By Elisa Harrison, BraggingRightsCorner.com
Monday morning has rolled around, and the time has come to jot down my comments and feelings regarding the latest shameful chapter in the sport of boxing, known to some as a high profile match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey.
Filipino fans will hate this article, others may too, and that's perfectly fine.... I understand what it's like to be fanatical about a particular athlete or an actor, a politician, etc., so I can see how the passion for Manny Pacquiao gets in the way of the reality of it all. However, to me it's not about being a boxer's fan, it's about being a fan of boxing.
It remains a puzzle to me how a man can walk away from at least 40 million dollars because of a certain style blood test. We have read and/or heard many excuses from this boxer's camp and to me, they've all been exactly that, excuses, and bad ones at that.
A man who sports mad tats is NOT afraid of needles. A fighter who is clean does NOT fear testing, be it the Olympic style testing or whichever type of testing is mandatory according to a particular boxing commission's rules. A proud man does NOT walk away from an opponent who supposedly -according to his fans and camp- would lose to him if their fight was ever made. It just does NOT make sense, and like judge Judy often says, "if it doesn't make sense, it simply isn't true." A smart woman that judge Judy, somewhat overbearing but definitely wise and smart....
As if all of the above wasn't bad enough, when struck by the attack of test-o-phobia that kept Pacquiao from meeting Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the man who has beaten all the men who have stood in front of him, Manny Pacquiao picks Joshua Clottey as his opponent. I am willing to bet that there is still a rank odor at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The choice couldn't have been more comfortable for Pacquiao, after all Clottey is slow as molasses and not a fighter at the top echelon of the sport. He may be a good B fighter, but he is not now, nor has he ever been an A guy. It's as simple as that.
So, what did Pacquiao prove by beating Clottey? In my humble opinion, he didn't prove anything of a positive nature. The night went according to script. Clottey wasn't really worthy of this opportunity, and perhaps should be paid according to the effort he put forth. This was NOT the fight that the boxing world wanted to see, nor the fight that could have resolved who is who, and what is what in the sport of boxing. Who, as in who is the P4P ruler, and what, as in what would the Olympic style testing would have revealed about Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
I want to give Floyd Jr. some props. I believe he has set the bar at a level no one else in the sport has even thought of doing, and this is definitely a good thing. Every other major sport has stringent testing; stiff penalties and fines when rules are violated; capable and honorable officials, (for the most part), and even when rotten apples find their way into the pot, they usually get caught and are dealt with in the appropriate manner. Boxing doesn't seem willing or capable of cleaning its own house, to separate the honest men from the crooks, to deliver a clean product to its fans. Long live MMA some may say!
I wonder what would baseball fans would say if whenever the NY Yankees played, the American League was to appoint George Steinbrenner's son as chief umpire at home plate? It's called nepotism and it would never happen. However, similar scenarios happen in our sport. We have a high profile case of nepotism in the state of Texas, where Lawrence Cole Sr. is in charge of the Commission and Cole Jr. referees most of the Commission's high profile fights. It is bad enough that nepotism seems acceptable to those in charge of the game, but to add insult to injury, Cole Jr. is one of the worst referees in the business. How can this be considered up to standard? Why is it accepted?
Last but not least, I would like to express respect for Shane Mosley, who at some point in his career used steroids, (reference Balco Lab scandal), but had no trouble accepting Mayweather's request for the most serious drug testing available. Win or lose, Mosley is already a winner in my book.
I chuckle at the thought that perhaps -and this would be fabulous- ten or twenty years down the road, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not be remembered for his flashiness, his superior boxing skills or the difficult family issues he has been a part of throughout most of his career. It just may be that "Money" Mayweather's legacy will be forcing the sport of boxing to take a closer look at -and act upon- cheaters and cowards. Yes, cowards, that's what I said. Any athlete who has to use illegal substances to have an edge on the opposition, can't be considered anything short of a cheat and/or a coward.
It is my closing thought that on the main event of a card scheduled for Saturday, May 1st, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, there won't be a loser, regardless of whose arm is raised at the end of the bout.
Source: braggingrightscorner.com
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