By Matthew Hurley: As Manny Pacquiao makes his final preparations for his welterweight title bout against Joshua Clottey, the Filipino superstar must, at some point, sit back and contemplate all that he has achieved in the boxing ring. His accomplishments since first winning a title in 2001 against Lehlohonolo Ledwaba are extraordinary. He is a certain first ballot hall-of-famer not only because of the title belts he has accumulated but for the manner in which he has won them.
Manny Pacquiao is Mr. Excitement. Were he a heavyweight he would undoubtedly be one of the biggest sports celebrities on the planet.
That’s not to say he hasn’t crossed over into rarefied celebrity status but a few appearances on the Jimmy Kimmel show doesn’t make you a Mike Tyson or an Oscar De La Hoya.
In his native land, however, he is a demi-god. But in the US, to casual sports fans he is a curiosity.
“How do you pronounce his name?”
“Where is he from?”
“Is he a middleweight?”
Friends and sports fans often ask me questions like these about Manny.
“Is he really that good?”
Instead of telling them that, in my opinion, Manny Pacquiao is the most exciting fighter I have ever covered, I’ve made them watch him in action. Hell, I’ve even supplied the beer for the more hesitant of the bunch. And this group of hard to please jaded sports fans has been duly impressed.
Unfortunately the fallout from the stalled negotiations for the proposed mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather has crippled their enthusiasm.
“He’s juicing though, right?” they ask.
“He has never failed a drug test,” I’m quick to reply.
Perhaps my eagerness to defend Manny’s reputation stems from weariness over the pall steroids has cast over sports in general. There is now an ingrained feeling among nearly all sports fans that nothing is as it appears to be anymore.
As a disillusioned Dave Stoller said to his father in the movie Breaking Away, “Everybody cheats. I just didn’t know.”
The FACT remains that Manny Pacquiao has never tested positive for any performance enhancing drugs. As for the accusations posed by the Mayweather camp and their demanding of Olympic-style drug testing I tend to believe that Floyd was trying to get in Manny’s head and see just how far he could dictate the terms of the fight.
Manny, who seems quite content with his career accomplishments and indeed his life, balked and ultimately walked away from the negotiating table. He refused to be bullied.
Floyd Mayweather is not the Czar of boxing, and Manny’s trainer Freddie Roach, almost incredulous over camp Mayweather’s demands recently opined to writer Steve Kim that, “We let him call that shot, the next thing we know we’ll be fighting one minute rounds. Give him a little power and it’ll grow.”
So it’s onto Joshua Clottey, a rugged, muscle bound welterweight contender from Ghana. It’s not the bout fans had hoped for but it could turn out to be a pretty good scrap. With Manny involved fireworks are guaranteed. The guy is never in a boring fight.
Put it all in Texas Stadium and you’ve got yourself an event.
Still, with the May 1st to do between Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley looming, Manny’s “event” is certain to be overshadowed. The fact is Mayweather – Mosley is a more tantalizing appetizer and should Floyd win, and should the fight exceed the pay-per-view numbers of Pacquiao – Clottey (which it surely will) ‘Money’ Mayweather will be even more dictatorial in future negotiations with the Pacquiao team. The sad reality is Mayweather – Pacquiao may never happen. It’s a bitter pill fight fans may be forced to swallow.
But Pacquiao, that air of contentment always about him, seems none too concerned. In his estimation, if it’s meant to be then it will happen. If not, then it won’t. Life will go on.
So, Manny will now zero in on Clottey.
“It’s my job,” he says before every bout, with that impish grin. “I train hard to give a good fight and make people happy.”
That’s the essence of Manny Pacquiao. A true professional at the top of his game, always prepared to do his job at the highest level and entertain his rabid fan base. Freddie Roach has refined and honed his style but the ferocity that Manny brings to the ring has never waned as he has improved.
He is a photon beam of fistic charisma and he will light up Texas Stadium on Saturday night. He knows that in order to fan the flames for a possible Mayweather bout he must look spectacular. But then when has Manny Pacquiao been anything less than explosive?
And if Mayweather – Pacquiao never happens, as disappointing as that would be, Manny will just smile, shrug his shoulders and move on – perhaps into retirement and then public office in the Philippines. So enjoy this great athlete while you can. You will never see another fighter quite like him again.
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