Talkin
Boxin
by Howie Reed
March 20, 2005
©Photo by Mary Ann
Owen of BILV
(Excerpt of article) |
 |
(MAR 20) On Saturday night the MGM Grand
Arena was “rock’en and roll’en” as Erik Morales (47-2) faced Manny
Pacquiao (39-2-2) for the WBC International Jr. Lightweight title and
the Ring Magazine World feather Weight Championship. Neither title means
anything to
anyone but probably looks good for a boxing writer
when used in a story for those readers that aren’t
familiar with either fighter.
Of some “oh by the way “ interest when the officials
were announced for Pacquiao-Morales there was a mild
surprise. Gentleman Joe Cortez (is anyone but me
tired of Joe saying “I’m firm but Fair”? Plus what
the hell does it means. When Judge Judy says it you
know what it means.) was appointed to be the only guy
in the ring in shirt and tie when the bell rang. Joe
had been given the bum rap (usually by HBO) that he
was partial to “Hispanic fighters”. The charge was
horsefeathers. Although his work in Ruiz-Holyfield II
will never be made a clinic of “how to referee a
fight.” Tip of the cap to the Nevada Athletic
Commission for appointing of Gentleman Joe Cortez.
I had planned on typing in this space “reporting live
from ringside at the MGM Grand Arena amid more than
14,000 highly vocal and partisan fans”. That plan was
tossed out the window when I arrived at my media seat
to find it among the “common folks” about 100 feet
from the ring in a corner. I had wondered why some
media credentials were green and mine red. That’s not
to complain as being in the location I had a great
view of really small people fighting.
Well that is except when the idiot two
rows in front though it clever to jump up whenever the crowd let out a
roar and wave his hand in circular motions in the air. Like the MGM
Lion, during the Pacquiao-Morales fight
there was a lot of roaring going on. It was during
this time that I considered passing on to the MGM
Executives the idea that they charge idiots extra for
their tickets. The major advantage of my “press row”
was that the scenery of young damsels was better than
any press row I ever sat at. There were 10’s by the
dozens. A veritable plethora.
It fit as the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Eric
Morales was going to be a 15 on the scale of 10. It
was going to be a battle of two warriors neither
giving or asking any quarter. (“Hay buddy can you
spare a quarter so I can play the machine") Maybe it
was a 15 but to these tired old squinting eye it was a
good fight but not one the will go down in history as
great. There is the oft chance that’s the fault of the
writer and not the fighters. For some reason when the
decision was announced at 115-113 for Morales the
eruption of emotions didn’t seem to reach the high
decibels one would expect. The sound didn’t crack
porcelain bath tubs or send dogs into fits if howling.
On the other hand maybe “one” had too high
expatiations. Regardless it was a different Manny
Pacquiao that faced Eric Morales Saturday night at the
MGM Grand. It was not the Manny Pacquiao that had
thoroughly beaten Marco Antonio Barrera (KO 12) or did
everything but get the judges vote against Juan Manuel
Marquez.
Maybe Pacquiao wasn’t the same because Eric Morales
fought his best fight since he beat Wayne McCullough (October 1999) and
Marco Antonio Barrera
(February 2000) back to back. Maybe it’s because the
“Tiger from Tijuana” wouldn’t allow “The Pac Man” to
be “The Pac Man.” Going into the opening bell it was
generally conceded that Pacquiao had more power. That
might have been true going in but the Pacquiao power
factor never materialized once the opening bell
sounded. Morales offensive seemed impervious to
Pacquiao’s two punch combinations.
Just days before the fight Pacquiao Promoter Murid
“The Bumbling” Muhammad signed a contract to use the
“Winning” brand of boxing gloves. Pacquiao prefers
the “so-called” punchers glove “Reyes”. Mirid loves to
hear himself talk and usually it is gibberish that
would embarrass Don King.. ”With all due respect,
these gloves are insignificant.
We’re gonna beat Erik Morales
whether it’s Everlast or Reyes or Winning—and I like that name because
it compliments what we’re going to do on the 19th. Maybe Freddie (Roach)
ought to be more concerned about how he wraps Manny’s hands than what
gloves he puts on.” Man if it had been that Muhammad speaking the world
would be short one religion. Make that Murad the Stupid. Southeast
Asia’s Number 1 boxing writer suggested, “Even an elementary knowledge
of the sport supply’s the information that a boxers mental state is 90%
of the battle.” Not when Murid sees dollar signs. He obliviously views
Pacpuiao as a money machine/slave. After the fight Pacquiao said, “I
would have knocked out Morales if we had used Reyes Gloves.”
Maybe and maybe not. I didn’t stay long at the after
fight press conference as I was informed that with a
“Red Credential” I couldn’t sit in the first fifteen
rows. A older gentleman in the tacky green jackets
interrupted a conversation I was having with James “
Smitty (TV Boxing Guy)” Smith to inform me of my
transgression. Good thing he did as we were taking up
two of 400 seats. The rest empty.
I did stick around long enough to have a
brief chin wag with the “Head Honcho” for MGM Sports. He liked the blue
fedora that sat atop my “hair challenged head” which topped a pale blue
silk dress shirt, with pink tie and pocket handkerchief over black raw
silk trousers and highlighted by a electric blue Thai Silk single
breasted sport coat accented by a blue rose with a
spray of baby’s breath. “This was a great fight and
the first of a Trilogy”. That’s what he did say. Who
am I to question someone that has the great fashion
sense to notice the best dressed reporter in Boxing,
abet unappreciated. Not I.
So joining the throngs of departing fight fans I
casually walked through the massive MGM Grand. OH sure I could have
taken a short cut to my car through the parking lot but why the heck
would I dress up for a
bunch of cars ? I wouldn’t. There is a certain joy in
walking through a post or pre fight crowd in a major
casino knowing that they’re saying, either to
themselves or out loud, “Look at that clown.” Hell
they just don’t have the fashion sense or guts to “be
all that they could be.”
Pacquaio and Morales certainly have the
guts to be all that they can be. They are two warriors that leave
nothing for the 13th round. Driving home I had the chance to listen to a
local radio station. The show consists of sports betting touts telling
you how great they are. As it’s NCAA Basketball time most of the chatter
was about Hoops. The host though did a report on the fight. “It was the
fight of the year and maybe the fight of a decade. It happened just down
the strip. Both fighters hit the canvas often. Pacpuaio suffered a eye
cut in the 5th and Morales wan a unanimous decision.” First neither
fighter was down or in any real danger of
going down. It wasn’t the fight of the year (hell it’s
only March) or the fight of the decade and why would
anyone care what these “jokers” have to say about any
sporting event.. But this is Vegas.
AND FINALLY: While driving to and from the MGM over
the course of two days I would listening to NCAA
Basketball. Has anyone but me heard the new Coca Cola radio commercial ?
Here’s the tag line. “A house full of coke means a house full of
friends.” DAH DUDE. |
