“There is a big possibility [in the rematch] because Floyd is coming back to boxing. He's fighting in December and I’m fighting in January, so there’s a big possibility for next year. After that, we are going to discuss a rematch. My thinking is to have the rematch and to make it a clear decision over who wins the fight. The last one we had, it was not clear who won. He didn't throw a lot of punches, but won the fight. I had a shoulder injury, but if there's a rematch there is no excuses.”
—Manny Pacquiao, via Sky Sports on Monday
We'll go out on a limb and suggest the Filipino icon is certain he'll solve “The Problem.”
Adrien Broner, in a bout tentatively scheduled for
January 19. We'll also assume the eight division world champion and current WBA regular welterweight titlist believes Mayweather will get past whatever circus act is next for the fledging, unbeaten legend.
Though Broner is probably unfairly deemed a perennial bootleg edition of Mayweather and will most likely be gobbled up by a Pac-Man on his last life before “Insert Coins” appear on your screen, AB has never been averse to risking defeat for triumph.
The same cannot be said for the craven Mayweather, who on Wednesday slipped out of Tokyo and a New Year's Eve bout with RIZIN Japanese sensation Tenshin Nasukawa. Just two days ago, the attention junkie was preening for pictures like a salivating Apollo Creed past his prime. Mayweather appeared to be in love with the idea of facing the 20 year-old octagon savant in the limelight on New Year's Eve, saying things like: “This particular bout is a special bout as far as we’re giving the people something they’ve never seen before.” Yeah. And just for clarity, Mayweather returned to the U.S. and (predictably) issued a long-ass statement to explain what could've possibly went wrong so soon. But of all his remarks, this one is what stood out for me:
“This exhibition was previously arranged as a “Special Bout” purely for entertainment purposes with no intentions of being represented as an official fight card nor televised worldwide.”
In other words, here's what Floyd meant: “What? This is a real fight? I'm Floyd “Money” Mayweather and I'm the A-side! I'm not about to get my ass kicked in front of the entire world and have it count. I'm 50-0! Where's Al Haymon? Y'all got me f*cked up!”
Shades of Rocky IV. If I'm reading this right, Mayweather had better be glad Tenshin's manager didn't start calling him a ‘Has-been' before his own version of Apollo Creed got absolutely Ivan Drago'd by Nasukawa. Not for nothing, but dude had a real “If he dies… he dies” kinda way about him on the podium.
And since we're guessing Floyd needs some advice from Al Haymon about how to be decisive (first it was a rematch with Conor, then Manny, then Khabib) we'll end this segment with a recent statement from “The Bobfather”.
“And people say, ‘Al Haymon.’ And I say Al Haymon is a fiction Sam Watson has created. I don’t believe there’s an Al Haymon. I haven’t seen him in three years. Have you seen him? Is there an Al Haymon? No! I think Sam Watson has created some guy named Al Haymon, who is responsible for all of these bad decisions because there is no Al Haymon. You’re blaming it on a fictional character.”
Bob Arum, October 2018
????????????
A few weeks ago, news breaks of Pac-Man signing with Al Haymon and Premier Boxing Champions after dumping Bob Arum and Top Rank a few months back. For perspective, it's almost like a disgruntled Tom Brady rocking #12 in a “Money” green NY Jets uniform with a #MAGA hat visible in his locker; before going to face Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots QB'd by Aaron Rodgers. Think on the oddity of such, while taking a knee next to a Colin Kaepernick with a “WTF?” look on his face.
In February 2016, Pacquiao may have been the most maligned man on earth. He'd just called gays “worse than animals”, and was internationally excoriated by virtually every major and minor mainstream media outlet imaginable. His experience as pound-for-pound world #1 under the President Barack Obama era was a contentious one, shaped around the Obama's push for an immoral diversity according to Pacquiao's beliefs; earning Pacquiao a Spring 2011 trip to have a little chat with President Obama. In Spring 2012, Pacquiao officially reonounced Catholicism, while pleading with the church to do more about the rampant cases of priest child sexual abuse around the world. Has a little chat with Senator Harry Reid right before his inexplicable loss to Tim Bradley in June 2012 – ( by a decision so full of shit the entire HBO crew was disgusted) Then, out of nowhere in October 2012, Kevin Iole compares the coming out of the closet parody in the pedestrian Orlando Cruz to Jackie Robinson's crossing of the color line in ‘Boxer Orlando Cruz should be commended for revealing he's gay'. It immediately evoked, “Why?”
This was the culture of the entire presidency of Obama, clashing with a very Christian cross bearer of sorts in Pacquiao. With the Philippines and an entire Asian archipelago on his back, politically and spiritually, the Filipino icon would nearly lose his marriage and his actual mind (albeit briefly) against a widely rumored Sci-Fi version of Juan Manual Marquez. In fact, Iole's clairvoyant “Juan Manual Marquez's newfound muscle raises questions about PED use” proved that to be the case. Going back, it's interesting that for the Mayans, the year of 2012 was supposed to be the end of the world and I'll be damned if Pacquiao will tell you they were lying. The truth is, he's flourished under Donald Trump in 2018 and you're naïve if you believe this president doesn't impact boxing in a major, major way. Rebuilt Atlantic City at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino inside of Etess Arena has a Trump goal cachet ring to it; so do international deals negotiating with other world leaders to stage a bout in their “shithole country”, or, other select parts like Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was probably very disappointed in Mayweather's decision. Most likely, so was Donald Trump.
No.45 is a player; for over over 40 years he's been rolling dice in the fight game. He's a maverick of asshole flavored brilliance and a longtime fan of Rodrigo Duterte. Know that. Pacquiao has been assisted by Jesuit General Adolfo Nicholas, inspiring women of oppressed dreams to overcome nightmares on the path to championship heights. Mayweather has been assisted to jail. The remainder of Trump's term will be a test to see just how far this man can go without himself, as TBE seeks answers from Money's unrequited love.
Journalism, at its best, is an act of faith in the future with a loyal respect for the past. I believe that. It does not almost tell the truth and neither does karma. Muhammad Ali's stinging butterly was augmented by the militance of Malcolm X graced with creed. For Pacquiao, his brand of violence at twilight will feature a brash elegance with a Trump card in the side pocket. The black ball will probably hope he'll scratch.
