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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Being Manny Pacquiao means never having to spend fight night alone.
The dollar signs that the global Filipino phenomenon brings with him everywhere he travels rival pretty much anyone in the sport not nicknamed “Money,” so there will presumably never be a shortage of guys who want to get in the ring with him – for the payday, if not the legitimate chance to win.
And given Saturday night’s perpetual pursuit and intermittent capture of unheralded (read: underserving) challenger Chris Algieri in the Far East, that reality isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
It’s not that Manny did anything less than usual against the fleet-footed Long Island imposter, but rather that it’s sort of difficult to look truly transcendent against a guy whose battle plan essentially began with giving away the first four rounds and devolved from there into a full-throttle quest for survival.
Whether that means those now willing to meet Pacquiao are basing their bravado on suspect evidence is still to be determined, but the point remains that – even at 140 pounds – he’s not without options.
The question then becomes, which ones are the best ones?
For my money, and if I were doing the matchmaking, it’d be a three-tiered answer.
My first order of business, if I were Bob Arum, would be to dial-up old pal Oscar De La Hoya and make a blockbuster suggestion that’d bury the “Cold War” hatchet forever. [Click Here To Read More]
The dollar signs that the global Filipino phenomenon brings with him everywhere he travels rival pretty much anyone in the sport not nicknamed “Money,” so there will presumably never be a shortage of guys who want to get in the ring with him – for the payday, if not the legitimate chance to win.
And given Saturday night’s perpetual pursuit and intermittent capture of unheralded (read: underserving) challenger Chris Algieri in the Far East, that reality isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
It’s not that Manny did anything less than usual against the fleet-footed Long Island imposter, but rather that it’s sort of difficult to look truly transcendent against a guy whose battle plan essentially began with giving away the first four rounds and devolved from there into a full-throttle quest for survival.
Whether that means those now willing to meet Pacquiao are basing their bravado on suspect evidence is still to be determined, but the point remains that – even at 140 pounds – he’s not without options.
The question then becomes, which ones are the best ones?
For my money, and if I were doing the matchmaking, it’d be a three-tiered answer.
My first order of business, if I were Bob Arum, would be to dial-up old pal Oscar De La Hoya and make a blockbuster suggestion that’d bury the “Cold War” hatchet forever. [Click Here To Read More]
I don't know what to tell you.
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