“Let’s do it again?” The fact that Pacquiao was kayoed in the sixth round by Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth go-around doesn’t erase Pacquiao’s entire career. He’s still a great fighter, strong, and quick enough so that he’s not always predictable. We know he’d be troublesome for Floyd because Team Mayweather doesn’t want him, and that may be the most knowledgeable team in the sport. Sometimes guys get caught. It happens. It especially happens to aggressive fighters like Pacquiao who get so hungry in there that they sometimes forget to protect themselves. It can make them even more worth watching. If Canelo Alvarez had knocked out Floyd, that wouldn’t mean Floyd was suddenly a big zero. You’d have to be crazy to say so. He’d still have stunning talent and 45 victories under his belt, many against great champions like Diego Corrales and Oscar De La Hoya. And maybe Canelo would get caught in the rematch. It happens. That’s boxing. If you go back in fight history it’s difficult to find a big-money match that everyone knew should be made that never got made. Sugar Ray Robinson fought Jake LaMotta. Frazier fought Ali. De La Hoya fought Tito Trinidad, and Joe Louis fought Max Schmeling. The Celtics play the Lakers and the 49ers play Baltimore. It’s sport. That’s how it’s done. If Mayweather never faces Pacquiao it will stain the entire sport — and Floyd’s legacy. The steroid issue is history. Both fighters have accepted surprise blood and urine testing before their fights supervised by respected agencies – not just state commissions. So what issues remain? Pacquiao must do well against Brandon Rios Nov. 23 in Macau to show he’s still the same Pacquiao. Showtime, HBO, Golden Boy and Top Rank Promotions need to grow up. If they can’t stop squabbling they can succumb to arbitration, signing on in advance to abide by the decisions that result from those proceedings. It’s been done before. If nations can take disputes to arbitration, and they have, so can Bob Arum, Richard Schaefer, Stephen Espinoza, and Ken Hershman. Time is wasting.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 02:28:06 +0000
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