Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather, JR.: OFFICIAL
By Gina L. Caliboso
So, it’s official – sort of. Well, as the saying goes, if it’s on Facebook, we have to believe it right? On Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s FB page he posted the date, May 5th 2012 on November 28th. I’d say it’s a calling out, wouldn’t you fight fans? What else happens for me on May 5th 2012? My sister’s wedding anniversary – so that means I have to find a place to watch the fight. It’s also Cinco de Mayo, which means I have to find a place to listen to Mariachi, drink margaritas, and celebrate the day.
But now, a possible fight night in the works? Love it. I’ll have to ask my sister and brother-in-law’s permission to host a fight night. Or not. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew just may be out of town and I’ll be charged with housesitting. Who needs permission?
May 5, 2012. It’s been stated. And my thoughts? My thought as it has been the last year? The Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight must happen next year. As I watched my DVR of the Pacquiao vs Marquez fight, I was surprised to see that look on Pacquiao’s face had wavered for a bit. Marquez’s excellent counter punching and timing neutralized Pacquiao’s overwhelming speed. But I’m guessing I’m not the only boxing fan that noticed. And, the judges at ringside scored the bout as an MD. The judges saw the same thing I did too. Pacquiao showed more aggression, more offense, but counterpunchers don’t always get the break as they might need for a round or two. Watch the fight again – you might score it another way.
For Pacquiao, his previous bouts have shown an escalating level of boxing skill and concentration. In his bout against Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao showed a vulnerable side to a good jab. Although Cotto had failed to keep up his jab, Pacquiao dug deep with his speed and outslugged Cotto to earn the 12th round TKO victory. Following Cotto, he fought against Joshua Clottey easily winning a 12 round unanimous decision. After Clottey, Pacquiao went on to fight Antonio Margarito. In this fight, the Filipino champ outboxed Margarito to the point where Margarito had to get facial surgery. Finally, in his bout before Marquez, Pacquiao fought Sugar Shane Mosley to a 12 round unanimous decision with Mosley getting knocked down in the 3rd round. Finally, he fought Juan Manuel Marquez for the 3rd time and this final bout was not without its controversy. It’s not difficult to figure out that in his last five fights, Pacquiao has solidly fought 12 round bouts all ending with a decision in his favor. It’s been a busy 2 years for Pacquiao. All the while he ran for Congress and won. What else does Pacquiao do? Sings. Acts. Pacquiao is the people’s champion and he doesn’t take the role lightly. It is perhaps why he has been driven to success because he represents a fulfillment of a fairy tale of growing up poor and now lives to serve his people.
Pacquiao’s would-be opponent, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has also fought 5 times, but over the course of 4 years. In 2007, he fought a whopping two times. First, he defeated De La Hoya in a 12 round split decision. And later in the year, he defeated Hatton in a 10 round TKO. Then, shall we say, Mayweather took a bit of a break – a two-year break and in his return bout, he fought against Juan Manuel Marquez and weighed in heavy. Marquez lost the bout as he was outmatched in weight, power, and skill. Then, Mayweather took a year off and made a return bout against Mosley winning a 12 round unanimous decision. Finally, in September this year, Mayweather fought against Victor Ortiz and earned a cheap, sorry, I mean a KO in the 4th round. Bias here, folks? Yes. Critical perhaps? Yes.
I feel as if the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps have been going at it for a while now. It started out as trash talk on the Mayweather side with accusations of Pacquiao’s alleged use of steroids, his demands for Olympic style testing. If you recall in the Mayweather – Mosley 24/7 episodes, they showed Olympic style testing. There are possible disputes about the amount of money for the bout – who will receive more? No question. Pacquiao should get more and he shouldn’t settle for anything less than his worth. On the whole, Pacquiao has proven his worth in the last two years, fighting for the fans, and never ceasing to fight. Meanwhile, Mayweather has chosen fighters he knows he can beat.
So, we all know the draw and drama for the fight to happen. It’s the premier matchup in boxing right now. My beloved sport of boxing has taken a few hits lately with some pretty bad fights, notably Mayweather vs Ortiz and Hopkins vs Dawson. Both Mayweather and Pacquiao claim they fight for the fans. But at this point, they obviously don’t think too much of the fight fans out there if all they can do is agree to disagree about who is ultimately worth more and deserving of a bigger cut of money. In the end, boxing fans lose when the world’s two best fighters in boxing decide to fight outside the ring rather than inside.
