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I keep going back and forth on this one. If nothing else, it give boxing a little mainstream exposure, something the sport desperately needs these days. But it's doing so in a manner that doesn't put boxing's best foot forward. Look what happened when MMA got its big chance at network TV -- they aired a circus sideshow featuring Kimbo, and their ratings tanked in the subsequent program. What good is mainstream press if it reflects badly on the sport?
Anyway, here's Ring Magazine boss Nigel Collins' take...not surprising, considering that the Bible of Boxing is slowly turning into a mouthpiece for GBP...
OSCAR-PACQUIAO: A WORTHY SUPERFIGHT
By Nigel Collins, Ring Magazine Editor-in-Chief
While some members of the media are wringing their hands in anguish over the upcoming Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao superfight, I am rubbing mine together in gleeful anticipation.
The dissenters argue that it is a physical mismatch and that Oscar is taking the easy way out by picking on a little guy.
They have the “little guy” part right, but I’m not so sure how “easy” it’s going to be.
Pacquiao isn’t exactly going to the guillotine on December 6; he’s going to fight a man who will most likely outweigh him by around 10 pounds when the opening bell rings. Moreover, Pac-Man is at the height of his powers. De La Hoya is not.
You could make the case that it is actually Oscar who is taking the bigger risk. In his most recent bout, De La Hoya suffered a broken facial bone fighting Stevie Forbes, a light puncher whose best years were spent at 130 pounds. Imagine what would have happened if it had been Pacquiao landing those punches.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has clearly thought about it, and come to the conclusion that Manny will beat Oscar. And you can’t accuse him of simply looking for a big payday. When negotiations bogged down over money, Roach offered to forgo his fee if Pacquiao were to lose.
A lot of folks wanted De La Hoya to fight Antonio Margarito. I suspect most of them are Fernando Vargas fans.
Margarito is a hot fighter coming off the biggest victory of his career. But he’s not yet a legend like Pacquiao and De La Hoya, and the risk of fighting him far outweighs the possible reward.
Or, to put it another way: Are you crazy?
Besides, I don’t see what all the whining is about in the fist place. Providing nothing bad happens between now and the first week in December, boxing fans are in for a helluva ride.
Special fighters do special things, and that’s what De La Hoya-Pacquiao is all about, two of the most popular and accomplished boxers of our generation getting it on in a fight that presents unique challenges for both of them.
What’s not to like?
Anyway, here's Ring Magazine boss Nigel Collins' take...not surprising, considering that the Bible of Boxing is slowly turning into a mouthpiece for GBP...
OSCAR-PACQUIAO: A WORTHY SUPERFIGHT
By Nigel Collins, Ring Magazine Editor-in-Chief
While some members of the media are wringing their hands in anguish over the upcoming Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao superfight, I am rubbing mine together in gleeful anticipation.
The dissenters argue that it is a physical mismatch and that Oscar is taking the easy way out by picking on a little guy.
They have the “little guy” part right, but I’m not so sure how “easy” it’s going to be.
Pacquiao isn’t exactly going to the guillotine on December 6; he’s going to fight a man who will most likely outweigh him by around 10 pounds when the opening bell rings. Moreover, Pac-Man is at the height of his powers. De La Hoya is not.
You could make the case that it is actually Oscar who is taking the bigger risk. In his most recent bout, De La Hoya suffered a broken facial bone fighting Stevie Forbes, a light puncher whose best years were spent at 130 pounds. Imagine what would have happened if it had been Pacquiao landing those punches.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has clearly thought about it, and come to the conclusion that Manny will beat Oscar. And you can’t accuse him of simply looking for a big payday. When negotiations bogged down over money, Roach offered to forgo his fee if Pacquiao were to lose.
A lot of folks wanted De La Hoya to fight Antonio Margarito. I suspect most of them are Fernando Vargas fans.
Margarito is a hot fighter coming off the biggest victory of his career. But he’s not yet a legend like Pacquiao and De La Hoya, and the risk of fighting him far outweighs the possible reward.
Or, to put it another way: Are you crazy?
Besides, I don’t see what all the whining is about in the fist place. Providing nothing bad happens between now and the first week in December, boxing fans are in for a helluva ride.
Special fighters do special things, and that’s what De La Hoya-Pacquiao is all about, two of the most popular and accomplished boxers of our generation getting it on in a fight that presents unique challenges for both of them.
What’s not to like?
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