I've only been on the forum for about a year, but I don't think this has been addressed enough, so I thought it deserved this thread. This is to express my appreciation for what Pacquiao has done for boxing in these crucial years. It is not about his skills, his greatness in the ring, his legacy as an ATG, or any of that other nonsense, so leave those arguments for other threads. This is to appreciate how he has kept our sport mainstream, and brought it the coverage it scarcely reviews nowdays. As much as we all hate to admit it, myself included, MMA is outcompeting boxing today. Yeah, our biggest PPVs outsell their's and our top stars make more, but thats about all we have to cling to. We all know that if you go up to someone outside this forum, and ask them if they saw the fight, they'll assume you meant the UFC. If you tell them you respect a particular fighter, they'll assume you mean an MMA guy. I heard a radio ad with Chuck Liddell in it today plugging some product (like boxers once did). The kids nowdays are all about becoming MMA fighters. 90% of the people you talk to in the street will tell you that boxing is dying, MMA is better, boxers would get killed and aren't even real fighters. Basically, they'll tell you no one cares about boxing anymore. It's sad, I argue with them, I'm sure you all do too, but it is what it is. Even blacks and hispanics seem to be abanoning the sweet science for cage fighting. Young white males have been long gone... Then comes Pac. Love him or hate him, he brings our sport the last mainstream respect and sucess it gets. Driving through LA, I see huge billboards with his face on it. Go into Champs sports, theres a whole section of Team Pacquiao gear on sale. Heck, I walked by a SKATE SHOP in the mall that was selling Pacquiao shirts. Ask even an MMA fanboy, they'll agree Pac is a beast and the real deal. Ask anyone on the streets, they know Pac and wanna see him fight. Mainstream news covers his fights. Random asian girls admit they love Manny and watch his fights religiously. Skinny white boys walk into my gym wanting to be Manny. He brought in the Phillipino crowd, that now follows our beloved sport fanatically (and some of them have moved past just following Pacqiao). Now I love Floyd, I'm a *****/floydiot or whatever else you want to call me, but I've never seen a Floyd shirt sold in any mainstream store. If you walk to up to random people and ask about Floyd, they may or may not know him, and many know him as the guy that's "scared" of Pacquiao. He does have better PPV sales, but he is no where near as well known and beloved as Pacman. He is our last link to the mainstream (Floyd being a distant but relevant second). No MMA idiot can call our sport dead when we can point to Manny's appearances on Jimmy Kimmel, his fanatic following in the Phillipines, his huge endorsement contract with Nike, and his overall fame and popularity. What MMA fighter has a following like Manny's among their people? Can Andersen Silva win office in Brazil? Is GSP the national hero of Canada? Not quite like Manny. Manny brings people into our sport and keeps it relevant. He turned a ratty gym into the hip place to be in Hollywood. The respect he gets spills over to other boxers, and our sport in general. I think, as lovers of the sweet science, we owe him a great deal of appreciation. For as much as we made him, he made our sport great once again.
the moment he arrived in the big scene with his victory over barrera, pacquiao was never out of the headlines. people were curious about him, the internet, forums etc didn't stop talking and discussing about him.
No, and I'm not Rico by the way. Pacquiao does have a Glass Body though. This will be demonstrated in the follow up to the smash-hit global blockbuster 'Glass Jaws - The Movie' called 'Glass Bodies'. :deal
look pac has done his fair share....but Floyd a distant second as far as bringing boxing to the mainstream? come on man...because u dont see t-shirts which i have yet to see or billboards which i have yet to see of either, not saying you havent, i far frequently see Floyd mentioned and pictured in media outside of boxing. Pac no doubt is a character that aslo is popular but to say Floyd is a distant second is crazy. Im sorry but both fighters need to get their just due.
No, this is a fair point. I felt the need for this thread because, as far as we're told, this next fight will be Pac's last, and with him leaving, I felt compelled to write this. Now let me say, where I am at least, Floyd truly is a distant second to the mainstream crowd, for reasons I've already mentioned. I mean, Floyd attended every Lakers final game that was in LA (I know because I'm his facebook friend), and they didn't even bother showing him on the TV when they were showing celebrities. Pacquiao draws crowds wherever he goes. He was recently nominated for something like "baddest man of the year" by Spike TV, along with a UFC fighter. He is just more mainstream, at least on the West Coast. PLUS, he is way more beloved, and brings more good publicity to boxing. That being said, Floyd also deserves massive credit for this (I'm a Floyd fan remember?). I can't understand the hate he gets for his flashy lifestyle. It's great for the public to see someone who can throw cash around, live in a mansion, drive a Bentley, and achieved all this by boxing. How can boxing be dying or dead when someone can use it to go from ghetto to the kind of money that even most celebrities envy? That is great for boxing too. But as far as mainstream recognition, Manny dominates. Unless you can bring some counterexamples? (I know Floyd was on WWE and DWS) Both deserve credit instead of hate from those who want to see boxing thrive, but this is Manny thread.
not debating Pac and his success..but Floyd a distant second he is not just my opinion you dont contiune to set PPV records being a distant second