Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Quijano: Selling a suggestion By Jingo Quijano Last Round
(First of two parts)
AS PROMISED promised, here’s my take on the Pacquiao-De la Hoya exhibition bout. Why do I refer to it as an exhibition? Anytime you have a junior middleweight and a recently turned lightweight meeting at a weight class least comfortable for both of them so they can make insane amounts of money, you’ve got an event, brother. A spectacle. An exhibition.
And oh, do forgive the question-and-answer format. It’s just another one of those bad habits we lawyers have developed.
1.) Why is this fight being made?
Most of you have probably heard by now that this fight started as a mere suggestion by HBO’s Larry Merchant. The media reported it, and it snowballed into a concrete proposal after Bob Arum placed some promotional muscle behind it.
Of course, De La Hoya himself entered into the picture after publicly admitting that he was miffed by Freddie Roach’s suggestion that he was getting old and could not pull the trigger anymore.
2.) How big will this fight be in terms of revenue?
No other sport is fueled by intrigue and speculation than the “Sweet Science”. The biggest draw in the sport against its best-pound-for pound fighter is always a fantastic marketing angle to work with to generate more intrigue.
Never mind that the size difference between both parties is quite substantial.
Manny is listed at 5-foot-6 while Oscar is around 5-foot-11. Ironically, the fact that on paper this is brewing to be a mismatch will cause enough intrigue and speculation and attract more attention to it. The possibility of a catastrophic ending or a monumental upset will be more than enough to whet the appetites of even the casual boxing fan.
Of course, on the other end of the spectrum are those who are calling for a boycott of this bout. Some Mexican fans are reportedly so turned off by seeing de la Hoya fight a small guy for his farewell bout that they either won’t watch it or will be cheering for Pacquiao.
3.) How will this impact their careers?
Legacy wise, Pacquiao definitely has nothing to lose. Beating a legend like De La Hoya and doing it in a division as high as welterweight will earn him consideration as one of the all-time greats.
Financially speaking, he has hit the boxing lottery. Everybody—from the junior featherweights up to the light heavyweights—probably including the MGM Grand door attendant, would jump at the chance to fight Oscar De La Hoya.
And why not? Boxing is a tough sport. Who would refuse the opportunity to make in one night what you would earn for 5 or 10 grueling bouts probably?
Ergo, you cannot fault Manny for taking this fight. In this country where people are lining up on the streets just to buy the cheapest rice available, it’s difficult to begrudge him for taking a legitimate $15million payday (based on some estimates).
Hell, for half that amount of money, I would fight Oscar and Manny at the same time. Wouldn’t you? Hehehe. Not that anybody would pay to see that fight, but I hope you guys get my drift.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Oscar. Manny is indeed the pound-for-pound king today, but just two fights ago, he was struggling with junior lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez.
The fighter everybody wants De La Hoya to face for a grand finale is big, tough Antonio Margarito who recently waylaid another potential Oscar opponent, Miguel Cotto.
Throughout his career, the “Golden Boy” has almost always sought out the best opposition available in his march through several weight divisions. He has even fought much bigger men because he loved the challenge. (to be continued)
LAST ROUND. It’s on my Ronnie and Mina’s pride and joy, my nephew Francis Regin H. Mayol who recently celebrated his birthday. Cheers!
