By Chris Robinson
The breaking news on August 5th was that of HBO landing the rights to air the November 12th pay-per-view bout between WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao’s last fight against Shane Mosley was carried by CBS-Showtime after seeing HBO televise nearly all of his previous conquests on American soil, dating back to his breakthrough over then-IBF junior featherweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba in June of 2001.
HBO’s loss in failing to grab the rights to Pacquiao-Mosley was looked at as a huge blow at the time, one in which they were sure to make up for with a huge offer to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum. The recent deal included such perks as seeing HBO’s 24/7 series seeing airtime on CNN, Pacquiao and Arum being interviewed on CNN internationally, as well as the fight being promoted during the Major League Baseball Playoffs, according to BoxingScene.com.
I caught up with veteran analyst Larry Merchant of HBO Sports’ for our ongoing column and he affirmed his eagerness in seeing Pacquiao return.
“Sure. He’s the most celebrated and probably the best fighter in the world. We’ve done all of his American fights but the last one and we’re happy to see him back obviously,” Merchant said of the Filipino icon.
When Pacquiao-Mosley went to CBS-Showtime, it sent waves throughout the boxing world. While many people were surprised, those in the know, including Merchant, had a sense that something was brewing.
“I was not shocked,” Merchant continued. “I knew that Top Rank had been romancing CBS to get back into the game with Showtime for several years and there came a point where Pacquiao reached such a crescendo of worldwide prominence that they saw it as something they should get involved with. So I wasn’t completely surprised but we had him in his previous fights and you never expect it. But I knew that it was a strong possibility.”
Merchant has been ringside for some of Pacquiao’s biggest accomplishments and I asked him to reflect on his most cherished memories covering Manny.
“I would say certainly his first fight with Ledwaba, who was a highly-regarded junior featherweight at the time,” said Merchant. “He just was a whirlwind and took him apart. That was a revelation. His fights with Morales and Barrera, five together. His two fights with Marquez. The fact that he fought everybody. The tougher they were, the better they were, the more he wanted to fight them.”
Advertisement
But away from the bright lights, then too was it that Merchant began to appreciate the evolution of Pacquiao as a fighter.
“Then it was how he evolved into a complete fighter over time. That he was just raw and ambitious and strong and aggressive but that, under Freddie Roach, and with his own desire, he became more of a complete fighter. It’s very unusual to see a young champion who is doing very well, making tremendous amounts of money, still have the desire to get better at his craft,” Merchant continued.
“Then, finally, it was the fight with Oscar De La Hoya. And the feeling that maybe he had gone a size too far and then seeing him do something nobody else had previously done, which was to break Oscar down with his speed and make him quit.”
And for Merchant, Pacquiao’s progression has highlighted several lessons that can be taught about the sport.
“All of those things are standout and it shows that there is no one fight that makes or breaks a fighter,” said Merchant. “That his kind of perseverance, plus all the other raw materials and desire and ambition, came together to form who he became. And no matter how famous or how much money people were throwing at him, that he never got tired of being better or being as good as he could be.”
The fight everyone still hopes to see Pacquiao in is a dream fight with undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. Presently Floyd is eyeing a September 17th pay-per-view bonanza of his own when he meets up with WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
I asked Merchant simply what fight he was more interested in; Mayweather-Ortiz or Pacquiao-Marquez III?
“Even though the Pacquiao-Marquez fights were very exciting and close fights, and Marquez earned his way into a third fight, I guess I find myself more curious about the Mayweather-Ortiz fight because Ortiz is a young, strong kid and I’m curious to see whether he can make a real fight out of it. Mayweather hasn’t been in a real fight in a long time.”