This past Saturday night from the mecca of boxing, Las Vegas, Nevada, the boxing world witnessed the return of hall of famer Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao. The 46-year-old Pacquiao, who had not seen action inside a boxing ring since 2021 challenged the current WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios for the green and gold belt. After 12 rounds, judges Tim Chetham and Steve Weisfeld saw the fight even while Max DeLuca scored it a close 115-113 for the defending champion.
There were big plans for the Pacquiao with a win. One rumor was his handlers were looking for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Their first encounter back in 2015 was one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. With a gate of a little of $72 million dollars and the record shattering 4.6 million Pay-Per-View buys, it is not a surprise the rumored always cash-strapped Pacquiao would like another run at the retired “Money” Mayweather Jr.
Barrios put a boulder on that road.
It is hard to believe Barrios, 16 years younger than his most recent challenger, had such a hard time with Pacquiao. The thing is, “Pacman” is just out of this world. Maybe a slight slower from hand and foot than not too long ago, Pacquaio was still at times too much for the defending champion.
In the post-fight presser Pacquiao, looking worse for wear with bruises all over his face, said he is more than willing to keep fight.
Again who?
That is a question for not only Pacquiao but perhaps his next opponent.
One of the Best of His Era if Not the Best
This past Saturday from a packed Wembley Stadium in London, England, Oleksandr Usyk solidified his place in the annals of boxing history by not only staying undefeated but also defending his undisputed crown against brit Daniel Dubois.
If it seems as if falling over heels about Usyk is because I am.
He is truly one of the best fighters who has ever graced a boxing ring. He conquered the cruiserweight division back in 2018 after beating every name available in the weight class. He then jumped up to the heavyweight class and systematically beat every big name there including Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua twice, Tyson Fury twice and now Daniel Dubois twice.
For the thirty-eight-year-old, there truly might not be anybody else to beat.
In the days after his impressive 5th round stoppage of Dubois, the internet talk was where does Usyk fit within the all-time greats of the division with some stating he has passed Muhammad Ali.
I wouldn’t go so far.
Although Usyk has become somewhat of a hero in his native Ukraine, even volunteering for some time in their ongoing war, I believe Ali transcended the sport while Usyk has not.
Although Usyk has mentioned perhaps the end of his career is near, he did state he still has a bit more in his tank.
That is good news for all of us.
Shields Up Next
This Saturday night the accomplished Claressa Shields will be defending her undisputed heavyweight crown against Lani Daniels of New Zealand.
Despite calling herself the “GWOAT”, Shields seems just a step behind the female boxing revolution led by Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and the rest of Most Valued Promotions.
Shields has won everything under the sun in boxing, from gold medals in the Olympics to every belt available in multiple divisions. There is even a movie about her life. The thing is, the talent in those divisions are kiddie pool shallow and Shields, sometimes abrasive with her public persona, at times just can’t get out of her own way.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Shields is one of the most talented women to ever lace up a pair of gloves. She obviously is a winner with the discipline, grit and mental fortitude to achieve all those accolades.
Recently there has been talk of a mega fight between Shields and Laila Ali, the 47-year-old daughter of Muhammad Ali, who has not seen any action for 18 years. In a recent interview Ali stated she would consider getting in the ring with Shields for a minimum of $15 million dollars. Shields and her team promptly distributed a video where they informed the boxing world the purse was secured.
Many say if other fighters have the right to ride the coattails of over the hill big names a la Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, why not Shields?
Other Musings
- If you have not seen Jesse “Bam Bam” Rodriguez yet, you just don’t know what you are missing. The 25-year-old kid is a phenom and this past weekend he unified his WBC super flyweight title with the WBO by knocking out Phumelela Cafu in the tenth. Rodriguez does everything right in the ring, boxing when he needs to box and brawling when he needs to brawl. With an undefeated record of 22-0, there doesn’t seem there is anything Rodriguez can’t do inside the ring.
- This past weekend a much-anticipated rematch between Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Angel “Tashiro” Fierro went by the wayside when Fierro was hospitalized the before the weigh in from complications of his weight cut. It is no secret Fierro balloons up in weight between fights and now it has really cost the fighter and in a way boxing.
- This week the WBO just announced they ranked multi-divisional champion Terence Crawford #1 in the super middleweight division. The division in which he will challenge Saul “Canelo” Alvarez next in September live on Netflix. Gustavo Olivieri, the newly crowned president of the WBO, answered the criticism, mainly the fact Crawford has never fought in the division, with the fact that the spot was earned by the undefeated Crawford on merit.
