So we bought into the hype and shelled out thousands to watch a snoozefest and not the gladiatorial battle we’d paid to see.
But it wasn’t our fault; it was great hype, carefully crafted, with the implication that this was the genuine product, an epic battle between the top two fighters of the sport, an event that would decide once and for all who deserves the title of pound-for-pound king.
Instead, we got scammed. Floyd Mayweather Jr. ran and hugged his way to a $178- million payoff. Manny Pacquiao, in the ring with an undisclosed shoulder injury, threw fewer punches than usual and lost. The silence in the packed theater where I watched the fight was palpable, a thick blanket of shock, dismay, and numbness. Everyone was speechless; this was not the outcome we’d been led to expect.
Nothing, of course, is ever a sure thing, and it would be naïve to assume that what’s promised in such a situation will be what’s delivered.
However, Pacquiao’s loss was a letdown to his fans all over the world, more so after he seemed to be unable to accept defeat, instead pointing to the torn shoulder – a make-or-break injury that should have been revealed, especially with betting on the line – conspiracy, and sabotage to excuse his dismal failure to execute an effective plan against Mayweather’s vaunted defense.
It’s just too bad that the narrative arc that had been painstakingly built up took an unexpected turn. Had it been taken to the desired conclusion, it would have been a mythic tale. All the elements were there: a hero, a quest, and evil dragon. All that was needed was the happy ending to create a fairy tale, a dream come true.
Four days after the fight, our social media feeds still scream shoulda, woulda, coulda. Mayweather was the clear winner! No, Manny was! Fighting the match in hindsight won’t change the reality of Mayweather’s victory, unpalatable as it is.
The question is, where does the narrative go from here?
An online news item says that Mayweather wants to start a feeding program in the Philippines and put up a boxing gym together with Pacquiao to develop talent for the international arena.
Now that’s interesting. Manny himself would not be at the pinnacle of the sport today if someone hadn’t encouraged him to go to Los Angeles. As his luck would have it, he landed in Wild Card Gym and met Freddie Roach. The rest is fistory. Without Roach, there would be no Pacquiao the future boxing Hall of Famer and a living legend.
The young boxers of today need and deserve that same chance. The sport has always had fighters with immense potential. Imagine where the careers of Gerry Peñalosa, Rolando Navarrete, or Luisito Espinosa might be now if they had had the guidance of a phenomenal mentor, a talented manager, and a savvy promoter.
If Pacquiao and Mayweather join forces in putting up a boxing gym, they could create a fighting style combining the aggressive offense of the former and the slippery defense of the latter. Add flexibility and the ability to strategize on the spot, and a boxer thus trained would be nigh undefeatable.
It took six years for the alleged Fight of the Century to happen that turned out to be a dud. But teaching young people new skills and enabling them to chase their dreams for a better future will never be a loss, from any angle. The MayPac Gym is something that should be turned into a reality.
This narrative, then, can evolve: after seeing the good example set by the pious knight who was sent to slay him, but failed, the evil dragon mends his ways, and joins the knight in his travels around the kingdom helping people until they both grow old.
From the scam of the century, this could turn into a tale of redemption in the ring. And that would be the happiest ending of all.
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Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Blog: http://jennyo.net