Two Cowards

I don’t have a favorite boxer. In fact, I haven’t had one since a 35-0 Prince Naseem Hamed finally lost to Barrera in 2001. For me, the Prince put on the greatest show in boxing history. His entrances were amazing, his precision in the ring was impeccable and his post-fight interviews were legendary. I am not a fan of either Mayweather or Pacquiao, but I believe the Pac Man is better. Boxing diehards will speak of Mayweather’s great technical skill and how he forces the opponent to fight his fight, but that is boring. Who wants to sit around for twelve rounds of technical fighting? We want to see knockouts. No one can argue the fact that Pac Man hits harder and puts on a better show. (I should say no one should argue, because Mayweather fans seem to be incapable of grasping reality.)

I think we are experiencing the worst era of boxing. (I would much rather watch Mayweather and Pacquiao square off in an ultimate dodge ball competition because dodging the best competitor seems to be their true skill.) Both fighters understand the business side of the sport and they are manipulating the system to rake in the cash. (In Mayweather’s case, he really needs a rake. Who the hell walks around with all that cash? Can someone please tell him that we know he is rich; he doesn’t have to prove it during every episode on HBO.)

These boxers understand that every unworthy opponent that they fight will bring in viewers who watch hoping for an upset. Honestly, both fighters are to blame. Mayweather should stop insisting on a pre-fight blood test, and Pacquiao should take the test and get on with the fight. I honestly don’t understand what the difference between being tested before the fight or after the fight; it’s time to stop the excuses. That being said, what the hell is Pacquiao talking about with his excuses about not blood testing during training? (Both fighters need to stop being cowards and get in the ring!)

It is obvious to me that the two fighters are realists. They understand the true capabilities of the opponent and there is a real fear which exists; they are scared of each other. A loss will ruin the loser’s career and it seems like each boxer is trying to make as much money as he can before the “big fight.”

It’s wonderful for the sport of boxing to have fans discussing who is better, but honestly, people are setting themselves up for a massive let down. Mayweather cannot handle Pacquiao’s power, hence the steroids tests. Pacquiao will win easily and Mayweather fans will argue that he was past his prime. (To each fighter I say, thanks for cheating the fans, jackasses!)

Pacquiao should not be fighting Marquez and Mayweather had no business fighting Ortiz. These fights are nothing more than money makers for the “champs.” (I put the word in parenthesis because a true champion doesn’t run from a challenge.) There is good news. Boxing fans can force them to fight. If Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather don’t agree to a match within the next year, boxing fans should boycott the sport. It’s that simple. (Don’t watch these bullshit matches which are nothing more than glorified sparring sessions!)

There is no way I would ever watch a rematch between Mayweather and Ortiz. In fact, Ortiz should be banned from boxing. Congrats to Victor for walking away with 2.5 million dollars, but he should never fight again. I honestly thought he was going to make it a good fight, but once I discovered that he quit in the past, I lost all hope. I was just hoping for a good show; that didn’t happen. (I’m actually glad that Ortiz got sucker punched. He’s a sucker and had no business being in the ring with Mayweather.)

I believed Mayweather threw an obvious “sucker punch,” but I was wrong. It was a sucker punch, but it wasn’t obvious. I can understand the passion that his supporters have, but let’s not forget reality. If one of your friends gets involved in a fight and he throws a sucker punch, there will come a time when you’ll turn to someone else and say, “that was a sucker punch.” I hope Mayweather fans reach the point when they can admit the truth. (How anyone with an IQ above “retarded” can suggest the punch was manly is beyond me!)

I don’t care whether or not Ortiz deserved to be sucker punched because of his head-butt, I am talking about reality. It doesn’t matter if the punch was legal; it was a sucker punch. Mayweather was in no danger of ever losing the fight because Ortiz has no heart, but he should have disposed of the bum in a manly fashion.

When did it become cool to avoid the top contender? The great Mike Tyson never ducked anyone. He fought the best of the best and sent them all to “Bolivian.” I hear all the unbelievable Ali stories and I’ve seen some footage, but the pre-rape conviction Mike Tyson was the greatest boxer of all time. There were no decisions and controversial judge score cards. Iron Mike destroyed everyone, usually before the fifth round. (Not to mention the fact that Tyson’s Punch-Out was the greatest boxing video game of all time.)

Boxing needs to be changed. The first change should be the removal of promoters. Their only purpose is to make as much money as possible (for themselves), and they can care less about what the fans want. A second change should be the creation of a committee which schedules every fight. The two boxers will be given a deadline and if either man refuses to fight, there will be a one year ban.

This change will remove the ability for boxers to schedule “soft bums” in order to pad their records and wallets. The last rule I will suggest is my favorite. Larry Merchant should conduct all big post fight interviews. He always seems to cut through the bullshit and ask the questions that the fans want to hear; I like the fact that Merchant always challenges the boxers.

Larry Merchant’s post fight interview with Floyd Mayweather was classic. Larry challenged Floyd about his sucker punch and Floyd became agitated. (A usual occurrence when a pampered boxer doesn’t get his way.) Floyd was his usual classless self and Larry said, “If I was fifty years younger I would kick your ass!” (Larry Merchant is the man!)

True boxing fans should take control of the sport and boycott the Pacquiao vs Marquez fight. People can’t sit around and wait for the boxing commission to step in and make the fight happen. After all, boxing would probably become irrelevant once the big fight happens. (MMA is taking over because the best fight the best! Boxing needs to take a hint.)

Boxing fans seem to need this fight, but I am more annoyed with these two fighters than anything else. I honestly hope they never fight, so they can go down in history as the greatest cowardly champions. My score card has this one at 114-114; it’s a draw!

@PeteTeix617