Boxing today but a poor relation to that of yesteryear
THE hot-air hydraulics of hype in the boxing world have foisted some dreadful non fights upon us for the past decade and more, such as the recent Haye and Harrison debacle in which an apparently terrified Harrison landed just one punch.
That same hype system is now cranking up what is certain to be another crude clash between Haye and one of the Ukrainian behemoths who hold one or other of the increasingly devalued world heavyweight titles next spring.
Maybe Haye will win but, really, it does not matter. That division of the awkward big bangers is degraded almost beyond redemption. Countless millions of bucks from a gullible public have created an international stink of corruption up there.
That is a sad fact for a public, especially large in Ireland, which was fascinated and stimulated for decades by the world of pro boxing, especially the heavyweights.
Remember so long ago when we stayed up until dawn to watch bouts such as Clay and Liston and Frazier fighting their battles behind the snowfalls on black and white TV sets?
There was only one world title then and it meant something special.
It’s a different boxing world today.
How fortunate we are then that the snowballs have disappeared from the TV screens, that there is colour and high definition, and that we can watch the continuing amazing exploits of the peerless little Filipino fighter Manny Pacquaio every couple of months as he smashes world records and all opposition with matchless power and grace and precision. Imagine how we would be celebrating if Manny the Pacman was Irish? This incredible fighting machine, surely the best pound-for-pound pugilist of all time, won his EIGHTH world title in an EIGHTH weight division last week when defeating the tough Antonio Margarito over 12 pulverising rounds.
Margarito was no Audley Harrison. He was a courageous and durable opponent of the highest quality and he showed that all the way. He was a full stone heavier than the Pacman when hostilities began, he had a significant reach advantage, and a proven track record. Against him was a Pacquaio, now 31, who had begun trading as a flyweight at the age of 16 and was now fighting at the middleweight level.
Even many of his own Filipino supporters thought that this could be a bridge too far.
A bridge too far? It was nowhere near that. The Pacman, right from the beginning, boxed the ears off him. It is a mystery, even to the experts, how his incredible hand speed and punch precision continues to be allied to such power.
He punches as hard as many of the so-called top heavyweights. (Maybe he will move up there yet and give them a lesson too). After the first few rounds it was already clear that he was in a league apart. The man who was once a street boy in Manilla- and now a multi-millionaire- showed he is as lethal a force as ever. He took a couple of heavy punches too through the action, notably an uppercut in the 8th round, but he never seemed troubled by Margarito’s extra weight, he just walked through the traffic with style. The man is a boxing marvel. One forgets the heavyweights altogether when he is in action behind that pencil thin moustache and those supercharged gloves.
Something else too was notable. In the final few rounds the courageous Margarito was clearly outclassed and beaten all ends up.
Boxing is a brutal business at best and it was significant that Manny Pacquaio, knowing he was the winner, several times visibly appealed to referee Laurence Cole to stop the battle to prevent Margarito having to take more punishment.
Cole should have stopped it then but he let it run all the bleeding way for the vanquished.
The Pacman was not only compassionate in his judgement, he was also correct. Margarito was rushed to hospital directly after the fight and had to undergo surgery for his extensive facial injuries.
The little Filipino has much more to give us over the next two years or so. He says he will retire at 35. We have time. Forget about the bloated heavyweights.
We will yet see the mouth-watering finale between Manny and Floyd Mayweather Jr, probably some time next year. That is something to look forward to with the kind of relish we once spared only for the heavyweights in the era when there was only one real world crown, real fighters involved, and snowballs on the telly!
* cormac66@hotmail.com
