By Manuel Perez: I find it amusing to see what lengths that Manny Pacquiao would go to get a chance to win his 7th world title world title. He really wants Miguel Cotto’s WBO title to be on the line, yet he doesn’t want it bad enough that he’d be willing to fight Cotto at the normal 147 pound weight limit for the Welterweight bout. Instead, Pacquiao wants the title on the line at a lighter weight of 145.The World Boxing Organization seem to be bending over backwards to accommodate Pacquiao’s wishes, making it known that the WBO title will be on the line despite it being a catch weight.
The weird thing is no one besides Pacquiao and his legion of love sick fans care in the least about Pacquiao’s quest for a 7th world title.
Why should they? With all these crazy weight classes that have sprung up in boxing, as well all the different sanctioning bodies – WBO, IBO, IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO – that almost any fighter with any amount of talent will likely win a number of them without having accomplished much.
I can’t figure it out. When I see all the people that Pacquiao has beaten to win most of his other titles, only one of them – Juan Manuel Marquez – was what I consider to be a good fighter, and that fight was a gift decision where Pacquiao got beaten up. He was given the decision by the judges, even though he lost at least nine of the rounds on my score card. He got a flash knockdown and that was about it.
With all the other people that Pacquiao beat to win titles against, I don’t even count those wins. That’s like entering a race with a bunch of slow pokes and then getting exciting when you win. I have no idea what causes a person to want to collect worthless title wins, do you?
Is it like being a stamp or butterfly collector or some kind pack rat mentality? I can’t even get my head into an outlook of collecting stuff when there’s no value in doing it. If the larger public could care less about Pacquiao winning a 7th title, why does he persist? What is he going to do when he eventually wins his 7th title, where it on his sleeve or something? To me it’s enough that he’s fighting a good opponent for a change instead of a washed up one or an overrated fighter.
Goodness knows, it’s been ages since Pacquiao fought someone worth mentioning. He’s been doing some quality cherry picking since his poor performance against Juan Manuel Marquez last year. I still think Pacquiao is stupid for choosing Cotto rather than, say, Shane Mosley or Paul Williams.
Pacquiao isn’t going to get any credit if he wins, because many people are saying that Cotto isn’t the same fighter he was since his loss against the powerful Mexican Antonio Margarito last year, I think Cotto will win, but I think Pacquiao has put himself in position where he will get little credit with many fans if he does end up getting the victory.
What it does look like is that Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach are once again cherry picking their opponent, and then making it hard for Cotto by making him fight at a weight draining catch weight. It looks to me that Cotto was chosen simply because of how vulnerable he looked against Margarito and Joshua Clottey. If Pacquiao was really into picking up a title that meant something, he would have chosen WBA welterweight champion Mosley.
I wonder why Pacquiao didn’t take that fight? That’s why I can’t respect Pacquiao for the way that he goes after these worthless titles. Instead of going after a fighter that would have meant more, Pacquiao takes the easier path so that he can have a better chance of collecting another belt. I can’t respect that.
I wouldn’t even be keeping score if I was Pacquiao, because I don’t see any of the titles that he’s earned as having any meaning because of the fighters he’s beaten to win the fights. This thing Pacquiao has about collecting things. I just don’t understand it. When there’s no real value to it, why does he even want to waste his time with it?
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