DON'T you just love boxing? Conspiracy theories abound after Errol Spence was forced to withdraw in his fight against Manny Pacquiao, giving up his spot to Yordenis Ugas.
But Spence shot those conspiracies down when he posted a photo of himself after his eye surgery.
Late replacements are nothing new in boxing. Lest we forget, it’s how Manny Pacquiao shot to fame in the US. Remember how he took the Ledwaba fight on two weeks’ notice?
Some have also drawn some similarities to that fight that perhaps Ugas will do to Manny what he did to Ledwaba.
I don’t think so. Manny was a 20-year-old dynamo and former champion when he took on Ledwaba while Ugas is a 35-year-old 11-year pro with only 30 fights under his belt. Of course, one punch can change the outcome of a fight, we all know that. Manny knows that too, having kissed the canvas while leading Juan Manuel Marquez.
But Freddie Roach is no newbie and at 42, I don’t think Pacquiao will make the same mistake he did against Marquez.
We’ve tasted boxing success in Tokyo but failed twice in a final bout. Will Pacquiao quench that thirst for success this month?
I hope so.
There’s no medal at stake in this fight, but I sure hope Manny will wave the country’s flag high after his match.
Since this could be Manny’s potential final match of his career, I hope, for old times’ sake, the whole country will tune in and be united as one in that 12 rounds.
Would that be too much?
MESSI MAGIC. PSG, which signed Lionel Messi after he was forced to leave Barcelona, sold out 250,000 jerseys in less than 30 minutes.
At 92 pounds each, that’s 23 million pounds in revenue for the club in just 30 minutes. In Philippine peso, that’s P1.5 billion.
In 30 minutes.
That’s just from the legit merchandise alone. My eagle-eyed friend Eric Nacordo spotted a fake Messi jersey on a local online shopping app before Messi was even introduced.
Messi not only rejoins former Barca teammate Neymar in PSG but will also play for the first time with Sergio Ramos, who left Real Madrid earlier.
This early, the memes are spreading of the two captains of the Spanish rivals playing with each other.
PSG will have millions added to its fan base this season, and I think Messi’s debut will be one of the most watched TV events this year.