FROM the moment it was announced that the Manny Pacquiao-Lucas Matthysse fight will be staged in Malaysia, you knew it was bound to encounter rough sailing.
For one, soccer-crazy Malaysia is as warm to pro boxing as the North Pole is to a gallon of ice cream. The only high-profile boxer to fight in Malaysia was former heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali and that was over four decades ago. Pacquiao-Matthysse, a guaranteed knuckle-fest, is tailor-made for the US where it is likely to rake in big money both in terms of live gate attendance and pay-per-view revenues.
As things stand, a street magician is commanding more attention than the fight. Notwithstanding assurances from Pacquiao’s camp that the fight will push through as scheduled, financial woes continue to sprout like unwanted grey hair.
The fight, a brainchild of Pacquiao’s MP Promotions (in coordination with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions), has been hit by a variety of financial snags. ESPN initially reported that payments to cover production costs have been repeatedly missed or delayed. This explains the lack of publicity materials for the fight. To aggravate the situation, money reportedly owed Matthysse has not been delivered, prompting the fighter’s trainer Joel Diaz to threaten a pullout.
Without dwelling further on the promotional heebie-jeebies, Pacquiao-Matthysse must happen for the following reasons:
You do not want Bob Arum to get the last laugh: Pacquiao’s camp tried to prevent Arum from having any role in the fight and went as far as assailing the validity of his contract with the Pacman. Arum refused to budge and was eventually designated as the distributor of the fight in the US. Top Rank is now affiliated with ESPN and it is unclear how the fight will be marketed and shown in the US. Thus far, Arum has been zeroing in on the way MP Promotions is allegedly bungling the fight. If the bout goes down the drain, Arum will be proven right: that MP Promotions knows nothing about promoting a fight.
Pacquiao is already pressed for time: Instead of focusing solely on his training, Pacquiao has to deal with the promotional hiccups relative to the fight with Matthysse. Pacquiao is already 39 years old and has not fought since July 2017. Another fight cancellation will do more harm than good to his numbered boxing career. He needs to get back in the ring, pronto!
Pacquiao-Matthysse is a good, competitive fight: The fight has to push through because it has all the trimmings of a thrill-a-minute brawl. The fighters are past their prime, but this all the more makes the fight very intriguing. Pacquiao has not faced a hard puncher like Matthysse for some time and it will be interesting to see how his jaw will hold up considering that he is no longer as nimble as before and is easier to hit. Matthysse is heavier and slower at welterweight (147 lbs.), but his vaunted right hand still packs a crunch.
Pacquiao-Matthysse may never happen once called-off: If the fight fails to come into fruition, do not expect a mere rescheduling; it will no longer take place. Matthysse is already leaning on retirement and will jump on the next big fight available. In fact, Arum already has a contingency plan that involves only Matthysse. Arum plans to pit his ward Terence Crawford opposite Matthysse in a WBO-WBA title-unification showdown. Pacquiao will be left out in the cold if the fight bites the dust.
Last we heard, no less than Oscar De La Hoya has assured the media that the fight will happen. De La Hoya has even promised to personally promote the fight in Malaysia.
We can only hope that De La Hoya has not lost his golden touch; Pacquiao-Matthysse is too palatable a fight to be left unattended in the oven.
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