Pacquiao-Hatton Coverage: And the Winner Is...Austin

Austin and San Antonio are well-known boxing rivals in Texas. There is an edge to this battle, as it exhibits all the shady aspects found in the wider world of boxing.

Just ask any Austin amateur who goes up against a San Antonio boxer in San Antonio—everybody knows you’d better knock out your opponent, or the decision is more than likely to go to your rival.

So, in the charged lead-up to the Hatton-Pacquiao fight, I decided to determine how the two cities were faring in the online battle for the best pre- and post-fight coverage of the event.

Representing San Antonio will be mysa.com, led by columnist John Whisler. Representing Austin will be Cedric Golden with the statesman.com. I am judging these two cities head-to-head in only two rounds:

1. Round One, Pre-fight Coverage: Whose analysis is more prescient? Whose provides the most current info leading up to the fight? Who best addresses local issues of interest?
2. Round Two, Post-fight Coverage: Who follows up quickest? Whose analysis is more stimulating and comprehensive?

Round One: Before the Real Fight

As for comprehensive pre-fight coverage, statesman.com was clearly ahead. Other than a blurb in Whisler's column on April 26, the only analysis offered by mysa.com was an article by Associated Press writer Greg Beacham on Feb. 5 (when the fight was officially announced).

Meanwhile, Cedric Golden of statesman.com wrote several pieces updating Austinites about the most important local issue leading up to the fight: the rise and fall of James Kirkland, who was imprisoned rather than being able to rock Las Vegas on the second of May. 

It helps to have good people in your corner, and Golden’s back-up on pre-fight coverage was talented Associated Press writer/Las Vegas boxing expert Tim Dahlberg, who published both public interest stories (Pacquaio’s special appearance at a San Francisco Giants baseball game) and up-to-date analysis of the media blitz surroundig the week before the fight.

On prescience, this one is a draw: Both mysa.com and statesman.com correctly  predicted the winner of the fight.

In the April 26 blurb devoted to analysis of the fight, John Whisler predicted that Pacman would win by seventh-round TKO, so he was off by a few rounds but correct about the Pacman’s dominance. Tim Dahlberg predicted a Pacquaio win without being more specific.

Round Two: After Pacquiao’s Victory

Austin wins by KO here.

Before midnight on May 2, the statesman.com ran a comprehensive Associated Press article, again by Tim Dahlberg, about Pacquaio’s beautiful demolition of Hatton within two rounds.

The article included what may have been the best quote of the night, when Pacquiao answered a question about whether anything surprised him with “I’m surprised the fight was so easy.”

And San Antonio?  Finally, on May 3, John Whisler provided a comprehensive analysis of...Kirkland’s arrest?!

The only fight he covered was a preview of the upcoming Dawson/Tarver rematch.

Sorry, San Antonio, when it came to covering the fight of the year, Austin hit you with a punch you didn’t even see coming.