Manny vs. Floyd

 

 

POINT TO PONDER

"When at a young age you learn to face your fears, that makes the difference between people being champions and people not being champions."

                                - Evander Holyfied

 

STORY LINE

There's a lot of clammoring recently that the mega fight that boxing fans have been waiting years for might actually happen this year on May 2nd. The fight I'm talking about is between two of the greatest fighters of their generation: Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

For those that don't know, these are two pugilists destined to go down in boxing's hall of fame. Manny Pacquaio has become a champion in an unprecedented 8 different weight classes and claims a record of 57 wins (38 by knockout),  5 losses, and 2 draws. Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the other hand, boasts a spotless record of 47 wins (26 by knockout) and 0 losses. The man has never been defeated. 

So it can be surprising to hear the debate about who is the better fighter and true champion of this era. Many have claimed it is Mayweather with his impressive undefeated record. But he has never faced Pacquaio and many have argued that he is afraid to fight the Filipino champion. 

For years he claimed Manny wasn't good enough to fight him. When Manny took on all comers (even losing a few fights in the process) Manny proved he was the best fighter to match up with the undefeated champ. When fans demanded they fight each other in 2010, Mayweather danced as well outside of the ring as he does within it, claiming that they could not agree on contractual terms. The fight that should have happened years ago inevitably didn't. 

So fight fans waited. And now in 2015, the time for excuses are over. Manny Pacquiao has finally given Floyd Mayweather everything he's been asking for, which reportedly includes a 60-40 split of the purse in favor of Mayweather, choice of venue, and proper drug testing preceding the fight. Manny has signed onm for the fight on Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s terms. The ball is now in Mayweather's court and yet, he still hasn't signed the contract to fight Manny. 

There are no more excuses. The question that now looms stronger than ever is why won't he fight Manny? And if Mayweather doesn't, can you still consider him a true champion if he doesn't?

 

REFLECTION

I've read many sources with a variety of opinions. Some claim it's business that's holding this whole thing up. Others maintain that Mayweather is scared to fight Manny. Others say Mayweather doesn't want to jeopardize his undefeated record.

Whatever the reason, I know one thing is certain and that is that a champion faces their fears, stands up to the tough challengers that oppose them, and they certainly do not run from harship but find a way to win in spite of it. 

An undefeated record is great but ultimately, it means nothing if you run from the most important fight in your career. 

Comments

[NJ]

We all learn from our defeats and regrets. They make us a better person.

[micro CEO]

I am not a sports fan, but the topic is of interest to many out there. Boxing is a romantic sport that is the subject of many films and is believed to be a ticket to success for poor but ambitious fighters.

Is it not odd that in boxing do athletes get to choose their opponents and decide whether and when to fight? Are there any other sports with such incredible convenience to the player rather than the organizers or the fans. Well perhaps there is the marathon runners who can choose their competitions. Any others?

We think about team sports and the player joins a professional team, the team is integrated into a league, and the league dictates the schedule of play. Or there is a tennis tournament one can join where the player interactions are decided in advance. If one forfeits a game due to injury or preference one loses by default.

Why should not boxing be subject to the same simple rule? Even if there will be no teams or leagues, one could simply decided that once challenged (fairly), a fighter can either fight or forfeit.

But that hypothetical measure Pacquiao would already be the winner. He could have made a public statement to say, I challenged Mayweather and if he does not accept, I declare myself the champion by default. On the other hand agreeing to Mayweather's skewed demands for more than half of the purse strikes me as an admission that Mayweather is superior (or at least more popular with fans?) and that he, Pacquiao, has more to gain from the match than Mayweather. Perhaps there is truth to that suggestion (is it true that Pacquiao, now 38 years old, is in deep financial trouble for alleged tax evasion?)
and Mayweather remains undefeated (47-0), though a fighter like Mayweather should be either retired or active (we discount representations of 'Schrodinger's boxer'), and the same goes for Pacquiao (is he a congressman or isn't he?!).
It's a crazy sport...but we already knew that.