aquariusone
05-10-2011, 05:35 PM
From Aqua's Corner
A few days after the jam packed MGM Grand heard, for the first time, loud booing from the audience in a Manny Pacquiao fight, most of us have turned into late night arm chair critics and commentators. Those of us who have been so accustomed to the thrill of seeing the pound-for-pound champion deliver lightning fast combinations with deadly accuracy against stronger, bigger, and renowned pugilists are left struggling to avoid being depressed.
In psychological terms, after the fight, we were shifted into a “conflict-avoidance” mode. It is like opting to make excuses to date a sensuous charming lady, so that we could go to a football game where it rained, we got soaked, and our team lost. So now, to avoid punishing self, we begin to collect bits of events that made the night memorable – like Paris Hilton going gaga over Manny before, during, and after the fight – right in front of Jinkee. We look for reasons why it was “worth it to shell out $55 to watch it on PPV.” Failing to overcome frustration we then lambast someone, something.
Thus, it is pretty hard to be truly objective and to avoid going over and over again as to why this fight was even made. But let us try anyhow.
But first, let us call a spade, a spade. Whoever or whatever sold the idea that Mosley, at age 39, could summon the magic we once enjoyed years ago to threaten to upset the P4P king had everyone fooled except a few of those who refuse to be swayed by hype.
I do not believe that Mosley entered the ring just to survive 12 rounds. Those who are personally acquainted with Shane know him to be a gentleman and a “nice guy”. The only blemish in his record is his involvement with BALCO for alleged steroid use prior to his fight with Oscar dela Hoya in 2003.
Both fighters were seizing each other up during the first two rounds with Manny not sure about Mosley’s well-known counter-punching skills. He kept his distance. When Manny shifted gears at the third round and connected, Mosley was shocked. It was reminiscent of his first fight against Vernon Forrest in 2002 when he was knocked down twice. Nature is a great teacher – once bitten twice shy.
In fact this is what he admitted after the fight in an interview: "I'm not sure if there weren't openings that I couldn't pull the trigger on, but there were shots that I couldn't see. I've been knocked down by Vernon Forrest, so that was a strong knockout punch. But this second time, that couldn't compete with Manny Pacquiao," said Mosley.
"I was pretty hurt. I was pretty stunned. It surprised me, because I didn't think that it was a big shot when he threw it. But Manny Pacquiao was very strong," said Mosley of Pacquiao's left hand that floored him. "That was a great shot, and I definitely felt it and went down. And sometimes, he was setting traps. Manny, like I said, his punching power is a little different. You never know what could happen."
Those statements pretty well sum up what took place the rest of the bout. Like wounded prey, he goes into a survival mode abandoning whatever plan he and Richardson had before the fight.
Pacquiao suffering leg cramps in the fourth round compounded his difficulty in pursuing Mosley, who, we are now informed suffered a blister at the bottom of his right foot restricting his mobility. Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review was apparently told by Richardson that “things got so bad he (Richardson considered stopping the fight after the sixth”.
This is not the first time that fight fans are frustrated in a huge PPV event. Last week’s UFC 129 between highly decorated George St. Pierre of Montreal and Jake Shields was as flat as Brooke Shield’s chest. Shields did not engage GPP and St. Pierre spent five rounds shadow boxing in the dark.
Anderson “The Spider” Silva, known for his explosive style of MMA fighting dominating most of his opponents has had Dana White disgusted with the middleweight star more than once. In Dubai, his fight against Demian Maia was loudly booed. Tickets were as high as $1000. In UFC 90, he had a weak performance against Patrict Cote.
The only plausible conclusion about last Saturday’s main event is this. High performing athletes elevate audiences’ expectation by their tenacity and high intensity performances. They push the limit of excitement soaring through the stratosphere where people come out of such events with exhilaration from an overflow of an unlikely combination of endorphins and adrenaline. Anything less is almost unacceptable. To those accustomed to a “normal Pacquiao night”, such was not the case last Saturday.
FINALLY, if you all believe that a Mayweather fight would be exciting, be prepared to be frustrated. In my humble opinion, I do not think that Mayweather will engage Manny Pacquiao in a all-out war. It could be worse than last week’s main event.
A few days after the jam packed MGM Grand heard, for the first time, loud booing from the audience in a Manny Pacquiao fight, most of us have turned into late night arm chair critics and commentators. Those of us who have been so accustomed to the thrill of seeing the pound-for-pound champion deliver lightning fast combinations with deadly accuracy against stronger, bigger, and renowned pugilists are left struggling to avoid being depressed.
In psychological terms, after the fight, we were shifted into a “conflict-avoidance” mode. It is like opting to make excuses to date a sensuous charming lady, so that we could go to a football game where it rained, we got soaked, and our team lost. So now, to avoid punishing self, we begin to collect bits of events that made the night memorable – like Paris Hilton going gaga over Manny before, during, and after the fight – right in front of Jinkee. We look for reasons why it was “worth it to shell out $55 to watch it on PPV.” Failing to overcome frustration we then lambast someone, something.
Thus, it is pretty hard to be truly objective and to avoid going over and over again as to why this fight was even made. But let us try anyhow.
But first, let us call a spade, a spade. Whoever or whatever sold the idea that Mosley, at age 39, could summon the magic we once enjoyed years ago to threaten to upset the P4P king had everyone fooled except a few of those who refuse to be swayed by hype.
I do not believe that Mosley entered the ring just to survive 12 rounds. Those who are personally acquainted with Shane know him to be a gentleman and a “nice guy”. The only blemish in his record is his involvement with BALCO for alleged steroid use prior to his fight with Oscar dela Hoya in 2003.
Both fighters were seizing each other up during the first two rounds with Manny not sure about Mosley’s well-known counter-punching skills. He kept his distance. When Manny shifted gears at the third round and connected, Mosley was shocked. It was reminiscent of his first fight against Vernon Forrest in 2002 when he was knocked down twice. Nature is a great teacher – once bitten twice shy.
In fact this is what he admitted after the fight in an interview: "I'm not sure if there weren't openings that I couldn't pull the trigger on, but there were shots that I couldn't see. I've been knocked down by Vernon Forrest, so that was a strong knockout punch. But this second time, that couldn't compete with Manny Pacquiao," said Mosley.
"I was pretty hurt. I was pretty stunned. It surprised me, because I didn't think that it was a big shot when he threw it. But Manny Pacquiao was very strong," said Mosley of Pacquiao's left hand that floored him. "That was a great shot, and I definitely felt it and went down. And sometimes, he was setting traps. Manny, like I said, his punching power is a little different. You never know what could happen."
Those statements pretty well sum up what took place the rest of the bout. Like wounded prey, he goes into a survival mode abandoning whatever plan he and Richardson had before the fight.
Pacquiao suffering leg cramps in the fourth round compounded his difficulty in pursuing Mosley, who, we are now informed suffered a blister at the bottom of his right foot restricting his mobility. Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review was apparently told by Richardson that “things got so bad he (Richardson considered stopping the fight after the sixth”.
This is not the first time that fight fans are frustrated in a huge PPV event. Last week’s UFC 129 between highly decorated George St. Pierre of Montreal and Jake Shields was as flat as Brooke Shield’s chest. Shields did not engage GPP and St. Pierre spent five rounds shadow boxing in the dark.
Anderson “The Spider” Silva, known for his explosive style of MMA fighting dominating most of his opponents has had Dana White disgusted with the middleweight star more than once. In Dubai, his fight against Demian Maia was loudly booed. Tickets were as high as $1000. In UFC 90, he had a weak performance against Patrict Cote.
The only plausible conclusion about last Saturday’s main event is this. High performing athletes elevate audiences’ expectation by their tenacity and high intensity performances. They push the limit of excitement soaring through the stratosphere where people come out of such events with exhilaration from an overflow of an unlikely combination of endorphins and adrenaline. Anything less is almost unacceptable. To those accustomed to a “normal Pacquiao night”, such was not the case last Saturday.
FINALLY, if you all believe that a Mayweather fight would be exciting, be prepared to be frustrated. In my humble opinion, I do not think that Mayweather will engage Manny Pacquiao in a all-out war. It could be worse than last week’s main event.