Black On Pac: Would Pacquiao Struggle Against An American Black Fighter?

“Floyd Mayweather would beat Manny Pacquiao because the styles that African-American fighters—and I mean, black fighters from the streets or the inner cities—would be successful.” – Bernard Hopkins

If you’re reading this article, then you’re familiar with the controversy regarding what Bernard Hopkins has said about Manny Pacquiao.

If you’ve been too caught up in the impending Attack of the Turkey and don’t know what we’re talking about, then check this out: 

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5820908

Before reading on, let’s get this out of the way: What do you think? Would Manny Pacquiao have more trouble than usual in facing a black fighter?

Bernard Hopkins actually makes a great point; he stirs up some controversy and gives us something really cool to think and talk about.

For now, let’s forget about the Floyd Mayweather factor and concentrate on the idea of black fighters, defined for our purposes here by Hopkins as “African-American fighters—and I mean, black fighters from the streets or the inner cities.”

Bernard’s point is that there’s something unique and special about the way most American black boxers fight. There’s something exceptional when it comes to the delivery, technique and idiosyncrasies of the way, as Hopkins puts it, that an “inner city, American-born fighter who has the style of maybe a Floyd Mayweather or a Zab Judah or a Shane Mosley” fights.

There’s a certain fluidity, swagger and smoothness that flows out of guys like Mayweather, Judah and Mosley, that other fighters just don’t have. It’s something that’s uniquely American and most often possessed by inner city, American-born fighters, who are black.

In Hopkin's own words: "Maybe I'm biased because I'm black, but I think that this is what is said at people's homes and around the dinner table among black boxing fans and fighters. Most of them won't say it [in public] because they're not being real and they don't have the balls to say it, but I do think that a fighter like the Ray Leonards or anyone like that would beat a guy [like Pacquiao] if they come with their game…Listen, this ain't a racial thing, but then again, maybe it is, but the style that is embedded in most of us black fighters, that style could be a problem to any other style of fighting."

I posed the question earlier, would Manny Pacquiao have more trouble than usual in facing a black fighter?

I say no.

While I don’t think that Pacquiao would have a more difficult time with that style, I do think that there is absolutely something to be said for the argument that it would have a direct impact on the fight, simply due to the fact that he hasn’t faced it yet.

Ironically, one could make the argument that taking skin color out of the equation, you could say that Manny Pacquiao is a black fighter.

Looking at Pacquiao’s past, he grew up in poverty, was dirt poor and for all intents and purposes, grew up as a street kid. But instead of the mean streets of the Bronx, or of South Philly, he grew up in the Philippines.

Perhaps this is a conversation for later, or at least a topic to play with, but I’m pretty sure that Bernard’s message is predominantly about soul rather than the socio-economical conditions surrounding one’s childhood.

And, does soul always equal black skin?

Buster Paris always enjoys receiving your thoughts, comments and questions.  Please feel free to leave any below.