Let’s not be fooled; no Mayweather vs Pacquiao duel on May 2

“Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.” Carrie Fisher

By Alex P. Vidal

UNCLE Bob Arum always has the final say.

Not Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

Not even Manny Pacquiao.

Let’s not be fooled to swallow hook, line and sinker that Mayweather will finally swap leathers versus Pacquiao on May 2, 2015.

The fight isn’t going to happen yet—not until Uncle Bob sings.

What Mayweather said was that he wanted the fight with the Filipino congressman to happen on May 2; he did not say that they have already inked the contract.

Announcement is different from contract signing.

The Mayweather vs Pacquiao duel will only materialize next year if Uncle Bob, the wily Harvard-educated promoter behind Paquiao’s astonishing stardom in boxing, is part of it.

Uncle Bob’s Top Rank holds the contract of Pacquiao’s professional career in prizefighting which is still binding until 2015.

Pacquiao has the imprimatur to fight anybody on this planet, including Incredible Hulk and Godzilla, at Top Rank’s behest.

Even Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotion could not unilaterally make the dream fight happen without Uncle Bob’s blessing.

If Uncle Bob says “no, don’t fight Mayweather”, the fight isn’t going to happen even if 20 angels will confirm and announce it.

And it appears Uncle Bob is not yet in the mood to agree to Mayweather (47-O, 26 KOs) that the Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) match will take place on May 2, at least not yet.

In the first place, some of Mayweather’s demands are incredible and impossible to be accepted by Uncle Bob lock, stock and barrel.

TELEVISE

Mayweather, 37, wanted the rich duel to be televised on a pay-per-view by Showtime, HBO’s rival network.

Just like saying that “Bob, you are not part of this deal.”

Uncle Bob and HBO are like Siamese twins and are inseparable.

It was Uncle Bob and HBO that made Pacquiao a multi-millionaire, not Showtime.

Mayweather can’t just ease out Uncle Bob from the deal.

You can’t discuss about Mickey Mouse and Snoopy without involving Walt Disney.

It has to be a joint HBO-Showtime project or none at all.

By hook or by crook, Uncle Bob should not only be a part of the transaction, he should be on top of the transaction; he should be the main negotiator, not a curtain raiser.

And Mayweather can never accept this.

Unknown to some sports fans, Mayweather and Uncle Bob are not on speaking terms.

There is no love lost between boxer and promoter.

It’s a common knowledge in Las Vegas that Uncle Bob has an ax to grind against the unbeaten welterweight champion.

The feeling is mutual.

MAYO

Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican week celebration could not be the main reason as invoked by Uncle Bob why he was against the May 2 fight.

The main reason was that Mayweather announced he wanted to fight Pacquiao on May 2 under Showtime and hinted of overstepping Uncle Bob’s authority over the future Philippine senator.

Over Uncle Bob’s body.

In world boxing, Uncle Bob is king.

No world boxing body, including the dominant World Boxing Council (WBC), can sway his decision.

When WBC refused to scale down its exorbitant sanction fees, Uncle Bob hied off to the WBO and WBC didn't raise a whimper. 

No boxing superstar can dictate the terms while Uncle Bob is at the helm.

Uncle Bob is like a demigod. What he wants he gets.

What Uncle Bob does not want to happen won’t happen at all.

That’s why I’m betting my media credentials in the future Las Vegas fisticuffs that the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight won’t happen yet on May 2.

Big injustice for boxing if Floyd vs Pacman is off

“Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There's nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring.” Sugar Ray Leonard

By Alex P. Vidal

THERE should be no more excuses.

Fight fans will never forgive those behind the careers of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the two won’t face each other next.

Or if the dream fight, postponed multiple times, will never happen, at all.

But, lo and behold, Uncle Bob Arum is now singing a different tune.

The 82-year-old Harvard lawyer has joined the chorus of those calling for the Pacquiao-Mayweather match to happen soon.

“Speaking for Manny and myself, we’re tired! Every place we go they ask us when is that fight gonna happen? When is it going to be made? You cannot believe the number of times I’m questioned about this by just people, waiters, anybody, who wants to know one question ‘when is the fight gonna happen?’ I say enough is enough! Let’s just make the fight happen. Let’s get it done,”

Arum declared hours after the Filipino lefty retained his WBO 147-lb crown with a commanding 119-103, 119-103, 120-102 unanimous decision against Chris Algieri in Macao on November 23.

“And let’s make it the next fight for each fighter sometime in the next six months of next year. That’s our position and we’re going to do what we can to make it happen.”

BLAME

We are tired of the now-you-hear-it-now-you-don’t tug of war; of the blaming game and finger-pointing on who’s to blame why until now the megabucks deal has not been inked.

The Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight should happen soon or next year.

No more 2016. No more 2017.

By that time, Pacquiao, 37 years old before the May 2016 elections in the Philippines, will be very busy campaigning for senator.

By that time, 39-year-old Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs), the richest-ever prizefighter in history, may no longer want to allow somebody to inflict more damage on his face in preparation for a grand retirement.

By 2016, the commodities may no longer be ripe.

It’s enough that Mayweather has collected five straight decision victories against Miguel Angel Cotto (12 rounds), Robert Guerrero (12 rounds), Saul Alvarez (12 rounds) and Marcos Rene Maidana (12 rounds twice) while waiting for Pacquiao to get old.

It’s enough that Pacquiao amassed seven decision wins in his last nine bouts with defeats only to Timothy Bradley (first fight) and Juan Manuel Marquez (KO6, fourth fight) while waiting for Mayweather to say “yes, I’ll fight you, Manny.”

There are other upcoming ring superstars waiting for their date with fame and destiny who deserve to be given large paychecks and mammoth publicity like the one being enjoyed by Pacquiao and Mayweather.

They are only waiting for Mayweather’s and Pacquiao’s exit and they, too, must be itching to hit a paydirt in the main events.

CASH

Giving Pacquiao and Mayweather “honorable” or farewell cash prizes as a token of appreciation for their magnificent contribution in fight business won’t hurt the industry that benefited a lot from their talent.

Uncle Bob should expect Mayweather to continue demanding for a 60-40 purse. HBO, Top Rank and probably Showtime (a rival network) should be ready to fork out some $50 to $60 million for Mayweather’s pocket.    

After the Macao conquest of Aligieri, Pacquiao was again hounded by calls for a Mayweather duel, which is actually beyond his call.

Pacquiao (57-5, 38 KOs) is very much willing to retire immediately after facing Mayweather for an exclamation point of his fistic career that started on January 25, 1995 with a four-round unanimous decision against Edmund Enting Ignacio in Sablayan, Mindoro Oriental.

AGAIN

Fighting again after a Mayweather showdown would be a total folly unless he wants to retire with a brain injury, physical deformities and speech defects (he can’t afford to speak like “Barok” in the Philippine Senate).

He does not need more fame and money. Pacquiao has secured a place in history.

As an elected senator in 2016, he can forget boxing and focus as a lawmaker.

Retirement should be a non-negotiable option for Pacquiao win or lose against the charismatic black American.

Mayweather will never be happy for the rest of his life once he retires without swapping leathers with the only man in the planet to win eight world titles in eight different weight classes.

He will be booed and jeered at as “coward” everywhere he goes.

It’s a big injustice for boxing and a mockery of sports if the Pacquiao vs Mayweather duel will not materialize.

No match-up can be compared to the Pacquiao vs Mayweather rumble in terms of global excitement and promotional wizardry.

Fans can tolerate the delay, but not the postponement.

Fans can forgive and accept if Mayweather lost to Maidana and Pacquiao lost to Algieri, but not the cancellation of the

Pacquiao versus Mayweather fisticuffs, much ballyhooed as the ultimate showdown.

It’s better late than never.

Uncle Bob ‘did not protect’ Donaire

“I saw a lot of people have success handed to them that then exploited it. They didn't protect it or cherish it.” Aaron Paul

By Alex P. Vidal

Was Nonito Donaire Jr. fed to the lion?

It appears now that Manny Pacquiao is the only fighter in the world who enjoys “protection” from Bob Arum.

Since 2003, the wily but genius American promoter pampered Pacquiao with an assorted list of “falling stars” to ensure his dominance in prizefighting.

These “falling stars” that included Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya, used to be the biggest marquee names when Pacquiao was only a skinny flyweight oriental champion in the early 90s, and had no idea that in the future, he would invade the Land of Milk and Honey and cement his greatness at their expense.

No doubt Pacquiao is the best in the world, but it would have been a different scenario in the glitzy Las Vegas if Arum arranged Pacquiao’s showdowns with these hard-hitting gladiators during their prime.

With Uncle Bob’s protection, Pacquiao, now a congressman and a PBA playing coach to boot, walked his way to astonishing multi-million dollar contracts interrupted only in 2012 by a pair of back to back losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.

CO-PROMOTER

As the co-promoter of the Nicholas Walters vs Nonito Donaire Jr. battle for the WBA super-featherweight championship in Carson, California on October 18 (October 19 in the Philippines), Arum knew Donaire was facing a younger, hungrier and deadlier undefeated foe with a 115 KO percentage.

But Arum did not oppose Walters.

At 28, Walters, known as “The Axe Man”, is at the prime of his career.

With a quickness of Sugar Ray Leonard, a stance of Thomas Hearns and a force of Marvin Hagler, Walters (25-0, 21 KOs) could smash into pieces opponents with iron Halloween masks.

Donaire, who made waves in the 118-lb during his 20s, is three years older and is a visitor in the 128-lb division despite his win against featherweight Simpiwe Vetyeka in Macao, China on May 31 this year.

Like junior lightweight terror Flash Elorde, who capitulated twice in as many encounters versus lightweight monarch Carlos Ortiz in the 60s, Donaire looked like a police trainee swapping feathers against a military platoon leader in the heavier weight class.

ALLOW

Arum would never allow Pacquiao to face Mosley and De La Hoya when the two hard-hitting American ring titans weren’t yet semi-retired or over the hill.

Except for senior citizens Jorge Arce, Vic Darchinyan, and Guillermo Rigondeaux, most of Donaire’s rivals in his last 10 fights were below 30s and were active ring tacticians and executioners: Fernando Montiel, Volodymyr Sydorenko, Omar Andres Narvaez, Wilfredo Vasquez Jr., Jeffrey Mathebula, Vetyeka, and Toshiaki Nishioka.

Either Arum, CEO of Top Rank, wanted to “punish” the prodigal son Donaire for abandoning America’s most influential promoter in 2011 for rival Golden Boy Promotion, or Arum wanted to give Donaire a “graceful exit” since 10 fights ago?

Although Donaire (33-3, 21 KOs) managed to clobber those high caliber pugilists one after another, his efforts were Pyrrhic.

STRUGGLE

The culmination of Donaire’s hard struggle to walk past those dangerous opponents was the 6^th round destruction from the hands of the flamboyant Walters.

Donaire did nothing wrong in the ring. He was superb, brimming with confidence and throwing punches effectively.

But he was simply outclassed, out-muscled and out-dueled by a superior fighter from Jamaica.

One thing’s for sure. Arum did not “protect” Donaire the way he protected Pacquiao.  

Let’s see how will Arum reinvent Donaire after the Walters debacle.

Let’s see how will Arum revive The Filipino Flash’s career from the ashes of The Axe Man annihilation.

Only then can we conclude if indeed Donaire was fed to the lion.

Don't go back to Las Vegas, Manny!

Don't go back to Las Vegas, Manny!

"You have been trapped in the inescapable net of ruin by your own want of sense."
AESCHYLUS 

By Alex P. Vidal

If we truly love Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao and we want to preserve him as a national sports icon, we must start a nationwide campaign to convince him to retire now that he is still "ahead" by virtue of that face-saving 12-round unanimous decision win over Brandon Lee "Bam Bam" Rios in Macao last November 24.
Many of us are still probably overjoyed that Pacquiao "is back" after that lips-first flat fall disaster against Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8, 2012, but only few have realized that an "ambush" is waiting for him in his next fight if Top Rank's Bob Arum will bring him back to Las Vegas, the lion's den.
Aging Pacquiao will only be fed to the lions and he could suffer worse than the Marquez one-punch brutality that made many of his fanatics cry and run amuck in shame and disgust.

RICH

In Las Vegas, the rich will further enrich themselves, the tired and weary will further wear a crimson and exacerbate his physical deterioration. They will pit Pacquiao next against fighters who have studied and memorized Pacquiao's style; and, thus, they know how to avoid being drilled and bulldozed into submission like what Rios did. To survive the distance with Pacquiao was already a "victory" for an upstart like Rios and wily promoters love this scenario.
Pacquiao is still good; he has the speed of Don Quixote's windmills; the congressman tots a menacing stoppage ledger; he can still land a tornado blow and rearrange a camel's ribcage, there is no doubt about it. 
But he is on the way to the slammer and the tell tale signs are crystal clear: his knockout percentage has declined. The last time he scored a short cut win was four years ago or eight fights ago when he bludgeoned Miguel Angel Cotto in the 12th and final stanza for WBO welterweight jewels at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MEETING

Except for the fourth meeting against Marquez, all of Pacquiao's seven previous fights (5 wins, 1 KO loss to Marquez, 1 draw to Marquez) after wrecking Cotto lasted the distance.
"Pacquiao has lost his sting," observed an American analyst who had predicted a 9th round knockout win for Pacquiao against Rios.
The Rios victory was good for the pride of the country reeling from the aftershocks of super typhoon Yolanda, but it confirmed--more than anything else--that our pambansang kamao (national fist) was seemingly "tired" and now deserves to be shielded--or to put it bluntly, protected from dialectical materialism creeping the industry.

PRIZEFIGHTER

As a prizefighter, we will never hear religious Pacquiao squirm in protest that he is tired of disfiguring handsome faces; we can never hear him grumble "I quit" even if his work rate has ebbed and his kinetic energy has subsided. As long as Uncle Bob and the behemoth Top Rank promotion call the shots, Pacquiao will continue to break bones and damage retinas in the square jungle. 
Still fresh in our memory was the shellacking he inflicted on unbeaten Timothy Bradley on June 9, 2012 in defense of Pacquiao's WBO belt in Las Vegas. 
If a pugilist couldn't nail a KO win, Pacquiao's performance that night was an excellent paragon of why boxing is touted as sweet science. And yet, they robbed him and committed the biggest injustice in history of Marquess of Queensberry by handing to Bradley the WBO bauble on a barbaric split decision.

BOOKIES

Las Vegas bookies "punished" Pacquiao for his failure to score knockouts in his last four assignments before facing Bradley thus Bradley became the beneficiary of that "mortal sin." 
The unanimous decision victory in Macao certainly failed to convince them once more as they were baying for a knockout so they could give Pacquiao a red carpet welcome in Las Vegas, the mecca of boxing and entertainment, when Arum, et al uncork the imprimatur for Pacquiao to duke it out against either Bradley or Mayweather next.
Now that Pacquiao failed to deliver in Macao, we fear another "punishment" reminiscent of the Bradley boondoggle. We must save our hero. He must retire now!

Pacquiao will win by unanimous decision

Pacquiao will win by unanimous decision

By Alex P. Vidal

Bob Arum would not give Manny Pacquiao a chance to redeem himself after losing by 6th round knockout to Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8, 2012 if the Top Rank chief executive officer knew Pacquiao could not beat his comeback opponent.
Thus Arum picked 27-year-old iron-jawed Brandon Lee "Bam Bam" Rios (31-1, 23 KOs 1 draw) to test Pacquiao's mettle and see if he still have what it takes to become world champion again at 34.
Never mind if the WBO international welterweight belt that Pacquiao and Rios will dispute on November 24 at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort in Macao, China is not a legitimate world championship. Pacquiao's comeback fight against the former world champion Rios is crucial and will serve as the basis if Arum can still sign him up for more multi-million contracts against the current world champions in the 147 lbs division in his next fights.

OBLIGATION

Pacquiao (54-5, 38 KOs 3 draws) is under obligation to fulfill a contract with Top Rank thus Arum is morally obliged to "protect" his ward by hook or by crook, so to speak.
Under the contract, Pacquiao still has two fights left under Top Rank but he has the option to retire after the Rios fight.
Since Rios does not have the caliber of Pacquaio's previous opponents, oddsmakers are giving him a slim chance to score an upset against the 8-division world champion from General Santos City in Mindanao. 
Upsets, however, happen when they are least expected like in the case of Pacquiao vs Marco Antonio Barrera first fight on November 15, 2003 where Pacquiao scored a dramatic 11th round TKO against the most charismatic Mexican world champion in that period.
Rios has been training for at least five months and he is expected to be in perfect shape when he scuffles with Pacquiao who has trained only for about two months.

PREPARED

If Rios is mentally and physically prepared, he won't be a patsy when he squares off with Pacquiao. Pacquiao will have to be extra cautious when he attempts to finish off the younger Rios in the early rounds so as not to repeat the tragic ending inflicted on him by Marquez in his last fight. And his coaching team is aware of this danger.
If Pacquiao can't put away Rios and the fight goes the full route, he will win by unanimous decision. Both protagonists will be judged by "friendly" officials: Lisa Giampa, Michael Pernick, and Manfred Kuechler and the fight won't be held in the glitzy Las Vegas where mafias wield tremendous power and influence; and where Pacquiao was "punished" en route to losing by a highly controversial split decision to Timothy Bradley on June 9, 2012.

Pacquiao aims to do a Pancho Villa after two straight losses

Pacquiao aims to do a Pancho 
Villa after two straight losses 

"With experience in boxing, you learn how to be a scientific boxer and how to fight easy."  MANNY PACQUIAO 

By Alex P. Vidal

Like Manny Pacquiao, Pancho Villa, the first Asian and Filipino world champion, also incurred two straight defeats and was on the verge of kissing goodbye his young fistic career when he slammed a crucial victory that propelled him back to the mainstream of world championship.
After two straight losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao is aiming to duplicate Villa's luck when he battles Brandon Lee "Bam Bam" Rios in Macau on November 24, to stay away from the brink of elimination and keep his hopes alive for a duel versus Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Villa (78 wins with 22 KOs, 8 losses and 2 draws) was 21 years old when his manager, Frank Churchill, brought him to the United States in 1922. Villa had an intimidating record when he left the Philippines: 15 straight wins. He had only one defeat, a disqualification to Eddie Moore in Manila on August 9, 1921. Villa's record when he arrived in the US was 23 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws. Six of those 23 wins came by way of knockout.

DISASTER

Disaster struck in his first two fights on the American soil when he lost a pair of decisions to future world champions Abe Goldstein and Frankie Genaro.
New York speedster Goldstein (70-16, 35 KOs, 7 draws) gave Villa a rude welcome in the land of milk and honey when they clashed at the Oakland A.A. in New Jersey on June 7, 1922. Goldstein, taller by four inches, pounded out a unanimous verdict after 12 rounds.
Villa was back again on the same ring less than a month after losing to Goldstein, only to be trounced via 12-round unanimous decision by Genaro on July 6, 1922.
Churchill was taken aback by the back-to-back setbacks and didn't want his investment on the "Mighty Atom" from Ilog, Negros Occidental go to waste without hoping for a miracle. So he immediately signed up unheralded Frankie Murray to face Villa next. 

NEW YORK

Villa traveled to New York and dispatched Murray on points in a six-rounder aperitif at the Margolies A.C. in Queens on July 19, 1922 or 13 days after bowing out to Genaro. 
The win revived Villa's chances to earn a berth at the world crown. Ten days later on July 29, 1922, Villa launched a three-win juggernaut by pounding out a 12-round unanimous decision against Terry Miller at the Asbury Park in New Jersey.
In what could be the briefest preparation in boxing history, Villa returned to New York three days after conquering Miller and outduked Johnny Hepburn in a six-rounder tiff at the Ebbet's Field in Brooklyn on August 2, 1922. This was followed by an 8-round points win against Sammy Cohen on August 15, 1922 on the same venue.
Just when Villa was a cinch away from becoming the first Asian to earn a crack at the world title, Genaro repulsed him again on points in an epic 10-rounder rematch on August 22, 1922 on the same arena in New York.

THIRD

Villa shrugged off his third loss in the US and sent a loud message by hammering out a spectacular 11th round knockout against Johnny Buff on September 14, 1922 on the same ring in New York.
The big KO win signaled Villa's rise to stardom as he followed it with nine straight victories, toppling like pin balls all the toughest flyweights America could offer, including a 15-round points revenge against Goldstein for the American flyweight crown at the Madison Square Garden on November 16, 1922.
Those who fell from Villa's murderous binge were: Danny Edwards (10-round points), Patsy Wallace (8-round points), Young Montreal (10-round points),  Terry Martin (15-round points in defense of the American flyweight crown), Battling Al Murray (8-round points), Frankie Mason (KO 5th in defense of the American flyweight diadem), Henry "Kid" Wolfe (KO 3rd).
Villa finally yielded the American flyweight title on a controversial 15-round split decision to Genaro in their third meeting.  Scoring referee Andy Griffin and judge Billy "Kid" McPartland saw Genaro the winner while third judge Harold Barnes favored Villa.

GOLD

After his third loss to Genaro, gold medalist in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, Villa rebounded with four points victories against Young Montreal in rematch, Willie Darcey, Clarence Rosen, and Battling Al Murray in rematch and was defeated on points by Bobby Wolgast.
Instead of being sent home to the Philippines following a loss to Wolgast, Villa was awarded with a berth to the world flyweight crown due to his sterling record (17 wins, 5 losses) in a two-year US campaign.
On June 18, 1923, Villa, whose real name was Franciso Guilledo, made history by becoming the first Filipino and Asian to capture a legitimate world boxing crown by virtue of 7th round knockout over defending world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde at the Polo Grounds in New York.
Villa rolled to 13 straight wins after disposing off Wilde and lost to Bud Taylor (Villa's world crown not at stake). He collected 10 more straight wins and a draw versus Eddie McKenna, before losing on points in 10 rounds to welterweight terror Jimmy McLarnin on July 4, 1925.
Villa had an ulcerated tooth extracted earlier on the day of the fight. A few days later, on July 14, he died from Ludwig's angina resulting from an infection that spread to his throat. 

Will Rios do to Pacquiao what Jaguar Kakizawa did to Elorde?

Will Rios do to Pacquiao what 
Jaguar Kakizawa did to Elorde?

"If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize."  MUHAMMAD ALI

By Alex P. Vidal

After absorbing back-to-back defeats to Yoshiaki Numata, Akihisa Someya, and Eugenio Espinoza from 1967 to 1969, Gabriel "Flash" Elorde refused to heed calls for his retirement.
The longest reigning world juior lightweight champion from Bogo, Cebu was already 34 years old when pitted against Japanese journeyman, Jaguar Kakizawa, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City on April 26, 1969. 
The same age of Manny Pacquiao today who will tangle against 27-year-old brawler, Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios, for the vacant WBO international welterweight crown at the The Venetian Macao Resort in Macau, China on November 24.
Younger by 12 years, Kakizawa (35 wins, 11 losses with 5 KOs and 2 draws), embarrassed Elorde (89 wins, 27 defeats with 33 KOs and 2 draws) before a partisan Filipino crowd via 10-round unanimous decision.

BITTER PILL

The loss to Kakizawa was a bitter pill to swallow for Elorde's father-in-law and manager, Lope "Papa" Sarreal Sr., as it was supposed to be Elorde's tune-up fight for him to shoot once more for the WBC junior lightweight title against Hokkaido-born Numata (44-8, 12 KOs, 2 draws).
It was Numata who ended Elorde's reign as WBC junior lightweight ruler for seven years via 15-round majority decision on June 15, 1967, and Sarreal could not forgive Numata, then 22 years old, and the reigning Oriental Pacific champion, for snatching away Elorde's belt. 
The name Numata was an enigma to both Elorde and Sarreal. The same Numata stopped Elorde's eight-fight winning streak when he also grabbed Elorde's OPBF crown by 12-round unanimous decision in Tokyo, Japan on June 9, 1966. 
For Elorde to earn a third match against Numata and a crack at the Japanese' WBC jewels, he needed to surpass two barriers -- Someya and Espinoza. But, alas, Someya repulsed Elorde by 10-round majority decision in Manila on October 28, 1967. To compound his woes and further delay his climb to Numata's throne, Espinoza bombed Elorde out via 10-round unanimous decision in Quito, Ecuador on February 16, 1969. The loss the Kakizawa further derailed the Elorde Express.

STRAIGHT

Elorde's three straight defeats to Someya and Espinoza and later to Kakizawa, proved to be moot and academic as Numata lost the WBC crown to compatriot Hiroshi Kobayashi on a shock 12th round knockout in Tokyo on December 14, 1967.
As Elorde struggled to get past Someya, Espinoza, and Kakizawa, Numata tried in vain to add the WBC lightweight bauble in his collection of world belts when he was flattened in sixth canto by Mando Ramos in Los Angeles, California on October 4, 1969.
As Numata disappeared from Elorde's radar, Kobayashi was stripped of the WBC title and another Filipino, Rene Barrientos (37-7, 2 draws) of Balete, Aklan, was awarded the world crown that originally belonged to Elorde, who had previously beaten Barrientos on points in Cebu on February 27, 1965. 
Elorde never had a chance to fight for world title again. No more third meeting with Numata. No title shot against fellow southpaw Barrientos, who didn't stay long as world champion. Elorde was already aging when young Panamian dynamo Roberto Duran entered the picture and dominated Elorde's division for a decade.

RETIRED

Elorde retired after being humiliated by a patsy Japenese Hiroyuki Murakami in Tokyo on May 20, 1971. He had the universe under his feet when he wrapped up the WBC junior lightweight title with a devastating 7th round knockout against Harold Gomes on March 16, 1960 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The embarrassment inflicted by Murakami in Elorde's farewell fight had served as an ugly blot in a magnificent record that started in 1951.  
If Rios (31-1, 23 KOs 1 draw) will upset Pacquiao (55-7, 40 KOs 1 draw) on November 24, history will be repeated after 46 years. Pacquiao has incurred back-to-back losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, and is itching to climb back the ladder in a hope to get a stab at the legitimate world title once more. 
The vacant WBO international welterweight belt to be disputed by Pacquiao and Rios does not have the legitimacy of a regular world championship. "International" champions, however, are compulsory candidates for world title matches. 
Pacquiao badly needs to roll back into the win column and must beat Rios decisively in order to avert the misfortune that befell Elorde, who refused to hang up his gloves after amassing a fortune in prizefighting--and after securing his highly revered seat in fistic history. Or Pacquiao can opt for a choice retirement while he is still "ahead."

Pacquiao hopes to land a 'Yolanda' punch to KO Rios

Pacquiao hopes to land a 
'Yolanda' punch to KO Rios

"I was a tiger, a good fighter, in good shape, but I was always nervous before boxing matches." GEORGE FOREMAN

ROGELIO NUNAL and his list of
Filipino world champions

By Alex P. Vidal

The next person who might need immediate assistance 16 days after super typhoon "Yolanda" wrecked Central Visayas in the Philippines, could be Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios (31-1, 23 KOs 1 draw), who battles Manny Pacquiao for the 12-round vacant WBO international welterweight tiara on November 24 in Macau.
At 34, Pacquiao still carries a force superior than any typhoon or as menacing as the "Yolanda" howler, observed Rogelio Nunal, 75, a boxing analyst and record keeper of all Filipino world boxing champions.
"Once Pacquiao lands his best shots, Rios will be blown away like a typhoon debris," predicted Nunal, a retired equipment custodian of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region 6.
Nunal said no one can beat Pacquiao (54-5, 38 KOs 2 draws) in his division today even if he suffered a cruel 6th round KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7, 40 KOs 1 draw) in his last fight in Las Vegas in December 2012.

KNOCKOUT

"Pacquiao was on the verge of winning by knockout when Marquez delivered that lucky punch," Nunal stressed. "Marquez would have gone down in the next round if Pacquiao was not hit by that powerful blow."
Nunal, of Baybay Sur, Miag-ao, Iloilo, said he learned from The Ring magazine, considered as boxing's Bible, that once a boxer starts to breath heavily from his mouth, he can not survive long and will either be knocked out or call it quits before 12 rounds.
Nunal predicts a knockout victory for the come-backing congressman from Saranggani Province in Mindanao "but I will not be surprised if the fight goes the distance since Rios is also well-prepared and younger and hungrier," he said.
Nunal, who has three daughters and one son, has been keeping a tab of Pacquiao's fights since the southpaw from General Santos City turned professional on January 24, 1995. He memorized all the details of Pacquiao's world title tiffs in and outside the United States.

INTERESTED

"I became interested in collecting the records of Filipino world champions from (flyweight) Pancho Villa to (middleweight) Ceferino Garcia and other world class Filipino boxers in the early 1960s when I became fascinated with (junior lightweight) Flash Elorde," Nunal narrated.  
When he presented Pacquiao the records of the boxer's fights he had kept since the 90s during their meeting in 2011, Pacquiao gave Nunal a copy of the boxer's book.
Nunal cautioned though Pacquiao not to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. "If the fight against Mayweather  pushes through after Rios, I will pick Mayweather over Pacquiao." The unbeaten black fighter will never engage Pacquiao in a toe-to-toe brawl and will use his lateral movements to frustrate the Filipino Hall of Famer, said Nunal.
"Mayweather is an intelligent fighter," Nunal pointed out. "If he knows that he is in danger of losing by knockout, he will dance away from harm and secure a win by decision."

STATEMENTS

In his arrival statement at Macau International Airport on November 18, Pacquiao quipped: “Am I confident for my fight with Rios? I am more than confident. Rios is bigger than me. Remember Goliath was bigger than David and yet David needed just one stone to fell the giant. I enter this fight stronger than ever. I have the strength of my country and my people coursing through my body. I fight for them, not for me. I fight for their glory, not mine.”
Rios responded: “I want to feel Manny’s power. I want to feel all of it. This is the first training camp I have kept to the game plan and done everything I was told to do. Manny Pacquiao is a big step. I am going to shut everyone up and prove I am the best. The second Alvarado fight was my bad. I was focused on knocking him out and that’s how I trained and fought, throwing one shot at a time trying to land that knockout punch. It was also the first time I ever lifted weights and by the third round I was slowing down. This time I am focusing on winning -- not on the knockout -- and Robert and his dad have designed a lot of ways for me to do that. My body clock has finally adjusted to Macau. I slept until 7 a.m. and was in the gym before 9 a.m. I know we are in Manny’s backyard and I want to win every round. I have trained not to give up a minute to Manny Pacquiao.”

Pacquiao will eat Rios' lethal bombs

Pacquiao will eat Rios' lethal bombs

"He can have heart, he can hit harder and he can be stronger, but there's no fighter smarter than me."  FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

By Alex P. Vidal

There are facts that belittle the chances of unheralded Brandon Lee "Bam Bam" Rios against superstar Manny Pacquiao.
Most startling of all the disparities is a poignant reality that Rios, 27, pales in comparison to Pacquiao, 34, in terms of experience and quality of opponents.
The seniority did not end in Pacquiao's commercial contracts, money, fame and glory against Rios' relatively obscure background. 
When Pacquiao (54-5, 38 KOs, 2 draws) held Juan Manuel Marquez to a 12-round split draw in thier first meeting for IBF featherweight and WBA super featherweight titles on May 5, 2004, Rios had just signed a contract for his first professional fight two months later against Raul Montes, whom he blasted in three rounds on July 23, 2004 in Oxnard, California.

MONTH

A month before Pacquiao kept his WBO welterweight diadem by 12-round unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13, 2010, Rios captured his first major title by knocking out Jorge Luis Teron in 3rd round for vacant NABF lightweight crown in McAllen, Texas on February 6, 2010.
Rios (31-1, 23 KOs, 1 draw) seized his first world crown on February 26, 2011 with a 10th round TKO over Miguel Acosta for WBA lightweight championship at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, three months before Pacquiao exposed Shane Mosley as a fading senior citizen with a 12-round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 7, 2011.
Despite his 69.7 knockout percentage and age advantage, Rios does not pose a serious threat to Pacquiao's bid to rebound from back-to-back defeats to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.

FIRST

Rios' duel against the 8-division champion from General Santos City in Mindanao on November 24 in Macao will be his first in the 147 pounds division.
His last two rumbles versus Mike Alvarado were in the WBO light welterweight division or 140 pounds. 
After disposing off Alvarado in 7th round in a bloody duel for vacant WBO Latino light welterweight bauble in Carson, California on October 13, 2012, Alvarado avenged the loss with a 12-round unanimous decision for WBO welterweight belt at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on March 30, 2013.
Pacquiao, who is no stranger to the Goliaths at 5 feet and six inches, will eat Rios' punches. The hard-hitting Filipino lefty doesn't think Rios, who stands five feet and eight inches, can hit as hard as Ricky Hatton and can unload as many bombshells as Bradley.

SWALLOW

If he could swallow Miguel Cotto's lethal howitzers, Pacquiao thinks he can chew away Rios heavy bombs. Aside from his tattoo, handsome Rios doesn't have an intimidating personality like Joshua Clottey, Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov and Lehlo Ledwaba. Rios is more of a matinee idol than a nose buster.
The congressman from Sarangani province will collide head-on against the young orthodox fighter, whose trainer, Roberto Garcia, helped plot the destruction of Vic "The Bull" Darchinyan from the hands of Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire Jr. in their rematch recently in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Pacquiao knows his career is on line against the Texas-born Rios, who has never been floored in nine years of professional boxing. A third successive loss would justify deafening calls for Pacquiao's retirement, which started when he destroyed his tallest rival, Antonio Margarito, for WBC light middleweight crown at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 13, 2010. 

DANGEROUS

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum knows Rios is not a dangerous customer for a comebacking protege, who recently announced he would dedicate his first fight since being put to sleep in 6th by Marquez in their fourth meeting on December 8, 2012, for victims of super typhoon "Yolanda" in Central Visayas.
Arum knows Rios would not end up a bust if he loses to Pacquiao. A defeat from the most celebrated and charismatic fighter in the world today is not a source of shame, but a badge of pride especially if Rios survives full route. A win would be another story. There's no substitute for victory--especially if registered against a Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao is eyeing an explosive victory in his first and only fight this year to cap Donaire's 9th round disposal win over Darchinyan and raise again the flag of the Philippines in world map.
Rios knows the Pacquiao fight is the peak of his career. An upset win will bring him more lucrative contracts under the tutelage of Top Rank, the outfit that made Pacquiao one of the richest paid athletes in the world.

SPARRING

He has logged 150 rounds in sparring and trained for five months compared to Pacquiao's less than three months of training in a secluded place in Mindanao.
“I want to fight the best and Manny Pacquiao is one of the best in boxing today. I need to beat him to get where I want to go. I am younger, can fight hard at center ring, can take a punch and I am ready, focused. Pacquiao years ago was in the same situation I am today,” Rios recently announced.
"When the first bell rings, Pacquiao will not be charging right at Brandon,” trainer Garcia said. “Pacquiao will want Rios to come to him and exchange. We know it that’s the way its going to be.”
The 12-round battle for WBO international welterweight title will be held at the Cotai Arena inside the Venetian Macau.
Ring officials are: referee Genaro Rodriguez, judges Lisa Giampa, Michael Pernick, and Manfred Kuechler. 

Floyd duel used to prop up Pacquiao vs Rios publicity

"Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it." GEORGE FOREMAN 

By Alex P. Vidal

To promote Manny Pacquiao's November 24 fight against Brandon Lee Rios (31-1, 23 KOs) in Macau, publicists have been busy dragging the name of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in press releases in a hope to generate worldwide attention.
Although Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) is a global figure in sports, Rios is just a passenger in the economy class. 
The good-looking bonecrusher from Oxnard, California isn't Roger Federer or Michael Schumacher who could draw a large crowd even without a need to hire expensive PR outfits. 
He is no David Beckham who could fill up empty seats and boost popcorn sales.
Aside from banking heavily on the multi-million-dollar duel, a run-of-the-mill WBO international welterweight championship, investors are also promoting the glitzy Venetian Resort, one of Macau's famous hotels known for its European architecture. 
Pacquiao, 34, and Rios, 27, will trade bombs for 12 rounds at the Cotai Arena. 
The fight has been drumbeated as Pacquiao's "comeback" bid after an embarrassing sixth round KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6, 40 KOs) on December 8, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CROWNLESS

Both Pacquiao and Rios are crownless and will be disputing the fringe belt intentionally put up to deodorize the promotion or to "legitimize" the word "championship." The fight actually will not upgrade the status of neither boxer--except for Rios who will definitely become a household name aside from bringing home a largess after the fight -- win or lose.
A win over Rios can not give Pacquiao, a second-termer congressman from Mindanao, a mandatory permit to fight the 34-year-old Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs), who is busy preparing for this WBC and WBA 152-lb rumble versus Saul Alvarez (42-0, 30) on September 14 in Las Vegas.
Mayweather, in a most recent statement, has categorically stated that "Me and Pacquiao had a chance to make a fight in the past, and basically that's the best place I'd like to leave it (in the past). "As of right now, I'm not really thinking of Pacquiao. Good luck to whatever he's doing. He handled his career like he handled his career, and I handled my career like I handled my career."

'HAS BEEN'

The American black fighter has dismissed the Filipino ringster as "has been".  Mayweather, an ex-convict, chortled: "How are things today? He's not going to get a chance to fight me. I was feeling that way weeks ago. Now I'm feeling like I wouldn't even give him a chance. He had a chance, he blew it, so that's what it is."
Even Marquez, who will fight Timothy Bradley in October, doesn't see Pacquiao in his radar in the event he rolls past Bradely. Because of Pacquiao's bad fall, a fifth match with Pacquiao is not a bankable idea. It won't hit pay dirt especially that father time has beckoned for both Marquez and Pacquiao; and promoters are very much aware of this, especially Top Rank boss Bob Arum. 
Calls have been made in the past for the richest Filipino professional athlete to retire and preserve his lofty status in the marquee game, but they all fell on deaf ears. Until Pacquiao's myth was tainted on a controversial split decision loss to Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs) on June 9, 2012. Until Marquez bludgeoned him on a brutal stoppage that nearly forced him to end his fistic career.

FAMOUS

Wealthy and famous--and a member of the House of Representatives to boot, Pacquiao will continue to defy logic by keeping himself busy in the ring despite reaping unmatched accolades in his many years of fame and glory in the square jungle capped by having been honored by American scribes and promoters as the greatest boxer pound-for-pound next to Muhammad Ali.
A loss to Rios will not only sink Pacquiao's reputation lower, he will join the rank of hitherto undisputed kings in prizefighting business whose reputations were badly shaken and impaired after defying nature and refusing to read the handwriting on the wall.