梅威瑟 & Manny Pacquiao Square Off
In Another Classic Showdown
In The Welterweight Division
LAS VEGAS (四月 20, 2015) — It has often been said that “as the heavyweight division goes, so goes boxing,” but that has not always been the case and, 事實上, might not even be valid when viewed from a comprehensive perspective dating back to the late 19日 century. 在 拳擊, German author Bertram Job’s epic, 420-page coffee-table dissertation on all aspects of the sweet science, he writes that, “Elegance is the trademark of the slim and nimble stars in the under 147-pound weight class that has attracted insiders and admirers of beauty like no other.”
And so it is with what will be another benchmark entry in the rich history of the division when, 上五月 2 在米高梅大酒店在拉斯維加斯, 按次付費直播, 次中量級冠軍 弗洛伊德 “錢” 梅威瑟 (47-0, 26 科斯) takes on fellow titlist 曼尼 “吃豆子” 帕奎奧(57-5-2, 38 科斯) in a long-anticipated unification showdown that will be the richest prizefight in the sport’s history, and which has drawn comparisons to some of the premier matchups in a weight class imprinted with that elegant trademark to which Job referred.
Although Pacquiao, the only fighter ever to win world championships in eight weight classes, and Mayweather, who has reigned in five weight classes, have not campaigned solely or even mostly as welterweights, it is hardly a surprise that the most important intersection of their remarkable careers comes in the same division for which so many of boxing’s greatest legends are primarily known.
該 “gold standard” to which all welterweights aspire remains the late, great Sugar Ray Robinson. Born Walker Smith Jr., the skinny kid who had never fought in a sanctioned bout at any level was a tag-along with coach George Gainford to an amateur tournament in Kingston, 紐約州. Asked if he had a flyweight he wished to enter, Gainford was about to say no when Smith tugged on his sleeve and said, “I’ll fight.” As it turned out, Gainford had an AAU card – you needed one to be certified as a non-professional – in the name of Ray Robinson, one of his boxers who had given up the sport. Smith/Robinson won a four-round decision, 和, although no one knew it then, thus was a legend born.
Robinson was 85-0 as an amateur before turning pro at 19 在 1940. 由 1951, 他是 128-1-2 同 84 knockout victories. Although he is also remembered for winning the middleweight title five times, Robinson never lost as a welterweight, winning so often and so emphatically that the legendary trainer, 埃迪Futch, was moved to observe that, “He had everything. Boxing skills, 沖切力, a great chin, 精神力量. There was nothing he couldn’t do.”
Robinson also had an outsized ego, which perhaps is a necessary component to any great fighter’s mental makeup. Even a trace of doubt in one’s own ability is not conducive to success in the ring. Once, when asked about his “golf game,” 穆罕默德·阿里, who didn’t play golf, responded, “I’m the best, greatest of ’em all. I just haven’t played yet.”
Mayweather certainly brings that aura of invincibility to his work, and maybe not just because he has yet to lose as a professional. 在 2013, 他說, “Of course I feel unbeatable. I’m the best. I’m not going into any fight figuring that I’m beatable. I want to make a legacy for myself as the greatest fighter who ever entered the ring.”
帕奎奧, while perhaps not as verbose, is no less secure in his own belief system. It is those heaping measures of talent and swagger that make Mayweather vs. Pacquiao a must-see event. Which of these outstanding fighters can make the other bend to his will? Who will have his name written in larger print in the big book of welterweights?
The International Boxing Hall of Fame has inducted 23 fighters who were, at one time or another, welterweight champions. In addition to Robinson, those whose plaques grace the hallowed hall include Sugar Ray Leonard, 羅伯托·杜蘭, 托馬斯·赫恩斯, 霍亞, 費利克斯·特立尼達, 塞薩爾查韋斯, Pernell惠特克, 卡門巴西利奧, Henry Armstrong, 埃米爾·格里菲斯, Pipino Cuevas, 何塞Napoles, Curtis Cokes, Barney Ross, 兒童加維蘭, Wilfred Benitez, 路易斯·羅德里格斯·, 米奇·沃克, Fritzie Zivic, 傑克·布里頓, Jackie Fields, Ted “小子” Lewis and “Mysterious” Billy Smith. Mayweather and Pacquiao are of course assured of joining their ranks as soon as they become eligible to go onto the ballot.
The lead-up to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao has generated no shortage of comparisons to past welterweight clashes that are notable for the classic nature of those bouts, the widespread public interest attendant to them, 或兩者.
Is Mayweather vs. Pacquiao more likely to be a repeat of, 說, Leonard-Duran I, which Duran won on a rousing unanimous decision on June 25, 1980, 在蒙特利爾? The epic Leonard-Hearns I, 在9月. 16, 1981, which saw Leonard, trailing on the scorecards, rally for a dramatic, 14日-round TKO at Caesars Palace? Trinidad’s controversial majority decision over De La Hoya in their Sept. 18, 1999, unification showdown at the Mandalay Bay? Or will it make its own mark in such a distinctive way that no comparisons can or should be drawn?
When it comes to unforgettable welterweight bouts, by now it should be obvious that anything and everything is possible. Mayweather and Pacquiao will make history, and add to it, by attempting to bend destiny each to their own purpose.
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梅威瑟VS. 帕奎奧 在12輪次中量級世界冠軍統一回合促進梅威瑟促銷和熱門排名公司, 並且由咖提贊助. 付費按次轉播將共同生產和共同分配由HBO付費按次® 和Showtime PPV® 在開始 9 P.M. AND/ 6 P.M. PT.
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