Yes, it has been confirmed just yesterday – the fight of the year! Maybe of all time! Confirmed by the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., the number two pound for pound boxer in the world, this May he will finally take on...Miguel Cotto? The top junior middleweight boxer? I mean, yeah, Cotto is a great boxer and he gave Manny Pacquiao a solid fight in November 2009. But this isn't the battle the world's been waiting to see...
And did Mayweather call Pacquiao a ducking Miss Pac Man? Aw hell naw.
It's hard to dive into the recent developments in the Pacquiao-Mayweather talks, since there's so much name-calling, accusations, and stubbornness involved. Then there's Mayweather's recent sentencing and Pacquiao's insistence in serving his country, and more and more this just feels like a dream match. These guys each fight about twice a year, and recently their post-victory speeches always involve calling the other out. For a few years now the public has been teased over and over, and this recent announcement just shows it's going to be at least another half year before they battle, if they battle.
I do admit there's a bit of national pride with me being a fan of Pacquiao (or, as people my age call him “Kuya Manny”, kuya meaning big brother). But, I don't believe he's on any kind of steroids and I think Mayweather was playing mind games by demanding different blood tests so long ago when their fight was first being teased. But since that time, neither fighter has had much of a challenge other than Pacquiao's third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. That fight was so close that many believe Pacquiao was given the win to preserve the profitability of a match between the two best fighters of our time.
I'm really disappointed that this particular date didn't work out, since it would've been a great birthday present to my dad. Neither of us have been to a Pacquiao fight live and after every bout it seems that he's inching ever closer to retirement. Even if we couldn't make it out there, I just like witnessing how the entire Pilipino and Pilipino-American community comes together during and after his fights. Usually someone in my family will order it and we'll all gather together like it's one of our birthdays. Then during and after the fight I'll jump on Twitter and Facebook and watch the world reacting in real-time. From the national anthem singers to the post-fight interviews, there's always a lot to be commented on.
If Pacquiao retires without facing the greatest challenge of his time, both him and Mayweather will probably still end up as legends of the sport, but with huge asterisks by their names. Before he decides to go into public service full-time (serving people who, I believe, voted purely because of his celebrity status and made a huge mistake in doing so), I need this fight to happen. I don't think my family will be able to rally around someone quite as dominating yet likable as Kuya Manny, and if our gatherings are going to end, might as well end it on a bang.
For an upcoming conference, I've been asked to talk on how we can bridge Pilipinos and Pilipino-Americans together and form communities. Maybe I could just show the Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight from a few years back?
