SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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That was my scorecard. (I was going to insert the word "unofficial" but it seemed unnecessary.). I gave Manny the fourth and sixth rounds and had the second round even.
May- 10 10 10 9 10 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 - 118
Pac- 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 - 111
Mayweather came out aggressively, using his jab and right to put Manny back on his heels and maintain the distance he wanted. Then an odd pattern developed where Mayweather would take every other round off, trying a "rope-a-dope" strategy that let Manny have his only good moments, even though most of his punches were missing. I had it 3-2-1 after 6 rounds and the possibility existed that even though Mayweather was clearly the superior fighter, the judges might have been influenced by the crowd to vote for the far more popular Pacquiao.
Then Floyd Sr. ripped his son a new one in the corner and Mayweather used the full range of his abilities for the final six rounds, all of which he won.
The press's spin on this was that it was a dull, disappointing fight that shows that boxing has no future. I wasn't disappointed. Things happened as I expected. I appreciate great boxing skill more than slugging ability and the sport to me is a display of skill, not a demolition derby. I was never bored. I signed up for it simply because we'd been waiting for this for so long I rather see it live than just read about it. From that perspective, I got my money's worth.
Would it been a different fight if it had been held 5 years ago when it should have been? Pacquiao would have been quicker and, to use a term I heard last night, more energetic. I don't think it would have enabled him to beat Floyd Mayweather. But he would have made it a better fight. It might have been a welterweight version of Ali-Frazier.
The problem with boxing is that the inmates run the asylum and when everybody has their own alphabet title they are loathe to risk it. Mayweather finally took this fight because of the nine digit paycheck and he didn't want anyone to say that he was unbeaten because he ducked anybody. He may have had an assist form all those fighters Manny had wars with, especially Marquez. Stephen A. is right: boxing is popular enough world wide that it "isn't going anywhere". But it's not going anywhere in this country until it establishes a structure that puts the best fighters in the ring when they are both in their primes.
One other note: Pacquiao's excuse about an injured shoulder is B.S. and does him little credit. Bernard Hopkins was right: if he'd hurt his shoulder, it wouldn't cause him to miss punches. It would cause him to not throw them. And no, Manny, you didn't win the fight.
Both men would be well advised to move on to the next phase of their lives. Neither has anything else to prove. Mayweather wants to protect that goose egg. Pacquiao need s think about his brain, which he'll need if he wants a career in politics, (although Rick Perry has been doing pretty well without one). One concern for Mayweather- if he's not longer bringing millions into Vegas, they may not put up with what he does to women much longer.
As the old song says, "They've gone about as far as they can go."
May- 10 10 10 9 10 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 - 118
Pac- 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 - 111
Mayweather came out aggressively, using his jab and right to put Manny back on his heels and maintain the distance he wanted. Then an odd pattern developed where Mayweather would take every other round off, trying a "rope-a-dope" strategy that let Manny have his only good moments, even though most of his punches were missing. I had it 3-2-1 after 6 rounds and the possibility existed that even though Mayweather was clearly the superior fighter, the judges might have been influenced by the crowd to vote for the far more popular Pacquiao.
Then Floyd Sr. ripped his son a new one in the corner and Mayweather used the full range of his abilities for the final six rounds, all of which he won.
The press's spin on this was that it was a dull, disappointing fight that shows that boxing has no future. I wasn't disappointed. Things happened as I expected. I appreciate great boxing skill more than slugging ability and the sport to me is a display of skill, not a demolition derby. I was never bored. I signed up for it simply because we'd been waiting for this for so long I rather see it live than just read about it. From that perspective, I got my money's worth.
Would it been a different fight if it had been held 5 years ago when it should have been? Pacquiao would have been quicker and, to use a term I heard last night, more energetic. I don't think it would have enabled him to beat Floyd Mayweather. But he would have made it a better fight. It might have been a welterweight version of Ali-Frazier.
The problem with boxing is that the inmates run the asylum and when everybody has their own alphabet title they are loathe to risk it. Mayweather finally took this fight because of the nine digit paycheck and he didn't want anyone to say that he was unbeaten because he ducked anybody. He may have had an assist form all those fighters Manny had wars with, especially Marquez. Stephen A. is right: boxing is popular enough world wide that it "isn't going anywhere". But it's not going anywhere in this country until it establishes a structure that puts the best fighters in the ring when they are both in their primes.
One other note: Pacquiao's excuse about an injured shoulder is B.S. and does him little credit. Bernard Hopkins was right: if he'd hurt his shoulder, it wouldn't cause him to miss punches. It would cause him to not throw them. And no, Manny, you didn't win the fight.
Both men would be well advised to move on to the next phase of their lives. Neither has anything else to prove. Mayweather wants to protect that goose egg. Pacquiao need s think about his brain, which he'll need if he wants a career in politics, (although Rick Perry has been doing pretty well without one). One concern for Mayweather- if he's not longer bringing millions into Vegas, they may not put up with what he does to women much longer.
As the old song says, "They've gone about as far as they can go."