Manny Pacquiao: Are We Being Too Critical About Shane Mosley Fight?
Manny Pacquiao has always been the aggressor, but now he's on the defensive.
Boxing's pound-for-pound champ came out defending his choice of Shane Mosley as his next opponent in a Sunday column for a Filipino boxing website. Then on Monday, Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz defended the choice in an interview with AOL Fanhouse.
"Again, who cares? I'm not too concerned, and nor is Manny, because, we want to do two things—and when I say, 'we,' I'm speaking for Manny," Koncz told the website.
"No. 1, we want to entertain the fans, because that's of the utmost importance to Manny. No. 2, we want to generate a paycheck, because that's his living. Out of the three names that we were giving, this was the best, overall opponent that we could get. Bob Arum never forces anything on us. He gives us options, and then, it's our decision on what we do."
Are fans and media members being too harsh about the May 7th fight? Or are they on target? Here are five reasons we are too critical, and five reasons we're not:
Reason No. 5 We're Not: Fool Me Once
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In 2008, Pacquiao pounded Oscar De La Hoya, who was already on the downside of his career. If you were like me, you knew De La Hoya was long past his prime, but it was also easy to wonder, "Does he still have anything left in the tank? Could he pull off an upset?" Of course, he didn't even finish the fight.
Now once again we're left to see Pacquiao fighting another talented fighter in Mosley who, like De La Hoya, is in the twilight of his career. Fans aren't suckers, and it's going to be a hard sell to convince diehards why they should fork over $50 to see the same results.
Reason No. 5 We Are: Marquez Isn't Possible
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The one fighter most fans wanted Pacquiao to face was Juan Manuel Marquez. The two fought to a draw in their first fight, and Pacquiao won a narrow decision in their rematch. A third fight would draw plenty of interest, but it may never happen since Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum is currently engaged in a feud with Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Marquez.
Reason No. 4 We're Not: A Tired Cliche
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It's hard to imagine someone like Pacquiao going with the cliched "you've never played line" but that's what he did with his column on Sunday. "One influential writer said it’s garbage, when I think he’d never been into a real fight or have put on a pair of gloves or even wrapped his hands,” he wrote.
Sad to see. Normally that's a card played by NBA and NFL players.
Manny's always been one of the darlings of boxing, and this is the first time he's been criticized in his career. That line shows he's not used to this.
Reason No. 4 We Are: Mosley Means More Money
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With Floyd Mayweather Jr. out of the picture and Marquez not an option, that leaves Andre Berto and Mosley as the only two options for Pacquiao. Of the two, Mosley is the much bigger name, and he will also lead to more pay-per-view buys.
He may be 39, but Mosley also makes sense from a financial standpoint. He will sell tickets, and he's built a better brand that will lure in more fans.
Reason No. 3 We're Not: Please Explain
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Long before the fight with Mosley was finalized, promoter Bob Arum had questioned Mosley's ability and wondered if he was too old to fight Pacquiao. But suddenly all that changed, and now he's a worthy opponent. Huh? Arum has come out defending Mosley, saying he's the only fighter who's hurt Mayweather, but he still hasn't offered a decent explanation as to why he's now a good choice.
If anything, that will leave fans with questions, and many will probably just think they're trying to be hustled. Others will also be left to wonder why Pacquiao went along with it.
Reason No. 3 We Are: Mosley's No Tomato Can
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Both Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach know Mosley will be a step up in competition. Pacquiao has said he will be the smartest fighter he's faced.
Roach also told a Filipino website that his fighter needs to be in tremendous shape for their May 7th fight, and that they can't underestimate Mosley, adding that he is a better boxer than Antonio Margarito.
"Mosley actually is the better puncher and quicker, of course…this is the first guy Manny's gonna fight that has fast hands, he throws a little bit angle," Roach said. "We should come up with a better gameplan, beating him to the punch."
Reason No. 2 We're Not: Getting Childish
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You know someone's getting defensive when they go after the fans. That's what Koncz did during his interview with Fanhouse.
"Manny's career is winding down over the next two years or whatever, so here's a suggestion. Why don't all of those writers and guys who want to criticize us for fighting Mosley—why don't they pull all of their money together, put it into a pot," Koncz told the website. "Then, they can give us the guaranteed purse that we're getting with the opponents that we're selecting and we'll fight anybody they want—Juan Manuel Marquez, Andre Berto or whoever."
A little touchy, aren't we?
Reason No. 2 We Are: Crossing Them Off the List
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Ever since the golden days of boxing, champions have taken on all comers, from chumps to dangerous opponents. Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard ducked no one and kept plowing through opposition, regardless of their skill level or age.
That's exactly what Pacquiao is doing.
Reason No. 1 We're Not: What Boxing Needs
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Pacquiao knows that boxing is struggling, and that what injects life into the sport are great matchups and action-packed fights. He's given fans their money's worth with his fights against Marquez and his trilogy with Erik Morales. Boxing is at its best when you get fights like those, as well as the Gatti-Ward trilogy, and the bout between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.
Could his fight with Mosley end up in that category? Sure. But right now, it certainly isn't one packed with tons of anticipation either.
Reason No. 1 We Are: Appreciate What You're Seeing
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Yes the Mosley fight doesn't seem too exciting, but let's try and just enjoy watching someone of Pacquiao's ability before he retires. You're seeing someone who's at the same level of a Tiger Woods or Roger Federer or Michael Jordan.
They are the best of the best—athletes who come along only once in a lifetime.
Conclusion
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Maybe we are being hyper critical.
Part of the frustration comes from continued delays with seeing Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., so it's easy to get impatient and angry when you're forced to settle for second best. Mosley is talented, and could pull off an upset just like any other fighter, but it's ridiculous for Pacquiao and Bob Arum to expect fans to consider it at the same level as a fight with Mayweather.
Pacquiao also needs to learn how to handle criticism. He and his adviser come across extremely defensive. Just like he does with his fans who follow him, the best bet is just to tune it out and stay focused on the task at hand.
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