...Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas and James Toney were all lessened in the ring by steroid use and yet fear of Pacquiao's dominance leads us to believe he somehow got his hands on some "good stuff." Really? No, I choose to believe Manny crossed De la Hoya by taking his briefcase and reneging on a deal. Manny wouldn't get my congressional vote because he navigated this situation like any other athlete: poorly. De La Hoya's embarrassment was heightened when he thought he'd teach the "lil guy" a lesson and got his ass whipped. What Manny took from Oscar that night is more hurtful than the money- I guess the Golden Boy never heard of Harry Greb. Oscar and Hatton both were not only beaten but retired by Pacquiao, so in this climate of skepticism and bitterness the seed was planted. This seed was transferred to Mayweather who had his own axe to grind with Arum and resented the fact that boxing appreciated its new pound for pound king.

The public relations battle that was "blood gate" was decisively won by Mayweather, because like any politician he simplified and stayed on talking points that got American fans committed to making deposits into this bogus campaign. I know I called you a cheater, and told everyone I'm the big dog in negotiations but for $30 million dollars you should forget all that and sign, right? I know I can appeal to NSAC and let them handle it (testing) but I'd rather use the issue as a sidebar to show everybody I'm still the boss. You know, "win the first two rounds."Newsflash boxing fans, men who are already rich (and don't throw it away on uninsured jewelry) play by a different set of rules. Remember Mosley turned down a boatload of scratch on principle? De La Hoya wouldn't fight Vargas for years until he cleaned up his rhetoric... only Mayweather markets himself as a "money first" gladiator.

 

Put it this way: Mike Tyson once infamously stated, "If the money is right, I'll fight a lion" - so what's the difference to "Money" between a lion and a blown up lightweight on "A side Meth?" If "skills pay the bills" why isn't it the least bit annoying that a camp who previously never even watched tape is so obsessed with Manny's strength? Still think Manny Pacquiao isn't the target of a smear campaign (based in fear) that we've become indirectly participants in? Then consider the case of poor Joshua Clottey...  

After Joshua Clottey got intimidated everybody became an "Expert"

The PR hit suffered by Manny Pacquiao was so effective that his March 13^th bout against Joshua Clottey was watched through Golden Boy goggles. Fans, chastened by the Mayweather/Pacquiao negotiations and having declared a winner based on Mayweather vs. Mosley getting it on, made an awful fight worse. But back to what happened to Clottey, the magic and the reality of it and how somehow we, (despite knowing every fight is different),  made it about Mayweather. Here's the reality- Joshua Clottey on March 12^th was a big, dangerous, prime welterweight and if there was any pretender who was too "light in the britches" to be there (147 lbs) he would let you know.  The man let Diego Corrales (R.I.P.) know, sent Zab Judah (a former belt holder) down to 140 lbs. and softened Miguel Cotto up for the beating Manny put on him last November. Despite his late fight inactivity his high and tight guard was only part of his game, against the toughest competition he would unleash blistering combinations that threatened the balance of power at welterweight for 4 years!

Those of us who've watched Clottey agreed that he would lie back, but at some point there would be hell to pay. The first four rounds went as scripted; the bigger Clottey even feigned being rocked by Manny's blows to add emphasis to the glaring size disparity. Hell, he didn't weigh in for HBO because he didn't want his customary 170 lbs. to be highlighted in comparison to Manny's 150 lbs. But at some point one of those paltry 20% of landed blows did something to Clottey that changed his mind about coming out of his shell. When he made that decision not to be KO'd, the task became near impossible for Manny -there was no way of looking good in that situation. "Experts" chose to focus on Clottey quitting on his fight, I choose to focus on the why.

Ring Magazine #5 ranked Clottey became average overnight, and if you listen to some people he was never even a threat to hurt Manny that night. Teddy Atlas and Emmanuel Steward, celebrity trainers of yesterday (important to mention) harped on straight rights and uppercuts that found Pacquiao when Clottey bothered to punch and signaled it as the reason Mayweather would destroy Manny. A podcast "host" pointed to Mayweather's genius overwhelming Pacquiao and disarming him; overnight a highly debated bout became a sparring session for Mayweather. For full disclosure I have Floyd winning on heart and an underrated chin, two qualities critics rarely see. But I find it suspicious that nobody remembers how DeMarcus Corley rocked him, that Zab Judah scored an unaccredited knockdown, both with hard straight lefts. I find it suspicious that nobody can remember the pressure of Castillo pinning a much more mobile version of Mayweather to the ropes in 2002. Manny Pacquiao may get hit, but so does every fighter that steps in the ring, Floyd's match-making is just as crucial as his defense in our "perception" that he can't be touched. And ask yourself this, do you really believe any man can beat Pacquiao while avoiding exchanges? Poor Joshua Clottey went into that ring thinking it was going to be an easy night, by mid-fight he found his level and nobody will admit Manny had anything to do with this. No, not us; we'd rather write the tough Ghanaian off as a bum who didn't belong there, so we can continue to tear down the monument we erected.

And Talk about Paranoia

Look! It's the ESPN sports bottom line and there's boxing news!! What? Mayweather vs. Mosley to be blood tested by USADA? That's not news, we already knew that! Who paid for this? How does a fight between two Hall of Famers gets marketed as a "blood test" bout? Did anybody at USADA, a body trained to assume guilt to assure stringent standards look into "A Side Meth?" Well, I hope they employ a witch doctor because this secret PED translates to "Agimat" meaning "Amulet" or charm in the Philippines. It is a triangular golden pendant, and in combination with an ingested stone (from the heart of a banana tree) it aids Filipino warriors in stopping live bullets. Sounds familiar, Roger?

It's basically superstition and Manny reportedly received this as a gift from an elder. Call Victor Conte! We need some of that stuff for our boys in Iraq and Afghanistan! When there is fear, we are susceptive to all manners of irrational stimuli -because it plays into the fear-driven narrative we are writing in our minds, eh Floyd? How many of you believe that if Manny comes down 10 days in random blood testing that Floyd will make the bout? Really? I choose to believe he'll ask for random testing to within 24 hours of the bout, and convince you that it is somehow needed.

And then there's RACE!!

On a recent taping of Max Kellerman's "Face Off," Floyd Mayweather admitted to rooting for Mosley vs. Margarito because he is a "Black American, like me."  Floyd is a lightening rod for racial rhetoric in boxing and has publicly attacked HBO's handling of Black fighters. Bob Arum was never shy about catering to Hispanic fans exclusively, even famously stating that Black fighters don't sell seats. Kelly Pavlik (Top Rank) was featured on an the ESPN show E60 as an ambassador who can bring boxing "back" to the mainstream, and Arum blocked no cameras in concern over what the piece inferred. As an African-American consumer I'm not stupid enough to believe the term "mainstream" means anything other than white. Golden Boy suits and staff stood idly by while Bernard Hopkins hissed that he would never let a "white boy" (Calzaghe) beat him. Manny Pacquiao has a segment of his fan base that spews ignorant racial slurs on message boards whenever the topic turns to Floyd Mayweather. Floyd himself, (with the blessing of Golden Boy), denied access to Filipino media on his current Mosley tour, and you guessed it, Bob Arum denounced the behavior. Why is it that the racial ignorance in Pacquiao's fan base is such a "story" when this kind of B.S. historically permeates the sport?

MMA's whole marketing philosophy is if white males 18-34 don't dig you, then you aren't viable. Yet, 51,000 packed into Cowboys Stadium and 700,000 viewers tuned in to see a Filipino fight an African. Manny's rise to prominence started by tearing through a trio of Mexican greats (Barrera, Morales, Marquez) which initially offended a fan base who considered the lower weight classes eminent domain. Now the passion has become ignorance, and Manny the scapegoat for the message board clowns. Undeserved for a guy who invited David Diaz to his birthday party and sings corny love songs for kicks. Combat sports aren't really "sports" in case you haven't noticed; by nature two men fighting will always bring out base cultural pride in us all- yet it is an individual choice to practice racial hatred. But even in the days of Jack Johnson there were faceless heroes (like Nat Fleisher) who didn't play that game, but all we remember is the racism of Jack London. In the case of Manny Pacquiao, the onus is on those who are practicing hate to get over it. Like the old school Hip Hop crew "Black Sheep" riffed back when "ya boy" had hair; "you can get with this, or you can get with that." It is not Manny's fault that foolish men define their masculinity (and worth) by the exploits of an athlete- yet it is a purely American occurrence. Just look at the NFL.

We will miss him when he is gone!

When you see this amazing fighter approach the ring, look at his face, see the joy he takes in simply doing what he loves to do. He's one of the rare fighters who actually speaks constantly about making us happy when he fights and you'll miss that when he's gone. Now look at all the anger, hatred, dismissive criticism and slander generated by his very success and ask yourself this: Where does the anger (or jealousy) come from? There are only two emotions, boxing fans, Love & Fear, and everything else is a byproduct. Only Fear can get us where we are now in our treatment of Manny Pacquiao, fear that he might just be that good without all of the negative trappings we've tolerated from the "modern boxing star." We wanted ferocity and he gave it, bold matchmaking and he gave that too, and now prompted by fighters who weren't always as "consistent" we have adopted their fear. Fear of being obscured in the All Time Rankings. Fear of our appreciation of Pacquiao's approach. Fear of a "Sophisticated Southpaw Volume Puncher" with speed. Fear that Pacquiao's snatching of "Fighter of the Decade" will render a generation of fighters forgotten. FEAR OF A PACQUIAO PLANET...