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On Sunday in Macau, Manny Pacquiao emerged victorious once again.
The 35 year-old Filipino superstar knocked Chris Algieri down six times en route to a lopsided decision to retain his WBO welterweight title.
Kudos, Manny. As a full-blooded Filipino I was as ecstatic as anyone. Now let’s get down to the real facts.
Despite the pre-fight hype, the 30 year-old Algieri was severely overmatched against the future hall-of-famer. Despite upsetting Ruslan Provodnikov in his last fight, Algieri’s first outing outside of his home state was not one that was destined to end in his favour.
The victory served its purpose for Pacquiao. Stay busy, add one to the win column and drum up more interest in the long-overdue legacy match with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The lingering question is, has the timeframe for a relevant Pacquiao versus Mayweather tiff already passed?
Pacquiao dominated from bell to bell in Macau but this was not the same whirlwind that blitzed the likes of Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. He’s now a step slower, though arguably a smarter and more calculating fighter.
Mayweather hasn’t been immune to the effects of time either. He too has lost a step, relying more than ever on his airtight defence and counterpunching abilities. Chinks in the undefeated armour are starting to show as he is getting hit more often.
In 2010/2011 it would have been a fight for the ages, akin to Ali versus Frazier. The speedy southpaw boxer-puncher with equal parts speed and power versus the counterpunching technician whose riddle remained unsolved.
Now it would be a battle between two ageing legends with nothing left to prove. Their legacies are more than secure.
If it never happens, the question of ‘what if?’ will soon fade. History will remember what they accomplished: hall-of-fame careers as champions in multiple weight classes and as mainstream ambassadors for the sport during their time. The idea that they fought past their peak would only serve to muddle the fight’s long-term legacy.
For example. Sugar Ray Leonard was alleged to have avoided future hall-of-famer Aaron Pryor during their heyday. Yet with wins over Roberto Duran, Tom Hearns and Marvin Hagler, this accusation is irrelevant when discussing the storied career of Leonard.
On the business side, there is the temptation of one big final payday. Though they’ve both banked millions over the years, as businessmen it makes sense for both fighters to take the money into retirement.
For boxing, the fight will drum up mainstream interest and huge revenues. Still, the years of he said/he said and false rumours has seen fan interest dwindle considerably. The fight would be big but it wouldn’t be the apocalypse of boxing as some may claim – the sport was meant to die in 2002 after Lewis-Tyson and yet here we are.
So does the fight need to happen? In my opinion, not anymore.
Should it happen? From a business standpoint, yes. But the necessity is no longer there.
And finally, will it happen? Until Pacquiao and Mayweather are both standing in the ring with their gloves laced and the bell rings, I won’t get my hopes up.
Finally some other thoughts.
While Algieri’s story of living in his parents’ basement while training in his native Long Island is endearing to fans, he may need a change of scenery if he hopes to compete in the upper echelons of the sport.
A video has made the rounds online of Algieri’s cornerman Tim Lane saying that his strategy was to contain his fighter in the early rounds before letting him loose later on. It’s perplexing at best and dangerous at worst, and didn’t pay off.
Referee Genaro Rodriguez is a veteran of the game with championship experience but he seemed a tad slow to react in certain situations during the fight.
Pacquiao’s corner was drenched in water, causing Algieri to slip more than once. In Thailand they slide in a metal basin under the stool in between rounds to collect any stray fluids. Perhaps this should become an international practice.
Pacquiao’s mother should not sit at ringside. Enough said.
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