We beg to disagree with our good friend and Top Rank Promotions chief Bob Arum, who doesn’t believe that pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is driven by a desire to put on a dominating performance on May 7 against Shane Mosley.
Pacquiao will prove in his showdown with Mosley that he could do what Floyd Mayweather Jr. couldn’t.
Mosley took Mayweather the full 12 rounds and even hurt Floyd with a big right hand in the third round. But he simply couldn’t finish off the slick, undefeated Mayweather.
Our sense is that Pacquiao, who is training harder in comparison with his recent fights, is determined to prove he is indeed a superior fighter than Mayweather—even though Manny himself may not publicly admit it.
We have to remember that Mayweather took 10 rounds to dispose of Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton while Pacquiao took only two rounds to score a devastating knockout victory with a destructive left hook that separated Hatton from his senses.
While “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya gave Mayweather a hard time in a fight that he—and many ringside fans thought Oscar deserved to win—Pacquiao pulverized De La Hoya, who was battered and bruised when he quit on his stool at the end of the seventh round.
Mayweather and his kin, including father Floyd Mayweather Sr. and uncle Roger Mayweather, consider Floyd Jr. as the best fighter in the world today.
But the prestigious Ring Magazine, which is acknowledged as the “Bible of Boxing,” continues to proclaim Pacquiao as pound-for-pound king with Floyd Jr. stagnating at No. 2 and the emerging Argentine Sergio Martinez moving up to No. 3 and breathing down Mayweather’s neck.
Even more significant is the fact the WBC-WBO bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. is at No. 4 following his spectacular second-round knockout of veteran Fernando “KO-Chulito” Montiel last February.
Donaire is now regarded as one of the new darlings of fight fans and the media. Regrettably, his family squabbles and his contractual dispute with Arum have, in a sense, put his career on hold, at least for the time being.
This is a real pity because Donaire is 28 and any delay in his bid to duplicate the achievements of Pacquiao by moving up in weight, all the way up to junior lightweight at least, is bound to hurt Nonito both career-wise and financially.
We devoutly wish that, somehow, his contractual dispute with Arum and the seemingly never ending tug-of-war between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions would be resolved so this talented young fighter can follow up on his sensational performance against Montiel.
Donaire is not the caliber of fighter you want to see in the freezer. He’s got tremendous skill, remarkable speed, uncanny footwork and punching power that belies his rather lean frame, somewhat like a smaller version of Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns.
Alongside Pacquiao, Nonito provides the Philippines a one-two punch in the world of boxing that is hard to beat.
Quite honestly, we could do with an amazing performance by these two fine fighters to lift our spirits and provide our people with the inspiration that comes from knowing we not only have the best but the better of the best talents.
0 Comments
