December 24, 2009
Written by Smitty SHUT UP AND FIGHT! That is my message to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Obviously, you’re aware that the fight may be in jeopardy do to Mayweather’s demands that they apply the Olympic Style Drug testing instead of the normal drug testing implemented by the Nevada State Boxing Commission if the fight is in Nevada. It’s fine if camp Mayweather wants to start some sort of ruckus and create some controversy and hang a cloud over Manny’s accomplishments inside the squared circle, which is typical of boxing where, at least with mega-fights are concerned, there is always some kind of controversy. OK, it’s done team Mayweather. You have raised an awareness of your concerns about Manny doing steroids or whatever. Floyd Sr. was screaming this to me at the MGM Grand in the press room moments after Pacquiao’s win over Cotto. My response to him was, “Well so what? Have your son go out there and kick his ass if he can.” In other words. SHUT UP AND FIGHT. Manny has agreed to take test when the fight is announced and immediately following the fight. That essentially means that win, lose or draw, whatever might be enhancing Pacquiao’s performance would show up after the fight, right? So if Manny has anything not kosher in his system it would show right? So, SHUT UP AND FIGHT. Look, whenever any, and I mean any, athlete accomplished what Manny has done over the past few years and the way he has done it (adding weight and seemingly gaining power with speed), there is always that cloud of suspicion which is now part and parcel in all sports. There is no reason to make Manny do anything since he has never flunked any drug testing and he is and has always abided by the boxing rules in place, at least we know he does here in Nevada. So, SHUT UP AND FIGHT. Floyd is the bigger man, he is unbeaten, he is still in his prime, he is the better all around tactician in the ring of these two, and he is, in my mind, the favorite, and he said he will make Manny look average, so SHUT UP AND FIGHT. What Floyd’s stance should be is, “I hope he is taking whatever, because he is gonna need it cause I’m gonna whup his ass!” In other words, SHUT UP AND FIGHT. Floyd and Manny stand to make way more money in this fight than Jack Dempsey, Henry Armstrong, Willie Pep, Joe Louis, and Rocky Marciano combined probably made in their entire careers, so SHUT UP AND FIGHT. I had the privilege of being around The Greatest Muhammad Ali all the way until less than two weeks before he fought Smokin’ Joe Frazier in their epic first fight March 8, 1971 in Madison Square Garden, it was boxing’s first fight where both fighters were paid over 1 million dollars, in they signed for over 2 million each. Manny and Floyd are going to be guaranteed at least 10 times that amount and that fight was, hello, 15 rounds! And both Ali and Frazier are a bit tougher than Floyd and Manny, don’t you agree? So, SHUT UP AND FIGHT. Another fact that Ali and George Foreman were paid 5 million apiece for their scheduled 15 round epic that Ali won in round 8 in Zaire in 1974. Floyd and Manny stand to make at least 5 times that amount, so hey guys, SHUT UP AND FIGHT. One last thing on this, and I know Manny has an appreciation for money coming from such poverty in General Santos in the Philippines, and Floyd I know does a lot for the homeless here in Las Vegas, hey Floyd and Manny, our Country is facing one of the greatest financial crisis in all our times, record numbers are out of work and homeless. For no more than 1 hour you are set financially for many, and I mean many, a lifetime and your children and their children are set for life, if you handle your money in an intelligent fashion. So Floyd, Manny my buddies, one final time SHUT UP AND FIGHT. I must pull an Ebenezer Scrooge to the AP for voting Nascar’s Jimmy Johnson as Athlete of the Year. Bah humbug to that! Johnson drives a damn car, it should have gone to Usain Bolt or Manny Pacquiao. Happy Holidays, and remember hand up and chin down. |
|
|
