Pacquiao the Great; can he lure Mayweather to the ring

Filipino sensation Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is riding higher than ever after his brutally magnificent 12^th round stoppage of 3 time world champion Miguel Cotto Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao, a former flyweight, is bringing a huge boost to the game of boxing along with laying the foundation for himself as a legitimate all time great in the sport.

This win is Pacquiao’s biggest of his career so far. He beat a guy that was considered a killer at 140 and the very best at 147. His lone loss came on a hot night in Las Vegas last year to brutal Antonio Margarito, who may have had loaded gloves at the time. He has turned back capable champions like Carlos Quintana, Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and slew of other title holders. When Cotto was cutting a swath thought the 140 pound division early in this decade, Pacquiao fought at under 120 pounds. That makes it all the more amazing that Pacquiao was able to dominate Cotto at every turn of the fight. If Cotto had a fleeting moment of success, Pacquiao would take that back- with interest.

After scoring 2 knockdowns against Cotto in the 3^rd and 4^th rounds, target practice really begun for Pacquiao. It was a slow torture, like tearing the wings of a fly but taking nearly 36 minutes to do it. Cotto was really done after 8 or 9 rounds but his corner men wouldn’t give him the logical out. They pushed him out for those last painful rounds as Pacquiao did as he pleased, opening up combinations at his pleasure. Finally, referee Kenny Bayless rescued Cotto early in the 12 the round. Opinions varied on the outcome of this bout but even if you picked Pacquiao to win, which I did by stoppage, it was almost surreal to see it actually play out before my eyes. It was amazing to see a guy that was fighting at 130 pounds less than 2 years ago, thoroughly dominate one of the most dangerous and respected 140-147 pound fighters of the past decade.

Cotto was legitimate, long standing champion and one of the best for many years but Pacquiao is one of those special fighters that come along once a generation. No one in the sport has ever won as many titles or climbed from flyweight, practically minimumweight (105) to win a title at 147. It’s unprecedented and completely boggles the mind if one is to really contemplate what he’s done.

Who would have imagined Pacquiao’s future success back in 1995 when a poor, skinny 106 pound flyweight turned pro in the Philippines.But he was fighting men out of necessity at that time, to make a buck, probably without many lofty expectations. But he had inherent speed and ability and simply kept taking fights. He won his first of 7 world titles as a flyweight when he was still only 19 years old. He was won belts or linear titles at 112, 122, 126, 130, 135, 140 and 147. And I have no doubt that if he made stops at 115 and 118 he could have scored titles there, too.  And not only is he superb boxer, he has a certain appeal that resonates to the masses. He’s likeable, funny, self deprecating and interesting. He makes movies and has aspirations to become President of the Philippines one day. He is a demigod in his home land and seems to have real love and concern for his countrymen. He’s comfortable in his own skin but not arrogant in the least.

Pacquiao was one the worlds best pound for pound fighters when he won titles at 126 and 130 but when he moved up in weight he has looked better than ever. Usually when fighters climb in weight this much they often lose speed and effectiveness. Why was Pacquiao different? There are several reasons. His union with Freddie Roach has paid enormous dividends for Pacquiao. He is now a complete fighter, adding a brutal right hook to his arsenal along with great movement, timing and ring acumen. And he is now physically very strong and tough as nickel steak. It’s almost unfair that someone with such natural ability has become so well skilled – it should be illegal. Pacquiao is an amazing gym worker and seems to have unlimited energy reserves. He brought in a strength coach, Alex Arriza, which I believe has been very important.  

And I think that in spite of him starting so light in boxing, he was very young and his body was still growing. Making weight became harder and harder until finally he slid up 5 pounds and took a lightweight belt from David Diaz. This was in June of 2008. At that point rumors were abounding that Oscar de la Hoya was going to fight Pacquiao later in the year. People derided Oscar for his choice in picking the diminutive former 130 pound fighter, especially when rugged Antonio Margarito had just beaten Cotto. People knew de la Hoya was looking for a name guy that brought a small amount of risk.

The de la Hoya fight, however, turned out to be the greatest thing that could have happened to Pacquiao. He beat him up and made him look bad in front of a world audience while putting himself on the world map. Then Pacquiao took on another big name in popular long standing champion Ricky Hatton. Hatton had only lost once and gave a good account of himself while moving up in weight against Floyd Mayweather. Hatton was stopped late but fought hard. But he had never lost at 140. Pacquiao knocked him unconscious with one punch in the 2^nd round. That win brought him to this challenge of Cotto.

Pacquiao was already a hero in the Philippines but now the whole world seems to be interested in this almost shy and unassuming ring assassin. He has been a huge boon to boxing and has created a buzz in the sport that was missing for quite some time. And now boxing seems to be doing better than the burgeoning UFC which hasn’t put together very compelling cards as of late. The logical fight that the world wants to see would be against the verbose Floyd Mayweather Jr. who sat a top the pound for pound list for many years until he took a 18 month hiatus after his victory over Oscar de la Hoya in 2007. He recently came back against Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, who has a draw and loss to Pacquiao at 126 and 130.

But Mayweather easily turned back Marquez for a wide decision win. Marquez is a marvelous fighter but he is a bit long in the tooth at 36 and simply couldn’t carry the heavier weight well at all – unlike Pacquiao. He was chunky and slow and was out sped the whole night. But he had enough savvy and toughness to easily make it the route with Mayweather.

Mayweather, in spite of a good showing against Marquez, seems to have lost his mantle of the world’s best to Pacquiao. And now he is being met with some contempt for taking what is viewed as safety first opponents since his tough battle with Jose Luis Castillo 7 years ago. And I have to go along with that. Mayweather has been taking the path of least resistance for quite some time.

But a match between Pacquiao and Mayweather couldn’t be hotter. Mayweather is undefeated and in spite of his choice of opponents, he is a real talent and boxing prodigy. And he’s still undefeated. And Pacquiao is riding a wave so high that if they sign to fight it will break all existing PPV records without a doubt. These men can easily make large 8 figure purses each for this fight and it seems like the fans and boxing insiders alike are demanding that this fight happen.

There couldn’t be a greater contrast between the fighters in and out of the ring. Mayweather comes off as an arrogant, disrespectful, braggadocio and has the likability factor of a porcupine while Pacquiao is humble, self deprecating and respectful. He almost seems to have a bit of embarrassment of how good he his. He doesn’t trash talk and accords his opponents proper reverence.

Yet, in the ring they seem to fight the opposite of their personalities. Mayweather, while brash and abrasive out of ring, is a boxing tactician in the ring that often fights off the back foot. He’s content to score dreary decisions and avoid protracted action, which he is able to do with his skills. Now Pacquiao, shy and unassuming, is a cold blooded assassin in the ring. He doesn’t fight with anger but he fights with an unparalleled ferocity. He wants to put his opponent on the floor and win emphatically. And he is as serious as a heart attack once the bell rings and simply will not stop coming.

It appears that these men will meet but I do get a sense Mayweather will come up with some excuse to not make the fight and then will try to lay blame at the feet of Pacquiao and Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter. Mayweather, in my view is a cagey and disingenuous sort and is deathly afraid to fight an opponent that can challenge him. If the Pacquiao fight doesn’t happen, I can guarantee you that it will be Mayweather’s doing. But the money and interest in the fight is so high, I know great efforts will be made to make this fight happen.

If they do fight and Pacquiao wins, I believe his name should be mentioned in the same breath with the all time greats like Sugar Ray Robinson et al. I know Pacquiao has expressed a desire to move on from boxing after a few more fights and return to the Philippines which is his right but I hope he doesn’t cut it too short, before he really hits his apex. Then again, I’d really like to see him go out on top and not become a stepping stone if he sticks a round too long. Anyway, right now he’s the best in the world and I still think he can get better. That’s a scary thought. Early pick against Mayweather - Pacquiao by KO, what else.