Manny Pacquiao Vs Floyd Mayweather JR: The Psychology of Boxing
By Manoj Bhat
(Managing Editor’s Note: Manoj Bhat is our newest Feature Writer at RSR. I, along with the rest of the team, welcome him aboard!)
It is a common trap that most of us as fans of any sport fall into – comparing the present generation with the greats of the past. It is a compelling thought for everyone following a sports personality to believe that his idol is perhaps the best ever. In many ways, this is a fact because the comparison is a myth. Imagine a young Mike Tyson standing in front of Muhammad Ali in the prime; Sugar Ray Robinson facing off with Manny Pacquiao or Rocky Marciano standing with a Roy Jones in the ring. These would be fights that could give goose bumps to the best of the experts and most would be inclined to believe that Ali, Sugar or Rocky would prevail but that’s just the reflection of the fear of ghosts that lay deep in the human psyche.
The fact is that the sport of boxing has evolved over the years. It is practically impossible for any good ranking boxer today to fight an incredible 136 professional fights over a period of just over 11 years (Oct 1940 – 1952) like Sugar did. This averages to nearly 12 fights every year or to say the least a fight a month. Would it be possible today is a big question. The sweet science has become more professional and naturally a lot of preparation goes into every bout a boxer puts his head in for. Despite all these ifs and buts, one thing is sure to define each individual as a boxer and a celebrity and that is equally measured by the Vietkong outbursts of Ali, Ear bite of Tyson, Sugar’s loss to Maxim in the 103°F heat in 1952 or the Referee allowing Rocky to fight on with a broken nose and so on.
Manny Pacquiao to say the least stands out in the attitude inside or outside the ring. Of all the legends of this brutal sport, have we ever seen a boxer literally beg the referee to stop the fight when he is winning and the opponent is clearly beaten? Our generation has been previledged to see such a cultured gesture shown by Manny to Margarito. Juan Manuel Marquez may claim he won the fights with Manny twice – but a close look at Manny’s psyche will tell you that he lifted the foot off the pedal soon after Marquez was knocked down twice. This is not to underestimate Juan Manuel’s fighting ability but only an effort to see the human being in a fighter who has lived his childhood in inhumane conditions. Ali’s “BOMAYE” theme in the Rumble in the Jungle shows that he was in for the kill even though he used his intellect to wade off his involvement the “Vietkong” war. He never showed this human aspect in his greatness in the ring.
Yours truly has a few friends in Manila where Manny worked for the safety of the common man during treacherous floods at a time when he should have been preparing for his fight. He worked day in and day out to manage the supplies, medicines and support the flood victims going nights without sleep and pushing his contingent of friends to the brink of collapse. Compare this to Ali taking a stand of not fighting along his countrymen. He literally ran away from the war that his country fought and where his countrymen were dying whereas Manny fought a war to safeguard his countrymen that was not his in the first place. Such compassion is unseen in the artists of sweet science. This trait would be only attributed to Manny Pacquiao in the History of the sport that can boast the world record of having been represented by the maximum number of Ex Criminals or Future Criminals.
What separates Manny from any other boxer ever to have dorned a pair of gloves as a professional is the unbelievable disdain for the dreadful possibility of getting hurt or knocked out. The manner in which he comes out at the bell at starts whipping up a creamy 100+ punches per round gives an intelligent opponent enough openings to get at him. But Manny is an entertainer to say the least. For him the fight is still the same event as it was when he as a teenager used to fight for bits in the filthy neighbourhoods of Manilas ghetos where a boxer can become popular even for the style in which he gets knocked out. For him the crowns may be important but it still comes a distant second compared to the need of entertaining the crowd that pays to come and see him fight.
You will never see Manny fight 8 boring rounds on the ropes like Ali did against Foreman when the world bit their fingers sure that their hero would be destroyed. Skeptics will always say that Foreman was bigger than Ali but pound for pound Margarito v/s Manny was a greater mismatch. Even Miguel Cotto was bigger on a ratio basis when he stepped into the ring. It is useless to argue with such conservatives who have decided to shut facts out of the logic fraternity just because they have decided to treat Ali as the best ever. However it is pragmatic to see the facts and accept the evolution of human beings as a normal process which automatically gets reflected in the sports we play. It would be the same mindset to say that Jesse Owens in 1936 who ran 100 yards (91mts) in 9.4 secs is still a better Athlete than Usain Bolt running 100 mts in 9.58 secs. It just does not make any sense. The sport evolves and every era has its best athletes. It is just logical to say that today Manny is the best and perhaps the best ever till date.
The only person who could have put these speculations to rest is Floyd Mayweather. Floyd too is a great – perhaps greater than Ali in avoiding the fight that involves the pride of his nation. Today America’s Boxing legacy is on the line and a small Filipino man from the labyrinths of Manilas underbelly has dared to snatch it from under the American noses. This would be the only time when Floyd would get a chance to stand up for the aspirations of his countrymen and take on a challenge that could make them proud to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” again during the fights and take American Boxing back to the glory of its past. It is only a matter of time that like the millions of Jobs that are now outsourced to the poorer neighbourhoods of Asian countries, boxing too will become the game played by other nations and for Americans to watch on PPV TV.
Floyd however has unknowingly hit the axe on his own feet. The fact that he is insisting for Drug tests shows that he is convinced just as millions of Manny fans that Manny Pacquiao is really special. He is 100% sure that Manny Pacquiao could not give such perfomances if he was not onto drugs. This only helps him in defeating his own psychology. As more bouts Manny fights and no drugs come up in his system, Floyd will have to put his foot in his mouth or perhaps even cover his face with the same. It is evident that Floyd has lost this fight even without a punch having been thrown. So the big question is – should he take this challenge? I feel that he should.
Fighters greatness is not decided by their unbeaten record but by the wars they have fought. Floyd has this chance to fight a life defining war and he has practically nothing to loose. If its his legacy he is worried about, it would be more tarnished if he ended his career without a fight with Manny Pacquiao. Does he have a chance to win? Well if Juan Manuel Marquez could do a good job against Manny, why not Floyd? He is intelligent and can find a way out to unscramble the Manny matrix. If he does it in the first few rounds then the fight is his but if he cannot do it the first time, I am sure that a rematch would be a certain Floyd Mayweather victory.
The only question is whether Floyd Mayweather, JR., will ever take the first fight at all? Will the Senior Mayweather take this opportunity or think that with time Manny will slow down and their fighter will become faster despite being 2 years older than Manny? Till the time they decide to stop getting involved in unwanted things, Floyd is only committing a psychological suicide for his boxing career and legacy whereas Manny on the other hand is reinforcing his confidence and legacy by fighting whoever comes his way and taking time out to sing, dance, to help his countrymen and meet the presidents of other nations.