Tweet
Forget the fact that 51,000 people poured into the stadium to watch "The Event" which turned out to be Manny Pacquio going to town on a black punching bag for 12 rounds with virtually NO result, putting most everyone to sleep.
The real consequences of last night's show go beyond the end of the 12th round.
The fact is, the fight everyone wants to see is Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, and if you examine the last 3 fights of both those fighters, they were performances that left you with images, images of both men slamming their opponents.
You remember Pacquiao battering De La Hoya into the corner. You remember those sniper lead right hands Mayweather was tagging DLH with, you remember Pacquiao pummeling Cotto and beating him into the ground. You remember Mayweather slipping 5 punch combos and flooring Marquez with a lightning left hook. You remember Pacquiao AND Mayweather finishing Hatton. That lighting left putting him to sleep, and that check hook sending him flying for the corner post.
Last night? I don't remember A SINGLE FLUSH PUNCH landing on Clottey. Not a single shot that provoked a noise from the 20 plus people I was watching with. No one. He slammed Clottey's gloves and obviously pitched a shut out - but all the MOMENTUM that was building between these two fighters seemed to die off.
Pacquiao had 12 rounds to figure out an obviouslt 1 dimensional fighter, and though he shut him out on the cards, couldn't figure out ANY angle to get in on Clottey. And we're still supposed to believe that Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is going to be epic? He couldn't get in CLOTTEY'S defense, but he's going to be competitive against the greatest defensive fighter of the era, possibly ever? Who also is as or even faster than Pacquiao?
Too bad. We needed a big fight to keep that momentum going, and that was not it.
The real consequences of last night's show go beyond the end of the 12th round.
The fact is, the fight everyone wants to see is Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, and if you examine the last 3 fights of both those fighters, they were performances that left you with images, images of both men slamming their opponents.
You remember Pacquiao battering De La Hoya into the corner. You remember those sniper lead right hands Mayweather was tagging DLH with, you remember Pacquiao pummeling Cotto and beating him into the ground. You remember Mayweather slipping 5 punch combos and flooring Marquez with a lightning left hook. You remember Pacquiao AND Mayweather finishing Hatton. That lighting left putting him to sleep, and that check hook sending him flying for the corner post.
Last night? I don't remember A SINGLE FLUSH PUNCH landing on Clottey. Not a single shot that provoked a noise from the 20 plus people I was watching with. No one. He slammed Clottey's gloves and obviously pitched a shut out - but all the MOMENTUM that was building between these two fighters seemed to die off.
Pacquiao had 12 rounds to figure out an obviouslt 1 dimensional fighter, and though he shut him out on the cards, couldn't figure out ANY angle to get in on Clottey. And we're still supposed to believe that Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is going to be epic? He couldn't get in CLOTTEY'S defense, but he's going to be competitive against the greatest defensive fighter of the era, possibly ever? Who also is as or even faster than Pacquiao?
Too bad. We needed a big fight to keep that momentum going, and that was not it.
Comment