When Manny Pacquiao won a one-sided fight decisively against Joshua Clottey in Texas last March 13 and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. did the same against Sugar Shane Mosley in Las Vegas a few weeks later, it seemed that both fighters were bound for a head-on clash at last. No. Not yet. Buoyed by a much higher ppv returns from his fight with Mosley compared to Pacquiao’s with Clottey, Mayweather changes tunes again that the blood test be made up to the day of the fight and that his share to be much bigger.
Sensing that the talks won’t go any farther for their fight to take place if he sticks to his opposition, Pacquiao relented to earlier demand of tests “14 days to the fight” but Mayweather demands more. Once again, Mayweather wants that he gets the bigger share of prize money at 60-40. Whatever got into his mind this time that he deserves more than Pacquiao can only be motivated by his envy of Pacquiao. And he should be that he ought to know more what Pacquiao’s name carries.
From the time he was lifted to stardom following his conquest of Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, the name “Pacquiao” has since then became almost synonymous with boxing. While Mayweather may have just only a few stuffs to show off, Pacquiao has countless Pacquiao has been showered with numerous citations, awards, gifts, tv talk show appearances in the US, and tributes from everywhere. And of all unusual honors, was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree.
As can be glimpsed from the past, while then World heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was training in Manila for his title defense against Joe Frazier in 1975 of what is now known as the famous Thrilla in Manila at the Araneta Coliseum and watched by this writer, he was conferred with an “honorary doctorate degree on Muslim Culture” by the Ortañez University in Quezon City. Conferred with this degree in his fighting boots, Ali jokingly commented afterwards, “Now I am a doctor and my patient is Joe Frazier.” to the applause, cheers, howls and laughter of his audience. Like Ali, Pacquiao was also conferred with his own, a “doctorate degree in Humanities” by the Southwestern University in Cebu City in February 2009. Unlike Ali, he did not make his audience laugh, but instead, he heaped praises and won their hearts and more fans from his audience.
Further, Pacquiao is the most recognizable face in the country. He is so well-loved by his countrymen that wherever he goes he is mobbed, and every time he fights, the whole country stands still till it’s over and rejoice. With a phenomenal appeal, he makes Metro Manila and the whole country safe during the time he fights as it’s only at this time that a “zero-crime rate” is being felt nation-wide. Other credentials that can make Mayweather cringe or turn green with envy are in the many honors he has so far received from the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).
To date, Pacquiao has already been awarded with three “Fighter of the Year” awards by the BWAA that makes him a three-time recipient along with Ali and Evander Holyfield. But the most meaningful of all is his latest, that of being honored as “Fighter of the Decade”. In winning these awards, Pacquiao stands being a certified “legend” along with boxing greats the likes of Joe Louise, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones, Jr. If Pacquiao fights one more time this year regardless if it’s against Mayweather or not and wins it convincingly, he stands a good chance of winning a fourth “Fighter of the Year” award. And should that happens, then, he will stand alone as a four-time recipient which for sure can hardly be equaled for decades.
If the above Pacquiao credentials are not enough for Mayweather to cringe with envy, wait till he hears Michael Buffer introduces“…the fighting Congressman from Sarangani, Philippines………the Honorable Manny ’Pacman’ Pacquiaaaooooo!!!!”
From all what Mayweather has so far said, showed and done in and out of the ring since his comeback, only a few deeds are worth writing. With many demands that can hardly be met and running out of more alibis as a way out of this fight with Pacquiao, Mayweather now resorts to saying that he will take a rest from boxing for a year or two. It’s his honest way to escape embarrassment that should he really makes it real, then, there’s no more words to describe him, but to conclude that “Money” as Mayweather is now called is really SCARED of Pacquiao.
History will always be kind to Pacquiao but not to Mayweather if he backs out of this fight. Everything for the realization of this super fight had been done by the Pacquiao camp in good faith with Pacquiao expressing willingness to fight him and abide by the boxing commission where the fight will take place on blood tests but never to Mayweather’s. Now, it’s Money and for a more precise name, “Gayweather” who is showing his real color of being a coward and running away from this fight. May be by then, Mayweather can finally retire and live the rest of his life to be known as “America’s shame”.
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