Now, you guys know that I have been critical of Team Pacquiao and Top Rank. I'm not here to destroy them...but to defend them.
It seems that Bob Arum has been working on the Showtime/CBS deal for awhile. Since before Christmas, and before Manny "picked" Shane Mosley as his opponent.
At the time, I said that the opponent that made the most sense was Juan Manuel Marquez. JMM had given Manny trouble in the ring, he brings a Mexican fanbase, and their previous fights did good business.
HOWEVER, in light of Bob's aspiration to take this Manny/Mosley fight to a wide mainstream audience, it makes perfect sense that Shane was selected.
Juan Manuel speaks iffy English, and his trainer and manager speaks no English. At all. A fight between two small ethnic men would be less appealing to the typical mainstream gringo who is watching CBS on a Saturday night.
You can't have an hour of subtitled "fight promotion" on a "big four" network. That type of **** would belong on Telemundo or Univision. You don't see Bubba trying to watch Sabado Gigante or El Gordo y La Flaca.
So, while I'm still not excited about Manny fighting a shot Shane (who can be?), I support the business process that resulted in Shane's selection as an opponent.
It seems that Bob Arum has been working on the Showtime/CBS deal for awhile. Since before Christmas, and before Manny "picked" Shane Mosley as his opponent.
At the time, I said that the opponent that made the most sense was Juan Manuel Marquez. JMM had given Manny trouble in the ring, he brings a Mexican fanbase, and their previous fights did good business.
HOWEVER, in light of Bob's aspiration to take this Manny/Mosley fight to a wide mainstream audience, it makes perfect sense that Shane was selected.
Juan Manuel speaks iffy English, and his trainer and manager speaks no English. At all. A fight between two small ethnic men would be less appealing to the typical mainstream gringo who is watching CBS on a Saturday night.
You can't have an hour of subtitled "fight promotion" on a "big four" network. That type of **** would belong on Telemundo or Univision. You don't see Bubba trying to watch Sabado Gigante or El Gordo y La Flaca.
So, while I'm still not excited about Manny fighting a shot Shane (who can be?), I support the business process that resulted in Shane's selection as an opponent.
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