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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - OK… first things first.
Yes, I saw Saturday night’s fight. Yes, I’m crystal clear on the result.
Yes, Manny Pacquiao whipped Oscar De La Hoya like he’d never been whipped.
In a way I didn’t think he could be whipped.
Simply put, I was wrong. And the myriad people who’ve dropped e-mails in the interim since the final bell… kudos and congratulations to you all. You were right.
Of course, I didn’t see any of your predictions beforehand, but I’ll take for granted that each and every one of you “knew” it was going to go down exactly as it did – in spite of heavy betting odds and general pre-fight consensus to the contrary.
That’s just the kind of guy I am.
And there… now that we’ve firmly established those points, here’s another:
I’m still not convinced.
So while cable TV analysts and clever e-mailers have been breathlessly invoking the multi-division ghosts of Armstrong and Robinson, I’m a little less willing to cede Mr. Pacquiao his place alongside those immortals quite yet.
To me anyway, there’s a little more work to be done.
Though the one-sided nature of his victory was beyond any argument, a few hard facts nonetheless remain about exactly what the Filipino sensation accomplished in Las Vegas.
He beat a 35-year-old former welterweight… not a reigning champion.
He beat a man who’d been .500 in his last six fights… not a streaking contender.
He still holds zero legitimate titles in any weight class… not three, as Armstrong did.
And while none of this diminishes the virtuosity he displayed Saturday – and none of it changes the fact that I thought Oscar would win decisively – it ought to inject at least a smidgen of reality into the “Pacquiao is God” chatter that’s been growing louder by the second. [details]
Yes, I saw Saturday night’s fight. Yes, I’m crystal clear on the result.
Yes, Manny Pacquiao whipped Oscar De La Hoya like he’d never been whipped.
In a way I didn’t think he could be whipped.
Simply put, I was wrong. And the myriad people who’ve dropped e-mails in the interim since the final bell… kudos and congratulations to you all. You were right.
Of course, I didn’t see any of your predictions beforehand, but I’ll take for granted that each and every one of you “knew” it was going to go down exactly as it did – in spite of heavy betting odds and general pre-fight consensus to the contrary.
That’s just the kind of guy I am.
And there… now that we’ve firmly established those points, here’s another:
I’m still not convinced.
So while cable TV analysts and clever e-mailers have been breathlessly invoking the multi-division ghosts of Armstrong and Robinson, I’m a little less willing to cede Mr. Pacquiao his place alongside those immortals quite yet.
To me anyway, there’s a little more work to be done.
Though the one-sided nature of his victory was beyond any argument, a few hard facts nonetheless remain about exactly what the Filipino sensation accomplished in Las Vegas.
He beat a 35-year-old former welterweight… not a reigning champion.
He beat a man who’d been .500 in his last six fights… not a streaking contender.
He still holds zero legitimate titles in any weight class… not three, as Armstrong did.
And while none of this diminishes the virtuosity he displayed Saturday – and none of it changes the fact that I thought Oscar would win decisively – it ought to inject at least a smidgen of reality into the “Pacquiao is God” chatter that’s been growing louder by the second. [details]
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