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Pacquiao deserves 70-30 split against anybody
Pacquiao deserves 70-30 split against anybody
By Dennis Guillermo
June 4, 1:32 PM ·
Pacquiao after beating Hatton (AP Photo/ Jae C. Hong )Yes, Manny Pacquiao should not get anything less than 70% or should at least get something close to that against anybody whether it's Floyd, Cotto, Marquez, Mosley or even Rocky. Real talk, this is the realest thing I ever wrote. I know a lot of readers out there especially the forumheads are itching to type the word "nuthugger" but let me state my case first and I guarantee you I will be able to justify my bold statement.
When Pacquiao faced Oscar De la Hoya last December, it was alleged that the Pacman received around 1/3 of the split. At that time, that was fair. De la Hoya was definitely the cash cow of boxing and drew crowds like no other else except probably Mike Tyson before him. Pacquiao was still a small fry compared to De la Hoya then. After he demolished De la Hoya and sent him to retirement after forcing the Golden Boy to quit on his stool in front of every single soul that gave the slightest bit interest about boxing, things changed. Regardless of what so-called experts say about De la Hoya being dehydrated and stuff like that, Pacquiao grabbed boxing's crown in sensational fashion the way Michael Jordan dethroned Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals. Pacquiao did not only destroy De la Hoya, he also won over a lot of De la Hoya's fans.
When Pacquiao complained about an even split against Ricky Hatton, people were calling him greedy and said that he might have been overestimating his value. The main reasoning behind the criticism was because of the money Hatton can generate from the UK and the fact that Hatton is one of the most popular boxers in the planet. It was insulting for Pacquiao to have to compromise on the basis that he comes from a third-world country (lets be real, it's the money Hatton could generate really that allowed the split to be as high as it was for Hatton) and I would have had to agree with that. But hey, I guess that's just the way life is for the less fortunate. You will have to prove yourself twice more often than the average or wealthy man. In this case, Pacquiao symbolically represented the poverty his country is gripped by and would have to compromise. Pacquiao made easy work of Hatton and clocked in the duration of time worth what they gave him and told him he deserved. Because two rounds were really what the 52% split he got was really worth; realistically if it was truly about skill and accomplishment, Pacquiao deserved 80% from that bout. Hatton wasn't even anywhere close Pacquiao's level. On May 2, Pacquiao let his fists end any uncertainties left in the negotiations. Hatton did not belong in the ring with Pacquiao, hence his brutal demise. Do I really need to state that Pacquiao won Hatton's fans respect as well? Best believe they will all be watching Pacquiao's fights now.
That's the nature of almost every thinking fan, athlete and anybody who appreciates sportsmanship in sports anyway. You respect and pull for the opponent that beat you fair and square. Just like how Reggie Miller told David Letterman he was pulling for the New York Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals after the Knicks knocked off Miller's Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. And probably why a lot of Cavs and LeBron James fans I have spoken to are pulling for the Orlando Magic in the FInals regardless if they are the underdogs or not. Sports is afterall about sportsmanship and to admire and respect a competitor that bested you is a natural sportman's trait. Manny Pacquiao knocked David Diaz the hell out, but the two men act as if they are best friends now with Diaz even flying to the Philippines for Pacquiao's birthday and even called to congratulate him after his win over Hatton.
With that said, you now have two of the biggest fan bases in De la Hoya and Hatton's fans joining the list of the huge Pacquiao viewing fan base. Just recently, Forbes magazine also confirmed Pacquiao's newfound social status and named him one of its Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. No other boxer made the list... zero, nada, love, none, bokya! Not Oscar De la Hoya; not Floyd Mayweather Jr.; Can you imagine last year's number one most powerful celebrity Oprah Winfrey accepting the same amount of money as say Rachael Ray? Oprah will give you a resounding "Hell no!" and so why is it such a shock when Pacquiao wants what he's worth? Even the great Iron Mike have offered his services to help train Pacquiao. Real recognize real.
People who belittle Pacquiao's current value are people who have not accepted the fact that a little fighter from Asia can rule the western world of boxing. These are stuck up people who are narrowminded and just see what the American or what Western media dictates. Last time I checked, mainstream media did not give a rat's ass about boxing anymore so let's really open our minds here. Search Google and see how many articles and hits Manny Pacquiao gets compared to whoever boxer is next in line. Every boxing writer knows, and perhaps every sports writer knows that Manny Pacquiao is internet hits gold. That's why you see all these writers out of the woodwork scampering to insert Pacquiao's name in their articles just to get hits even if they did not know a thing about Pacquiao. Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be popular in the USA especially within the African-American and boxing community but he is not anywhere close to how Pacquiao is known all around the world. We are talking about Asia, the biggest continent in the world. We are talking about Mexico, one of the biggest boxing fan bases in the world whom Pacquiao has charmed after all his sensational performances against Mexican warriors. Let's not be ignorant, there's a whole world out there outside America.
More people have started to pay attention though. Ricky Hatton himself admitted he was surprised when he saw how many people showed up to support Pacquiao in his home turf in England. ESPN, TNT and all these major broadcast networks in America have picked up their coverage of Pacquiao significantly as of late. Sports figures like Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith have name dropped Pacquiao on their shows. Celebrities like Batman and Terminator's Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg and Mickey Rourke among others even made their way to the Wild Card Gym where Pacquiao fights just to see the king train. Jay-Z and Denzel even requested some face time with the Pacman. How blind can some people be to not realize Pacquiao is now the face of the sport? And to completely best Mayweather Jr. in everything he has done, Pacquiao has been invited to compete in next season's "Dancing with the Stars" with the sole purpose of going further than Mayweather Jr. did in the show. (Okay that last one was a joke in case some of you are slow)
Wake up world and smell the Kapeng Barako (popular strong coffee brew from the Philippines). De la Hoya, Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali had their run. It's Manny Pacquiao's time now! Why not give him what he's worth instead of belittling him and robbing him of what he deserves. Athletes like him only come once in a lifetime afterall, so enjoy him while you can. And yes! I said let him get what he deserves. Pacquiao earned his way to be on top. He didn't take any shortcuts or avoided any road blocks like other boxers who ducked the best competition. You may not understand a lot of what he says during his interviews, but love him or hate him, Manny Pacquiao's fists have done the talking.
By Dennis Guillermo
June 4, 1:32 PM ·
Pacquiao after beating Hatton (AP Photo/ Jae C. Hong )Yes, Manny Pacquiao should not get anything less than 70% or should at least get something close to that against anybody whether it's Floyd, Cotto, Marquez, Mosley or even Rocky. Real talk, this is the realest thing I ever wrote. I know a lot of readers out there especially the forumheads are itching to type the word "nuthugger" but let me state my case first and I guarantee you I will be able to justify my bold statement.
When Pacquiao faced Oscar De la Hoya last December, it was alleged that the Pacman received around 1/3 of the split. At that time, that was fair. De la Hoya was definitely the cash cow of boxing and drew crowds like no other else except probably Mike Tyson before him. Pacquiao was still a small fry compared to De la Hoya then. After he demolished De la Hoya and sent him to retirement after forcing the Golden Boy to quit on his stool in front of every single soul that gave the slightest bit interest about boxing, things changed. Regardless of what so-called experts say about De la Hoya being dehydrated and stuff like that, Pacquiao grabbed boxing's crown in sensational fashion the way Michael Jordan dethroned Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals. Pacquiao did not only destroy De la Hoya, he also won over a lot of De la Hoya's fans.
When Pacquiao complained about an even split against Ricky Hatton, people were calling him greedy and said that he might have been overestimating his value. The main reasoning behind the criticism was because of the money Hatton can generate from the UK and the fact that Hatton is one of the most popular boxers in the planet. It was insulting for Pacquiao to have to compromise on the basis that he comes from a third-world country (lets be real, it's the money Hatton could generate really that allowed the split to be as high as it was for Hatton) and I would have had to agree with that. But hey, I guess that's just the way life is for the less fortunate. You will have to prove yourself twice more often than the average or wealthy man. In this case, Pacquiao symbolically represented the poverty his country is gripped by and would have to compromise. Pacquiao made easy work of Hatton and clocked in the duration of time worth what they gave him and told him he deserved. Because two rounds were really what the 52% split he got was really worth; realistically if it was truly about skill and accomplishment, Pacquiao deserved 80% from that bout. Hatton wasn't even anywhere close Pacquiao's level. On May 2, Pacquiao let his fists end any uncertainties left in the negotiations. Hatton did not belong in the ring with Pacquiao, hence his brutal demise. Do I really need to state that Pacquiao won Hatton's fans respect as well? Best believe they will all be watching Pacquiao's fights now.
That's the nature of almost every thinking fan, athlete and anybody who appreciates sportsmanship in sports anyway. You respect and pull for the opponent that beat you fair and square. Just like how Reggie Miller told David Letterman he was pulling for the New York Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals after the Knicks knocked off Miller's Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. And probably why a lot of Cavs and LeBron James fans I have spoken to are pulling for the Orlando Magic in the FInals regardless if they are the underdogs or not. Sports is afterall about sportsmanship and to admire and respect a competitor that bested you is a natural sportman's trait. Manny Pacquiao knocked David Diaz the hell out, but the two men act as if they are best friends now with Diaz even flying to the Philippines for Pacquiao's birthday and even called to congratulate him after his win over Hatton.
With that said, you now have two of the biggest fan bases in De la Hoya and Hatton's fans joining the list of the huge Pacquiao viewing fan base. Just recently, Forbes magazine also confirmed Pacquiao's newfound social status and named him one of its Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. No other boxer made the list... zero, nada, love, none, bokya! Not Oscar De la Hoya; not Floyd Mayweather Jr.; Can you imagine last year's number one most powerful celebrity Oprah Winfrey accepting the same amount of money as say Rachael Ray? Oprah will give you a resounding "Hell no!" and so why is it such a shock when Pacquiao wants what he's worth? Even the great Iron Mike have offered his services to help train Pacquiao. Real recognize real.
People who belittle Pacquiao's current value are people who have not accepted the fact that a little fighter from Asia can rule the western world of boxing. These are stuck up people who are narrowminded and just see what the American or what Western media dictates. Last time I checked, mainstream media did not give a rat's ass about boxing anymore so let's really open our minds here. Search Google and see how many articles and hits Manny Pacquiao gets compared to whoever boxer is next in line. Every boxing writer knows, and perhaps every sports writer knows that Manny Pacquiao is internet hits gold. That's why you see all these writers out of the woodwork scampering to insert Pacquiao's name in their articles just to get hits even if they did not know a thing about Pacquiao. Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be popular in the USA especially within the African-American and boxing community but he is not anywhere close to how Pacquiao is known all around the world. We are talking about Asia, the biggest continent in the world. We are talking about Mexico, one of the biggest boxing fan bases in the world whom Pacquiao has charmed after all his sensational performances against Mexican warriors. Let's not be ignorant, there's a whole world out there outside America.
More people have started to pay attention though. Ricky Hatton himself admitted he was surprised when he saw how many people showed up to support Pacquiao in his home turf in England. ESPN, TNT and all these major broadcast networks in America have picked up their coverage of Pacquiao significantly as of late. Sports figures like Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith have name dropped Pacquiao on their shows. Celebrities like Batman and Terminator's Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg and Mickey Rourke among others even made their way to the Wild Card Gym where Pacquiao fights just to see the king train. Jay-Z and Denzel even requested some face time with the Pacman. How blind can some people be to not realize Pacquiao is now the face of the sport? And to completely best Mayweather Jr. in everything he has done, Pacquiao has been invited to compete in next season's "Dancing with the Stars" with the sole purpose of going further than Mayweather Jr. did in the show. (Okay that last one was a joke in case some of you are slow)
Wake up world and smell the Kapeng Barako (popular strong coffee brew from the Philippines). De la Hoya, Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali had their run. It's Manny Pacquiao's time now! Why not give him what he's worth instead of belittling him and robbing him of what he deserves. Athletes like him only come once in a lifetime afterall, so enjoy him while you can. And yes! I said let him get what he deserves. Pacquiao earned his way to be on top. He didn't take any shortcuts or avoided any road blocks like other boxers who ducked the best competition. You may not understand a lot of what he says during his interviews, but love him or hate him, Manny Pacquiao's fists have done the talking.
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