Does something have to die for it to be reborn? If so then the sweet science does not need to fear this after the Floyd Manny superfight on May 2nd. Amid a barrage of boos, the defensive minded Mayweather made Manny miss just enough to take a decision victory last night. Anthony Cashman will go over the fight and reveal why a little forward thinking might actually save the sport from the spectacle that was shown last night.
Risk is not Rewarded
Modern sports that are becoming more popular are evolving to high risk high reward mindset. Almost all team American Sports march to the beat. Even a majority of individual sports look more highly on those that go to the edge to gain victory. Boxing has become more like chess as in that the most cautious approach is the winning one. Manny was the one seeking action, pace, contact, tempo, and excitement. On the rounds like the 4th in which he won, the crowd went wild. Floyd’s rounds were met with apathy.
Years Too Late
Pacquiao’s power punches did land and right on the face of Mayweather. Two factors prevented them from being effective. One was that he rarely if ever caught Flyod going forward. Facial contact was almost always when Mayweather was already moving away. The second involved the waiting game. This fight took so long to get signed because only at this point would Manny’s power game be highly ineffective. Years of being in politics and Father Time eroded that pop which was present earlier in his career. Career management is the best thing that Floyd’s camp brings to the champ.
After the fight was done and the wagers graded came the announcement that gave boxing some hope. Floyd would be stepping away from his belts so that a younger generation could start going forward. The champ has his money and legacy at the cost of eroding the fan base of boxing. With the blessing of the boxing organizations, this stepping away will lead to a rebirth in the sport. Let us hope that a fighting champion evolves to fill the breach and get back the fans to this dying sport.