By Chris Robinson

When I decided to make the move to Las Vegas roughly a year ago I knew that I would be introduced to a completely different side of the sport of boxing. Referred to as the modern day capital of boxing, the sport runs deep within the city and there is a revolving cast of characters that frequent Las Vegas whenever a big fight comes to town.

I came to the area in late October of 2009, just in time to take in all of the festivities that came with the Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao WBO welterweight title event on November 14th. While the fight was memorable in its own right, as Pacquiao halted Cotto in the 12th to capture a title in a record seventh weight class, the developments that took place during fight week and the people I interacted with left just as deep of an impression.

I was able to talk shop with veteran scribe and boxing historian Bert Sugar, a man full of great knowledge and a sharp sense of humor. Over the following months we kept in touch and talked in depth about the respective careers of such stars as Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley and several others and all the while the New Yorker never bit his tongue or tried to sugarcoat his true feelings.

When Pacquiao and Mayweather captivated the sport of boxing with the possibility of them facing one another, Sugar seemed to be pessimistic from the start. The first round of negotiations between the two parties dissolved when Mayweather insisted that each man go through a strenuous Olympic drug testing protocol before the fight and it was obviously something that left Sugar bewildered. Later in the year the two sides reportedly went through a second round of negotiations in hopes of finalizing a deal for a fight but Sugar’s feelings couldn’t be swayed.

“I don’t see it happening,” Sugar told me. “I don’t and never did. He doesn’t want to fight right now. I think he’s got enough money. He’s not afraid of Pacquiao. He might be afraid of losing.”

Pacquiao and Mayweather would indeed go their separate paths as the Filipino star signed on to face Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium while Mayweather is currently awaiting an upcoming court trial after an altercation with his ex-girlfriend that took place in September. I asked Sugar for his thoughts on Pacquiao-Margarito in late August and unlike many people at the time he seemed to be optimistic about the fight.

“It’s a good fight,” Sugar said. “It’s not a great fight. It’s not the one we were expecting but I hesitate to tell you that it will be a better fight than Joshua Clottey. We always overlook Margarito. I’m just looking forward to going to Dallas and seeing Margarito and drinking margaritas.”

Sugar’s yearnings will soon be satisfied as we are now less than a week away from the Pacquiao-Margarito clash. It is one of this year’s biggest events as features some fine talent on the undercard in the form of lightweight contender Brandon ‘Bam Bam’ Rios, Cuban standout Guillermo Rigondeaux and welterweight hopeful Mike Jones. Sugar will surely get his pugilistic fix this coming weekend but one interesting side note to Pacquiao’s recent career progression has been his absence from the city of Las Vegas.

The General Santos City fighter had become a fixture in the area up until 2010, as seven of his eight fights prior to his bout with Joshua Clottey took place in the city, including his triumphs of Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya as he rose in weight and shocked the masses with successive virtuoso performances. Asked for how much of an impact Pacquiao had in Las Vegas, a reminiscent Sugar have his take.

“Las Vegas is suffering as a city, period,” Sugar coined. “The gambling handle is down, and as far as the rooms, I think they pay you to stay there now. It’s suffering and Manny Pacquiao was always a big, big favorite there. Not only for the Filipino fans that he brought but by the excitement he brought. Watching him decimate Oscar De La Hoya. Watching knock out, with one punch, Ricky Hatton. One of the of greatest one-punch knockouts since Marciano-Walcott.”

There had been hopes that the Pacquiao-Margarito event could possibly find a way to the MGM Grand but they were dashed when Margarito’s request for a one-fight license in the city was tabled by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, as the Tijuana fighter’s one-year suspension from the California board was still fresh in everyone’s mind following the hand wrap scandal that haunted him prior to his January 2009 loss to Shane Mosley.

So while Sugar gets ready to witness a legend in the twilight of his career, so too does the reality set in that this may be the last time that the boxing world gets to witness Manny Pacquiao in action, as retirement whispers have been circulating amongst boxing insiders. It would be hard to see him walk away and Sugar feels that Las Vegas in particular would be feeling the effects.

“I gotta tell you he has brought excitement to the ring and excitement to Las Vegas. And yes, they have missed him in Las Vegas.”

Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. An archive of his work can be found here, and he can be reached at Trimond@aol.com