What's Next For Pacquiao? More of the Same? BORGES

Written by Ron Borges

Friday, 13 May 2011 07:23

What's Next For Pacquiao? More of the Same? BORGES On the morning Manny Pacquiao was to fight Sugar Shane Mosley, his promoter, Bob Arum, was locked in a meeting with Pacquiao’s likely next opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez. It was a better use of Arum’s time than Mosley would make of his that night.

After Pacquiao sent Mosley to the floor for only the second time in his career with a sharp right jab followed by a stinging left cross in the third round of their WBO welterweight title match, the fight was over. Mosley got up but he was finished fighting. Although the bout would drag on for nine more rounds as the crowd of 16,412 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena booed ever more lustily, for Mosley it had become not a boxing match but a pay-per-view episode of “Survival.’’

“I wasn't going to take those kinds of risks," Mosley incredibly said after the fight. “Manny’s punching power is a little different. You never know what could have happened.

“That was a shot I took and I really felt it. I was pretty hurt. Pretty stunned. It didn’t seem like it was a big shot but the impact was pretty big. Manny has the type power I had to watch out for. He had something a little bit different.’’

What Pacquiao also had was a thinly-veiled disgust for how Mosley approached what has long been called “the hurt business’’ but was turned into the “avoid the hurt business.’’ Pacquiao refused to shake Mosley’s hand initially, a departure from his trademark sportsmanship, but by the post-fight press conference was more sanguine in his responses. Down the dais from him, his trainer was not.

“It’s very unusual for Manny to do that but he doesn’t like to hear the boos,’’ said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s disgusted trainer, after a decision so unanimous two of the three judges awarded all 12 rounds to Pacquiao. “He denied it but he heard them. Manny’s not really a fighter. He’s an entertainer. He wants the fans to be happy.

“He knew they were booing Mosley, not him, but he was very disappointed in Shane. I don’t think he tried to win. When you get to that point in boxing it’s time to call it a day. He moved backwards from round one. He never took a step forward all night. Even his jab was in mothballs.’’

For all the lamenting of how Mosley broke the social contract that exists between fighters when one man accepts $6 million guaranteed to fight another, the fact of the matter is this is what you get when you insist on matching the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world against old guys, shot guys, guys coming up from lower weight classes, guys forced to diet down from heavier ones or guys who simply don’t belong in the ring with you.

Of late, Pacquiao has fought a string of those – the well-shot Mosley, the unwilling Joshua Clottey, the beaten up Miguel Cotto and the dieted down and drained Antonio Margarito - in exchange for the biggest payday of their careers.

Arum had ripped the very idea of Mosley facing Pacquiao after the former looked pathetic in a draw with Sergio Mora but he was willing to ignore it once Mosley left Golden Boy Promotions and agreed to face Pacquiao under terms that did not include Oscar De La Hoya’s involvement.

After the fight Arum said his first choice for November was Juan Manuel Marquez, who long ago earned the right to a third fight with Pacquiao but wasn’t given it until Pacquiao had grown into a full-fledged welterweight while he continues to be a lightweight willing to masquerade as a welterweight.

Marquez tried that once already against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and was hammered, nobly willing but as overmatched as he’d ever been. If Arum makes the fight it will be at a catch weight not helpful to Marquez, probably at 144 pounds. That is Pacquaio’s normal weight these days but probably 15 pounds above Marquez’s best weight. So it goes in Manny World.

Also on the list, Arum said, are Timothy Bradley, the unified 140-pound champion, and Zab Judah, who fits right into the over-the-hill-gang mold. Roach was not pleased to hear Judah’s name mentioned and really wants no part of such a fight because he knows damn well what it will become – another four-round fiasco after which Judah will run like a thief in the night.

Yet if Arum follows his history, Bradley, the younger man whose undefeated record and championship status will convince him he might be able to compete with Pacquiao, has little chance of getting in with Pacquiao even though he’d be moving up in weight.

Instead he’ll opt for the better known but more used up challengers like Marquez or, oh Lord, Judah.

“For four rounds he tries,’’ Roach said of Judah, his facial expression saying more than his words about what he thought of such a fight for Pacquiao. “After that he falls apart. I’m not a big fan.

“Bradley is a tough guy. He comes to fight. As for Marquez, there’s a history there and he seems to maybe have Manny’s number. But I think Manny’s improved a lot (since fighting a disputed draw and winning a disputed split decision from Marquez in their first two meetings).

“At the time, Manny only moved in one direction and he only punched with one hand. He’s a better fighter now. I’d like to shut him up because all he talks about his how he got robbed in those fights.’’

Although he has yet to announce his retirement, Mosley is surely finished as a big-money boxer and seems likely to simply fade away. That has become a trend with the type of opponents Arum keeps putting Pacquiao in with. Antonio Margarito is still recovering from an uppercut that severely injured his eye, killing the possibility of a Cotto rematch and making him the fourth of Pacquiao's past five opponents who have either retired (Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton) or not fought since (Clottey and Margarito). Mosley would be the fifth and rightfully so.

Arum insists that’s not because of his hand picked opponents but simply Pacquiao’s superiority.
“Anybody he gets in with he’s going to make look like that,’’ Arum crowed. “He’s the greatest fighter I’ve ever seen.’’

Perhaps he is but his job has been made easier by his choice of opponents, none of whom have come from the young warrior tribe. No Andre Berto, no Victor Ortiz, no Marquez when he was still young enough and the two of them were close enough in weight to compete and you can bet no Bradley either.
Although the Marquez fight is not set because Golden Boy retains his promotional rights for a year and can match any offer Top Rank gives him for his next fight if they choose to, don’t expect Bradley to end up in with Pacquiao. That will fall to Judah, who will then fall to Pacquiao.
Don’t expect Mayweather either but for different reasons. Mayweather is rumored to be lining up a September match with young power punching Victor Ortiz, who just defeated Berto. He continues to avoid Pacquiao, who has agreed to his demands for blood testing for performance enhancing drugs right up to the fight, despite the fact it’s the biggest fight for both of them and the only one truly worth making.

“You have to assume Floyd’s not in play,’’ said Bruce Trampler, Arum’s long-time chief matchmaker. “It’s fruitless to keep asking ‘When are you going to make Mayweather?’ We would make it yesterday but it takes two guys to make a fight and we only have one of them. From what I’ve seen, I’d say he’s past tense.’’

So that leaves Arum and Pacquiao with a dwindling number of choices made smaller by Arum’s insistence on not matching Pacquiao against any Golden Boy fighters.

“I’m not going to put Manny Pacquiao in with a Golden Boy fighter,’’ Arum said flatly last week. “Not because of a competitive thing. Because these people defamed Manny Pacquiao (as a result of Floyd Mayweather, Sr.’s claim Pacquiao was likely using performance enhancing drugs, a charge his son echoed and Golden Boy did nothing to defuse while representing Mayweather in negotiations with Arum for a Pacquiao fight).

“They’re not going to be a co-promoter or a schmo promoter with Manny Pacquiao. Boxing is not the be all and end all for him. We’re playing for bigger stakes here. Manny will hopefully be President of the Philippines one day and he does not need defamatory allegations a (political) opponent could refer to down the road.

“They could say what they want about me. I’m 80. What do I give a s***? But if you say harmful things about Manny it’s different. They said he cheated. They said he took PEDs with no basis at all. They’re the ones who started it. If you’re Manny Pacquiao do you want to be involved with them?’’

No, he wants to be involved with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. but with each passing month the likelihood of that fades more and more and what he’s left with is a choice between guys he shouldn’t be wasting his time with and the public shouldn’t be wasting its money on.

Comment on this article

FighterforJC says:

He continues to avoid Pacquiao, who has agreed to his demands for blood testing for performance enhancing drugs right up to the fight

Great job, Borges, for being man enough to state that straight up.

undisputed34 says:

i like the tone of this article..referencing known commodities concerning pacman's ring exploits instead of hailing him the king of the universe just because he's filipino. He's still a boxer, albeit a great one, who like many past greats, is having his time to shine before the curtains eventually close on his career. i don't fault pacman or his handlers for trying to get whatever advantages they can possibly get at this stage of his career. besides the $, thats part of what you fight for when you claw your way to the top of the heap. i just dont particularly care for bob arum or any another promoter/boxing aficionado/fan to try and oversell what they think they have. i mean, great fights and great fighters grab our attention and dont let go.

i think legacy is something that only time can tell, and even though im sure pacman's is relatively secure, everything ed mike is saying is true..none of the guys pacman has defeated (with the exception of JMM) could really be considered great at the time he fought them. fortunately the one thing about legacy is that time will not necessarily remember so much about his opponents as much as the way pacman defeated them. the same (fortunately or unfortunately depending on who youre a fan of )will be true of mayweather. i would prefer to see pacman fight an equally great fighter to see where he stands, but it seems the pickings are slim. i would like to see him fight bradley, not because i think either one will crush the other, but because i think tim has the speed and ability to keep up with him and because i think that outside of mayweather and marquez, he has something to prove. if we cant get that match up, then JMM is the next best thing. i dont think that JMM cant hurt pacman or keep him off at this point in their careers, but i would like to see pacman in there with a guy who will atleast TRY and think in the ring.

sadly, the ego of others, Namely floyd's attempt at manuevering some type of advantage for himself, and Bob Arums issues with Golden Boy and refusal to do business with them
is the only thing right now that it appears manny cant overcome...

refreshing article Ed Mike..once again though..not the 2nd knockdown for shane...he went down twice in the same round agaisnt vernon..

mortcola says:

Radam said it....catch weights are normal. Making weight is normal; most of the great champs, Hagler excepted, fought within a range, and took responsibility for being in the best possible shape for the fight; the all time greats, it doesn't need to be said, often fought smaller and larger men, with no Jr and Super divisions, and their efforts aren't devalued because of it. Pac never fought anyone forced to fight outside his range. Whom else should he have fought, and at what weights? Was poor old ODLH incapable of making the best of his opportunity at welterweight? Was Cotto forced to lose ten extra pounds to meet a ridiculous low weight? No. Pac's competitors have been an excellent roster of the best available fighters of two divisions, all within a few short years.

DaveB says:

The best fights don't include people named Mayweather or Pacquaio. The best fights in boxing are fights where the fighters don't have the clout to get everything in their favor. Pacquaio and Mayweather fights are not the kind of fights where you walk away saying - Oh man, that was a great fight, unless you are a big fan of either man. The Mayweather gang will crow about how great their man is and the Pacquaio gang will crow about how great their man is. I haven't seen Pacquaio in a good scrap since Marquez (although I do give him credit for beating Oscar). Mayweather hasn't done anything since the lighter weights. Their fights are events due to the status of these fighters but the best fights come from fighters that just fight the best and do not or cannot impose their will to have all of the advantages in their favor. Pacquaio and Mayweather are at a stalemate because they cannot out advantage the other one.

undisputed34 says:

@daveb i agree with you 1000 percent..

FighterforJC says:

You haven't seen Pacquiao in a good scrap since Marquez because Pacquiao is simply THAT good when he's not weight-drained, end of story. Now bow down and worship.

ali says:

Pac would beat Bradley with ease....There is only two fights that make sense right now and thats of course Mayweather and other guy people forget about is SERGIO MARTINEZ....He's the next best guy available if he's able to move up and beat him I would give him all the credit in the world .....But you know Arum would never in a million years do that, and we all know why it's way too risky.....They would try to make him come all the way down to 150lbs for the fight to happen which is ridiculous.

ali says:

@FighterforJC... Who the hell has he fought that was as skilled as Marquez nobody .....Well maybe Cotto but hasn't been the same ever sense the Margacheato fight but everbody else was basically trash ....Two of them didn't throw any punches the other guy didn't have any defense all and the other guy was damage so would anybody bow down to that.

#1 PacFan says:

You actually think that Manny fighting Martinez at 154 and up is a fair advantage for both? I'm LMAO right now. Neither Pac or Floyd would choose to fight this guy and not because they're scare but because they're too separable in weight classes. Martinez is already killing himself making the 154lbs. But I do agree with you on the Bradley match up with Pac...I already see that uppercut from Pac while Bradley rushing in with his head.

DaveB says:

Why would I bow down and worship them when every fight these guys have you already know the outcome? Give me a fight where the outcome is up in the air and I'll give them a bow. I'll never worship them, I'll leave that for the people who are in to that kind of thing. The only fight where the outcome is in doubt is most likely a fight with one another. I wish they had of fought the Williams, Margarito, and Cottos at full weight before they got beaten. That is what builds legacies. All the rest is just smoke and mirrors. You can fool some of the people some of the time......you know the rest.

Big Daddy says:

Mayweather, Martinez, Ortiz,or Marquez at 140 in that order.Marquez is NOT a Welterweight. Manny and Bob need to finally give us REAL Fight for the first time in YEARS!

FighterforJC says:

@FighterforJC... Who the hell has he fought that was as skilled as Marquez nobody .....Well maybe Cotto but he hasn't been the same ever sense the Margacheato fight but everbody else was basically trash ....Mosley and Clottey didn't throw any punches Margacheato was slower then a turtle and didn't have any defense at all and Cotto was damage so why would anybody bow down to that.

LOL. It was all Pacquiao's fault that these guys couldn't do squat against him. It'll be the same result with anyone, you got that right. Pacquiao cleaned out the welterweight division. There's no one left to fight. Who else should Pacquiao have fought? Zab Judah? Carlos Baldomir? lol. Fact is, haters will say that whoever Pacquiao chooses to fight, it's because he's ducking another guy. Fill in the blanks, it doesn't matter who. So tell me, WHO should Pacquiao have fought this last two years that people actually care to see him fight? That's right, keep your mouth shut because there's nobody else. Mayweather hasn't done diddly squat, he's been laughed off the stage and the only way he makes it to the news these days besides bullying common everyday people is when he talks about Pacquiao.

FighterforJC says:

Mayweather, Martinez, Ortiz,or Marquez at 140 in that order.Marquez is NOT a Welterweight. Manny and Bob need to finally give us a REAL FIGHT for the first time in YEARS! I Love Manny, BUT this has gotten Absurd...

Okay. You go first. How about dropping some names that Pacquiao should've fought. So are you now suggesting that Pacquiao not fight Marquez so that haters like you can continue to chant that Pacquiao ducked Marquez, or are you saying that Pacquiao should drain himself AGAIN to fight Marquez, which truly is the ONLY reason Marquez gave him a hard time last time?

There's no one else to fight but Mayweather and Marquez. Pacquiao could retire for all I care. I find it amusing how HBO and Goldenboy are scrambling to turn Berto, Ortiz and Saul Alvarez into overnight superstars so that they can have someone to feed Mayweather when he comes out of hiding.

Big Daddy says:

No Problem FighterforKKK... At LW he shoud've fought the REAL Champ Juan Diaz instead of that Bum Paper Champ David Diaz. At Welterweight he should've fought Moseley immediatley after the Margarito fight and not waited til he was just dust in the wind.. I wont even mention P-Willy or Berto because they're young strong and black. At light welter he beat Hatton for the IBO title.. LOL! Im sure he could've found someone else at that weight with at least a Real Belt. His 154 title is also a Total Farce. He beat a Washed Up Margacheato for a Title that neither had any legitimate claim to. Holla Holla Holla Holla Holla Holla at me Bee-itch!!!!

Radam G says:

The game is all about PRIZE, not the PRIDE or pleasing those on the outside. From the beginning of prizefighting, the prizefighter fought the chump, who would bring in the largest prize or lead to the BIGGEST prize. I just have to say it. I believe that too many poor people are high on PRIDE, because life has apparently given them a blindsided, bad ride. Not-so-poor people know where to dash. And that is to the cash. Fighters who were once poor, on that sh*t they end up shuttin' da door. And they always come on up where there is plenty of honey, because they now have that money. And you know da story. And luv da glory. No cash, no splash, no finance, no romance, no bankroll, well your arse betta' stroll, no bucks to hold, well it's time for this show to fold, no BIG pay, no BIG play.

Even "Desert Stormhead" Tim Bradley has come around to how the game is played. He's dumping cheapmoter -- I mean promoter -- Shaw and moving to a Pay-your-arse-some-BIG-CASH promoter, who is going to get him DA BIG PAY. Fighting Amir Khan for Shaw -- for small pay -- is now no WAY. Da Drome Blaster has grown da financial fudge up. Now everybodee and dey momma not in da know will be hatin' him. But he'll be gettin' SERIOUSLY PAID. Da game for da know nothings is often a fight optical illusion. For da smarties in da know, a financial BIG conclusion. Holla!

Big Daddy says:

Money is Easy Come, Easy Go.. But Your Legacy is Forever. So You Best Be Legit. Besides, "Money ain't got no owners.. Only spenders" ..Omar Little.

FighterforJC says:

Mosley and all his people will get blaxicuted by Pacquiao, that's all there is to it. Pacquiao is the fighter of the decade ain't nothing you or any other illiterate hip hop listening people can do about it. In a few years time he'll be regarded by everyone but Teddy Atlas and the Mayweathers as THE greatest fighter who ever lived. oook oooook eeeek eeek aaak aaaaak to you and Mayweather!

ali says:

How about Paul Williams or Cotto before he fought Margacheato...how about Mayweather all he had to do was take test and he would have happen period.

Big Daddy says:

Blaxicutioner??? Hahahaha!!!! Ya..Right. I hate trashing Manny, but he FINALLY fights a Black Fighter and its the old man trainer from Million Dollar Baby. BTW I prefer Corrido's Nortenos...

undisputed34 says:

You haven't seen Pacquiao in a good scrap since Marquez because Pacquiao is simply THAT good when he's not weight-drained, end of story. Now bow down and worship.

wow thats a bit much..Lol..

FighterforJC says:

How about Paul Williams or Cotto before he fought Margacheato...how about Mayweather all he had to do was take test and he would have happen period.

How about all Mayweather had to do was stop throwing up excuses and obstacles and agree to fight a fighter supposedly as one dimensional and ordinary as Pacquiao is? Mayweather just don't want to get blaxicuted. Pacquiao was a LIGHTWEIGHT before Cotto fought Margarito. How about Mayweather fighting Cotto before Cotto fought Mosley? Mayweather's been a welterweight for 5 years. Hip hop based fighters are stupid.

DaveB says:

See that was my original point. Fans of both fighters are going to agree with whatever their man does. Fingers can be pointed at both guys. Mayweather has been a welterweight for a long time and should have stepped up. Pacquaio if he is really going to fight for titles should have fought at what ever the limit was for the title he was going for. If a catch-weight is accepted to make the fight happen without a title that would be different. Both fighters would have to be suicidal to fight Sergio Martinez and I don't think you will see that happen unless he gets beaten, which is the normal way both guys do business. If they never fight each other, at this point, I really don't care. Going over this over and over is just boring any way. And what the hell does hip hop based fighters have to do with anything?

undisputed34 says:

Lol..

ali says:

Hip hop fighters are stupid where are you going with that statement

Radam G says:

I just hope that ali hasn't been sippin on Marquez's peepee. Maybe somebodee has being chewin' on da hawg. Hehehehe! Dat would put worms in your noggin and belly, dawg! Just sayin!' Most legacies are big-time optical illusions. Some of these past champions have more dirt then a _____ in a dirty skirt. Besides it is what the scribe writes and telecast to secure a legacy, not necessary who a pugilist fights. [Nowadays, according to Big Money O's fool-a-sucka-operated Ring Magazine, the greatest "Pound-for-pound pugilist of all times is now Harry Greb." WTF! Holla at this dude on Youtube. Those in da know know. Being da Man in LIFE and/or DEATH is all about the hook up, not da book up or even who you beat up.]

Moola rules and run jive in living. Nappin rules in dying. Even Osama bin Laden had a lot of money and porno honey before he was forced to water nap. Maybe he would have been waterboarded if ST6 wouldn't have double tap dat arse. Holla!

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