By Joe Wilson, Ringside ReportOver the past few months professional boxing has delivered some good match- ups. The first half of this year has not been that bad! Even though the biggest fight of the decade fell apart, the sport continued to stride. With the access of HBO Sports, Showtime and ESPN2, boxing is alive and well. There have been some exciting fights on all of these networks.
We enjoy HBO Boxing, HBO Boxing After Dark, Showtime’s Super Six and ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. Some of these events were with the best fighters boxing has to offer, such as; Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez, Andre Berto, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz, Joshua Clottey, Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather JR.
These fighters and there were some I didn’t mention here, have already fought in this first half of 2010. The sport is off to a good start. It seemed that most of the match ups went pretty well, even the negotiations.First of all, these two fighters are special, but human. Sometimes the bigger the demand, the more complicated it gets. The public has made these two special fighters immortals. To add to that, they know how important they are to boxing fans. Right now these two fighters are sitting at the very top of the world in boxing with their promoters strapped to their ankles.
Even though we have enjoyed some good fights this year, it seems the one everybody wants to see is Floyd “Money” Mayweather JR. vs. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. It seems the boxing public do not care what other good match ups are out there and I’m sure there are some. Right now it seems nothing can fill this void, except that fight. Fight fans are like junkies needing a fix when it comes to these guys. These two fighters know the magnitude of this fight and what it’s worth in dollars, which has somewhat made them gods.
They are so big that their promoters have very little power over them. Turn the calendar back five years and these two fighters were known only by boxing fans, now they are both household names. When you think of one, you automatically think of the other. That’s why this fight has to happen. They are forever linked together even if a fight never materializes.
I don’t believe either fighter is afraid of the other. Fighting is what they are trained to do, it’s their job. Some believe the media and all the hype around it is what delaying this match. The promoters and the way they have handled things has made this fight complicated. What happen to the days when a both promoters get the signatures of their fighter, and then put together a contract they both agree on, then make the announcement?
Say what you want about Don King, I must admit, I can’t remember any of the big fights that he promoted in the past (and he’s promoted some big ones); go through this kind of behavior. This is ridiculous! These two fighters are in the position to take part in one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport, and they continue to drag their feet.
Marketing a fight is a good thing, but enough already… This fight doesn’t need anymore marketing. If it was a fruit it would have fallen off the tree already, “it can only get so ripe.” These two fighters are at the very top of their game right now and it would be sad to see this fight fall apart for a second time.
There should be no questions regarding the conditioning of these fighters come fight time, because neither fighter has showed problems in the past. Floyd Mayweather, JR., is undefeated as a boxer. He has beaten everyone who’s stepped in the ring with him. Winning is all he knows. Mayweather JR. is one of the smartest fighters in the ring today. He usually figures his opponent out within the first few rounds.
By the middle rounds, he starts to punish his opponents. It’s like watching something on the Discovery Channel. There are certain animals like the lion for instance. I’ve seen the lion catch its prey and not kill it right away. They seem to enjoy seeing their prey struggle first, before taking it out. Floyd Mayweather, JR., has displayed this type of embodiment in the ring against his opponents.
What makes Manny Pacquiao different from Mayweathers JR’s past opponents?
It is his will to win. He is a southpaw who is more skillful and hits harder than Zab Judah, the last southpaw Mayweather JR. faced. Judah gave Mayweather, JR., problems early in their fight. Manny Pacquiao has improved tremendously over the past few years. He brings everything he has, when he steps in the ring and lately, he’s been beating up elite fighters, left and right.
Fight fans already know if anyone out there who can give Floyd some problems or maybe even his first loss, is none other than Manny Pacquiao. That’s what makes this fight so exciting! Pacquiao has speed and power which keeps most of his opponents on their toes. He brings the fight to his opponents and once he gets into a rhythm he usually takes them out.
The biggest problem I see for Pacquiao, if and when this fight takes place is his defense. Well, some would say a good offense makes up for a bad defense, and in most cases this would be true, but not with Mayweather JR. No one knows how well their offense will work until in the ring with him. He is hard to hit clean. During the Shane Mosley fight back in early May; Mayweather JR. got hit clean in round two, but never hit clean again throughout the whole fight.
He has a way of making adjustments in the ring. If Pacquiao doesn’t move his head while fighting Floyd, he will get beaten badly. Trainer Freddie Roach better put in some serious work regarding the defense and head movement, because Floyd’s hands are lightening fast. He will not let Pacquiao get out a single round without tasting some leather. That’s the type of fighter he’s dealing with in “Money” Mayweather.
This fight can become very ugly going into the later rounds, if it ends up there. Floyd Mayweather JR. lives for big moments when he can shut up his haters. It’s these kinds of fights that he shows up very big, and usually wins by a large margin. As a boxing fan myself, I like both fighters and what they share alike is; they both seem to be great athletes who will put it all on the line to be known as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Tell me what individual would want to live his life 30 to 40 years from now, knowing that he walked away from what could have been the biggest fight in the history of boxing, only because there was a disagreement regarding random drug testing. It’s a given, either way these two names will forever be linked together, so why not give the boxing fans what they want and also pocket one of the biggest paychecks in the history of the sport?
Source: ringsidereport.com
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