Manny Pacquiao: 10 Reasons His Fight With Shane Mosley Is Being Over-Hyped
Look close enough and you'll see them straining.
Manny Pacquiao's fight with Shane Mosley is being over-hyped and it's obvious if you pay attention. Great fights do require promotion, but they also sell themselves. Look at the stories, listen to the fan chatter and how well it's publicized and you'll see a snowball effect happen before the fight is announced all the way to fight night. That hasn't happened here.
The fight has been criticized by fans and media alike since it was announced. Now, Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum have kept repeating themselves, defending the choice of Mosley, telling reporters how dangerous Mosley could be, but ignoring that he was 0-1-1 in his last two fights.
Vegas odds makers aren't shying away from the obvious, installing Pacquiao as a 7-to-1 favorite for the May 7 fight.
Mosley, like any fighter, will have a chance, but Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach refuses to get carried away.
"Does (Mosley) have a chance? An outside one," Roach told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm looking for my guy to knock out this guy with no compassion, like he showed Margarito in the 12th round of the last fight. Manny will be the first guy to stop this person, and be able to say he did it when Mayweather couldn't."
"Losing two fights like that, even though the Mora result was a draw, show (Mosley's) slipped from what he once was. With his age, if he wants to continue fighting, it's a free country. But obviously, I think my guy will dominate, will win every round and knock Mosley out."
You're not going to find many others talking so bluntly about the fight. Instead, it's lots of hyperbole and fluff, which has led to excessive hype. Here are 10 signs to spot it:
10. There's No Hate
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I love the fact that both Pacquiao and Mosley are conducting themselves as gentlemen, but a healthy amount of trash-talking could help.
When you've got Floyd Mayweather Jr. involved, you've got that covered. I can't stand his attitude, but I'm also not oblivious that sports fan love anything shocking. Why do you think Mike Tyson was so beloved?
As brash as Mayweather can be, it's a promoter's dream cause some fans will tune in hoping they can see someone finally shut him up. Mayweather's mouth alone creates hype, but now that's missing.
"That's what I love so much for this fight," Pacquiao told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We don't need to talk trash. Shane Mosley is a gentleman and a good guy. We just have to do our jobs in the ring, and boxing will be the big winner."
Perhaps. But right now they're having to overcompensate by continuously talking about how dangerous Mosley is. Only problem: Fans aren't stupid. They know he's 39 and they also know he was held to a draw last year against Sergio Mora.
9. Unrealistic Expectations
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I'll hand it to Bob Arum. He's a legendary boxing promoter and has worked with some of the greatest fighters and fights in boxing history.
But Arum went into spin mode recently with USA Today, which interviewed him and Pacquiao. At one point, Arum talked about how the promotion for this fight will now be expanded to 115 million homes since it will be carried on CBS.
He's probably not far off, but Arum also knows full well those numbers need to be put in proper context, since your average sports fan no longer cares about boxing.
Arum verbally went off into a ditch right after that when talking about Pacquiao's upcoming opponent.
"Now, who would you rather have as an opponent for Manny Pacquiao? An American kid who speaks English or a Mexican that only can communicate through subtitles?" Arum told USA Today. "Think of that. I mean right Manny? (laughs). Sorry to be blunt about it!"
Wow. Let me follow this logic: Rejoice that 115 million homes will get to experience the promotion for this fight, but gut that number by potentially offending your largest fanbase.
I think your average sports fan could care less about ethnicity as long as they see two fighters slug it out.
8. Manny's Media
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You would be amazed if you tried to count the amount of newspapers and websites that cover Pacquiao back home in the Philippines. He is a national hero, and often times "professional" writers come across like obsessed fans.
Fans, of course, can get carried away by their emotions and it can be obvious. Take Kenneth Ragpala, a writer for one Filipino boxing website, who was stating that Mosley can still punch, and how "one punch can really change everything." From the Captain Obvious department, but anyways...
"Who could forget George Foreman’s one-punch shotgun that knocked Michael Moorer out silly?" Ragpala writes. "Or that vicious comeback Chico Corrales made after being dropped by Jose Luis Castillo twice in the 10th round of their epic first clash? Mosley still has the puncher’s chance in this fight."
Let's tap the brakes with the crazy analogies. First off, Moorer was fighting an awful fight and you could argue that he took Foreman lightly. His trainer, Teddy Atlas, was also ripping him to shreds in the corner between rounds. And the Corrales-Castillo fight is in such a class of its own that even bringing that up with this fight is a reach.
Could it happen? Of course. That would be the story if it got to that point.
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7. Have They Really Changed?
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When you're the best, everyone will bring their absolute best to the ring. Manny knows that and even acknowledged as much about Mosley recently.
Pacquiao told the Hackensack (NJ) Record that Mosley can still fight, still has hand speed and power, adding "I need to train hard because they're expecting too much from me."
Wait. Who are they? What expectations is he referring to?
Expectations can't get any higher for boxing's pound-for-pound champ. His legacy is at stake and he knows it. That pressure also didn't just begin for this fight, so let's not pretend like he's got all these new burdens all of a sudden. They're still the same and it has no effect on this fight.
6. More Dangerous Than Marquez
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Read through all the stories and you'd think Shane Mosley is way more dangerous than Juan Manuel Marquez, one of the other possible opponents Pacquiao was presented with.
Pacquiao and Marquez had fought twice before, with the two fighting to a draw in their first fight. Pacquiao pulled out a razor-thin decision in the rematch. A trilogy, though, may have to wait, since Bob Arum has taken his toys home and refuses to talk to Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Marquez.
"Juan Manuel Marquez v Pacquiao III would have been a better contest," writes Gareth Davies of the London Telegraph.
"Marquez showed against Michael Katsidis last year that he still possesses the skills which made him great; make him a warrior. Pacquiao also has some proving to do against Marquez. In many ways, Marquez is more dangerous than Mosley in terms of style."
Of course he is and hard-core fight fans know it. However, the attempt here (on the surface) is to make this seem like it's an even greater challenger for Pacquiao.
5. Insane Comments
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This month's heaping portion of hyperbole comes to you from Mosley's trainer Naazim Richardson, who was talking about what to expect May 7th.
"If you knock him (Pacquiao) down, he's gonna get up," Richardson said. "Manny Pacquiao is the kind of guy that I firmly believe that if Shane Mosley knocks him down two times every round, then every round he gets back up. So Shane must be mentally prepared to keep knocking him back down."
Think about that for a second. Do you really believe that's going to happen? Back in the day during Mosley's prime—no doubt.
This is like saying last year that Brett Favre would have a better season than Tom Brady. You only have so much gas left in the tank, and it's silly to even expect an athlete to perform to levels he can't reach anymore.
4. Suddenly He's a Tough Foe
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Back after Mosley fought to a draw with Sergio Mora, Bob Arum was quoted as saying Mosley was probably too old to face Pacquiao. Now all that's changed. During his interview with USA Today, Arum spoke extensively about what makes Mosley a great opponent.
Pick it apart, and you'll see the flaws in his explanation.
"He clocked Mayweather pretty good but wasn't able to catch up with Mayweather," Arum said.
So what makes you think that will change with Pacquiao, who's just as talented and fast?
More from Arum: "And then in his next fight they put him in with [Sergio] Mora, who's a stinking fighter, just you know, who 'stinks you out' as they say, and it was very difficult for Mosley to cope with that."
They fought to a draw. And Mora just lost to a journeyman on Feb.4.
"Now you give Mosley a fighter that's in front of him and that wants to entertain the public and make a fight of it, you can't get better than Shane Mosley," Arum continued. "...So yeah, what Manny says, it's going to be a good, interesting, really exciting fight, more so than fights you might make with other possible opponents."
Right. A fight with Marquez would be boring. How crazy of me.
3. The Fountain of Youth
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From what he's said, it looks like Mosley may turn back the clock and rediscover the speed he had when he was in his 20s.
"Pacquiao is going to come to fight and I do well against fighters like that," Mosley told boxingscene.com. "I expect an exciting fight."
Manny loved the idea of facing someone like Mosley, telling the New York Daily News that "I like that he comes forward and fights and he doesn't try to run away."
Translated: Manny won't flinch at a brawl, and could very well make Shane look very old, very quickly.
2. Taking the Time
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The fact that Manny is having to justify and keep explaining why he picked Mosley is a huge red flag.
Fight fans who pay attention just have to watch fights and they'll know whether it's a good matchup or not. If Mosley was competitive against Mayweather and smoked Mora, then Manny wouldn't need to waste time explaining his decision over and over. Arum also wouldn't have to make him seem like he hasn't lost his magic and is still the same fighter who defeated Oscar De La Hoya.
1. Second Fiddle
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No matter how hard they try to promote this fight, it will always be a weak replacement for the mega fight fans want between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"Floyd is still our number one priority," Arum said during the promotional tour for this fight. "We want to find out if he's available or what his legal status is. Right now I have no idea."
Pacquiao also knows the significance of the fight.
"That would not only be good for me, but it would be good for the sake of the people," he said. "People want that fight. The fans are always asking me about that fight."
And that's why it will overshadow the fight on May 7.
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