Pacquiao and Pryor have so much in common it’s scary.

Yet, there is one area where the two are almost polar opposites; how they are viewed by the public, specifically one is adored as a crossover mega star while the other always existed in a dark corner, admired by fans and unknown to anyone else. Certainly, both men are popular among boxing enthusiasts as they both employed crowd pleasing fight styles. Both men made a habit of hitting and hurting their opponents and were hardly above taking some shots themselves to get the job done. Being as they came in in fantastic shape every time, they were both virtual locks to put on an entertaining show each and every time they entered the ring. What is not to love for a boxing fan? But, public perception runs deeper than fighting styles and lives far beyond the prize ring. Manny Pacquiao exists in a virtual cocoon of public adulation. Pacquiao is rightly admired for his positive qualities, and those imperfections that merely make him human, are largely overlooked. Perhaps, that is exactly as it should be. Meanwhile, the similarly affable Pryor nonetheless exists in a more shadowy realm in terms of how he is perceived. The cloud of suspicion that haunts Pryor doesn’t stem so much from a litany of transgressions in and out of the ring, but rather involves a singular moment, his trainer Panama Lewis, a bottle of water, and questions that will never be answered definitively.

In November of 1982, Pryor met Alexis Arguello for Pryor’s WBA World Light Welterweight Title. It was a legitimate mega fight that absolutely had lived up to the hype. The back and forth action had begun literally from the opening seconds and had scarcely halted in 39 minutes of savage action. For the second time in the evening, Lewis motioned to an assistant between rounds and urged him to give him a different bottle; the one he mixed. Pryor came out and hurt Arguello early in the 14th with a sharp right hand and proceeded to unload a vicious flurry on the helpless Arguello who was now pinned against the ropes unable to respond or even defend himself. The fight was stopped and Arguello fell to the canvas. A post fight drug test showed nothing, and for good reason, there was NO post fight drug test! Ironically, according to boxrec, Pryor had a three point lead on two cards after 13 rounds in the fight. If he could have avoided being knocked down in the final six minutes, he would have won a split decision without a single question ever being asked about that night. But, it didn’t happen and the questions have streamed forth ever since.

The rules allowed only water in the corner during a fight, what could Lewis have mixed? Beyond that, there is the character of Panama Lewis…anything I say here would be as inelegant as it would be pointless. I believe the great majority of boxing fans are on the same page when it comes to Panama Lewis, enough said. People want to believe the best about Aaron Pryor. He always came across as a somewhat tortured but genuinely nice person. And he certainly gave it his all in the ring. People want to believe in heroic efforts, not cheating. But, the events of that night will always stick with Pryor. Unanswered questions don’t go away with historical perspective. Emotions become blunted with the passage of time. Hated personalities are viewed more dispassionately and beloved personalities are scrutinized with greater depth. And, questions surrounding motivations for telling decisions are asked once again. Only years later, the questions are asked without the warm glow of public adulation. Historical perspective is a cold stare. In a few decades, Manny Pacquiao might share one more tragic commonality with Aaron Pryor.

Of course, Manny Pacquiao and drug related performance have been paired together in recent years as well. Unlike Pryor, there isn’t nearly the smoking gun as regards Manny Pacquiao. But, why would there be? In reality, there is no more testing for Pacquiao than there was for Pryor on November 11, 1982; meaning none really. To be fair, that is hardly Pacquiao’s fault and he has complied with every testing measure that has been required of him and he has NEVER tested positive. But, the truth is not nearly that simple. Anybody well versed in the use of PED’s will tell you that passing an announced test is not only easy, it’s a joke if you know what you are doing. And, even never testing positive will not be enough down the road. History is often built around circumstantial cases producing little in the way of direct evidence. When did Aaron Pryor test positive? So, let’s imagine the darkest scenario a couple of decades from now if Pacquiao retires having never taken a random blood test.

Pacquiao passed on a fight that would have brought him better than 50 million dollars in all likelihood by not conceding to random blood testing in the lead up to the fight. There are reports that Pacquiao agreed to a 14 day cutoff for random testing, but there are still some questions as to what exactly was agreed to by both sides. Sadly, the opaque nature of boxing negotiations only exacerbates the problem. Personally, I don’t think Manny Pacquiao has been using PED’s; not because he operates on some sort of higher moral plane than the rest of us, but rather because I don’t see what he is doing as being all that incredible if you examine things more closely. Pacquiao was big at featherweight and junior lightweight and he often struggled to make weight there. Now, he is fighting at a far more comfortable weight so naturally his training is going well and he is coming into recent fights in fantastic condition. Pacquiao is fast and against bigger men his speed is even more deadly. If you combine that speed with good combination punching and an awkward style that is difficult to prepare for you will see guys getting hit with punches they don’t see coming. And, as we all know, the punches you don’t see are the punches that do the greatest damage. Pacquiao, much like Pryor, was a 135 to 145 pound fighter all along we just didn‘t realize it until he got there. However, make no mistake, this is the era of PED’s in sports and boxing is NO exception because the one thing we know about PED’s is that they work. Eventually, the news will break that PED’s are being used widely in boxing, it’s only a matter of time. And when that story breaks, whether he used them or not, people will go back to Pacquiao. What if all that remains on that fateful day are questions about Pacquiao’s training methods? Questions that linger because answers were never given.

Fair or not, history might yet tell the story that Manny Pacquiao walked away from more than 50 million dollars because he wouldn’t agree to random blood testing for a fight. If that happens, it will be yet another congruence with Aaron Pryor. Nobody knows what exactly happened when Pryor went back to his corner after round 13 against Alexis Arguello and NOBODY knows for sure everything that goes on in a training camp for a given fighter. Many years from now, after Pacquiao has long retired and entered the hall of fame as a great champion in the sport, questions will remain. People won’t hate Floyd Mayweather so much anymore. People will take a more even approach to Manny Pacquiao. In all likelihood, the whole incident will reflect poorly on both of them.

In the end, all that may remain of the whole sordid story is the kind of singular thought that can define the legacy of a great fighter. If we think of Aaron Pryor, sadly we think of Lewis’ voice, “Give me the one I mixed.” Many years from now, we will look back with appropriate awe at what Pacquiao accomplished in the ring, but it could ultimately fade away to a singular thought; How could he walk away from so much money just to avoid giving blood? Was there something to hide? The questions will never be answered which only gives them greater significance. Aaron Pryor and Manny Pacquiao already have so much in common, let’s hope that is not even more true 20 years from now when we look back not just on their stellar careers, but on the legacies that define them as well.

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