26 July 2010, 9:26 pm
'Left-Hook Lounge': Vivek Wallace's Mailbag feat. Mayweather, Pacquiao, Cotto/Vanes, Hatton, and More!!! Chad R. (Reseda, CA): I think Pacquiao is better than Mayweather, but what do you think the continuous catch-weight request will do to his legacy overall? Vivek W. (ESB): When it comes to this recent catch-weight agenda, I think my position is an echo of the average fight fan around the globe. I can understand supporting your countryman or your guy, but anyone who fails to find an issue with this is very much in denial with the fact that this move is simply one more reason for many out there to find issue with Pacquiao and ultimately question his level of accomplishment. With his demeanor and style, you'd like to support Pacquiao at all cost, but at some point you just wanna say, "if you're as good as we believe you are, it's time to beat someone in their own element". I think that Pacquiao has done enough to cement his legacy as a future Hall-of-Famer, but when you get into that lengthy debate about the "greats of all-time", (not greatest, but collectively the "greats"), I think this action leaves room to debate Pacquiao's position in some respects and I think it all has to do with the way his management team is writing his script.. In recent days, a hot topic has been whether or not he owns 7 titles in 7 divisions, as opposed to 6 titles in 6 divisions - as one of them was a linear type, which technically is not a world title won in the ring, in the sense that he didn't actually beat a champion to get it. When I heard such a hair-splitting argument being kicked around, it was full proof that people are in fact beginning to truly question the validity of his accomplishments. If you actually take the time to question whether one world title was an actual strap or not, logically, the next place for these type of critical fight fans to go would be the catch-weights, and for the ones that truly want to ignite the fire, the unconfirmed allegations would follow. I just think all the way around, this is a bad move. In a recent interview with Gabriel Montoya, Freddie Roach made it very clear that he didn't support a catchweight against Cotto. Why this plan would change against Margarito speaks for itself. The fashionably correct thing to do lately is compare Pacquiao's legacy with that of Mayweathers. The oddity here is that many would argue Mayweather would never dare step foot in the ring with guys in the likes of Cotto, Clottey, or Margarito; and while that may hold some weight, records reflect that when you look at the men he has faced throughout his career, he always did it in their natural habitat (Baldomir between 14-18lbs heavier, Corrales (RIP) 18lbs heavier, Oscar, better than 10lbs heavier, etc.). Granted, my perspective isn't the 'end-all-be-all', but judging by that comparison, you make the call. Some would say Floyd was bigger than Hatton and Marquez, but an advantage goes both ways. Him being bigger than these men is no different than Pacquiao making bigger men fight smaller. It's not my call. Fight fans have to decide what they feel about his legacy themselves. http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=24530&more=1... Read More »
Share on del.icio.us
Share on digg
Share on Technorati
Share on reddit
Share on Yahoo!
Share on Furl
