MASHANTUCKET, Connecticut—You place a world title fight between a Mexican American lad who grew up in Garden City, Kansas, and then moved to Oxnard, California, and a Haitian American boxer from smallish Winter Haven, Florida, here in the woods not far from the Rhode Island border you should expect tickets to move like coldcakes.
New England did not have to choose between Vicious Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto. Instead, those from Hartford to Boston and from Worcester to Providence did not know who they are.They set up the Theater at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods for a mere 2,300 fans Saturday night and the empty seats were legion.
But one late arriving spectator, who did not take his ringside pew until the main event, which turned out to be a scorcher and the shocking Ortiz ring redemption/upset that I boldly predicted, had already started made it all worthwhile for many spectators.
Not only did the crowd see a serious “Fight of the Year” candidate which concluded with Berto going to a local hospital for a hand injury and to have someone look at bumps on the back of his head, they also got to jeer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather and bosom buddy, the rapper Fifty Cent, took their first row ringside seats just in time to see a wild war as Berto foolishly slugged it out with the harder-hitting southpaw Ortiz.
Yep, the same Ortiz who so many branded a quitter after his desultory loss to Marcos Maidana.
As for Mayweather, he heard a steady but seemingly good-natured chant of “Fight Manny, Fight Manny” which began up in the rafter and came cascading down to ringside.
So what did Mayweather's cameo tell us?
I thought you would never ask.
What We Learned From Mayweather's Visit:
1.He remains the villain, the fighter people most love to hate and the visceral reaction he provokes reminds us this is why he and Pacman will eventually have to fight (I hope). As Lou DiBella aide Ron Rizzo said, “The fans care enough to boo him and how many other fighters can you say that about?
2.Mayweather has no plans to wander away from either HBO, the broadcast home abandoned for one bout anyway by Pacman/Bob Arum in favor of rival Showtime/CBS.
3. We can finally pull the plug on all the “Floyd is working with Don King” rumors and reports. Mayweather remains firmly in the clutches of his adviser Al Haymon because that is who he and Fitty sat with at ringside.
4. Mayweather got a reminder of how he can lose his prized unbeaten status as Berto fell from the privileged ranks of the unbeaten. Mayweather's 0 may have to go against the sheer force and will of Pacquiao.
5. Mayweather still causes a serious buzz when he appears in public. Some fans in the higher elevations could not see him until they flashed his smiling face on two huge TV screens but, when that happened, a real roar went up from those in attendance followed by the jeers and a few cheers.
6. Mayweather learned again that Pacquiao is omnipresent. In the ring, Victorious Victor told Larry Merchant how he got a fight day phone call with some ring advice from a sagacious acquaintance named Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao. They were connected over the phone by regular Pacman sparring partner David Rodela.
If Mayweather did not understand America's message, then he is deaf and dumb.
Source: examiner.com
No comments:
Post a Comment