“Fistory”

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

FORTH WORTH, TEXAS —At last the much-awaited showdown of the world’s two boxing greats in this generation will finally clash on May 2 (May 3 PH time) at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yes, the Floyd Mayweather, Jr.- Manny Pacquiao clash, both champions in the welterweight division (147 lbs.) is now the talk of the sporting world, particularly in the Philippines and in the U.S. where the two are based respectively.

This early, varied predictions have already been offered on who will be the lucky warrior for this mega-bucks fight. As of this writing Thursday, the Filipino prized-fighter is the 3-1 underdog this time. Pacman reportedly accepted all the demands of Mayweather to facilitate the negotiation, particularly 60-40 split (Mayweather collecting $120M and Pacman good for $80M), the gloves to be used and drug testing to supervised by USADA.

Wow, this is really history surpassing all boxing world title fights as far as purses are concerned. Promoters are also predicting to exceed the live gate receipts on any world title fight. MGM Grand can accommodate 16,000 spectators to generate as much as 40M, is another record, aside from pay-per-view, gate and pay-per-view revenues and foreign sales with cable networks Showtime and HBO on a joint broadcast venture. Promoters also expect to surpass the 2.5 million household viewers during the 2007 Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya world welterweight title tiff. And after the fight, Mayweather will pocket a total of around $150M while Pacman will walk away with $100M total share.

The elusive showdown should have happened on March, 2010 when the two were still at the peak of their careers. Finally, the two had to jump at this opportunity now or their potential purses would begin to dwindle soon with Pacquiao at 36 and Mayweather 38.  Mahirap kontrahin ang edad ‘ika nga. Yes, they maybe the Nos. 1 and 2 pound-for-pound best boxers in the world but evidently their strengths are slightly declining because of age. And who knows, this first fight could turn into a series, depending on the outcome like what happened to the Paquiao-Marquez meetings that resulted in four with Pacman ending with an ugly defeat in the end. If that happens, then the two fighters would most likely bring home another $300 million-plus before their time in boxing is over.

Hopefully, the May 2 match will not be boring, as many fear. We Filipinos know that Pacman is a showman inside the ring to please the paying public but Mayweather could be reluctant to dictate the tempo and to fight toe-to-toe purposely as he had done to remain unbeaten at 47 (with 28 knockouts), aiming to break the record of former heavyweight champion the late Rocky Marciano with 49. He predicts Pacman will be his 48th victim. That’s easier said than done.

Notable figures like former world champions the legend Julio Cesar Chavez, Paulie Malignaggi and Amir Khan said Mayweather will likely win with his tactics inside the ring and the heavier puncher than Pacman. But Marquez and his chief trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain disagreed and predicting a clear victory for Pacman.
Obviously the Filipinos here are for Pacman.

My generous friend cyclist Blan Caguioa said he already placed a $150 bet on Pacman, and so did Gilbert Mangahis and Domingo Almonte, Jr. of Sta. Clara, California. But my Vietnamese barber here, Duc Van Hoang, of nearby Haltom City said he likes Pacquiao to win because he’s a good guy, munificent and religious man but unfortunately, his ability is not suited for Mayweather, echoing my cousin’s Dago Garcia Soto’s analysis. For sure the showdown will break all the boxing records and to say a “Fistory” is in the making come May 2.

*          *          *          *

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. MATTHEW 23: 25

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments