This was a great read. Left Hook Lounge's Vivek Wallace is right on point!

'Left-Hook Lounge': Vivek Wallace's weekly mailbag featuring Pacquiao, Holyfield, Mayweather, and more!

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This weeks 'Left-Hook Lounge' takes a look at a few highly intriguing questions and scenario's directly from the minds of some of the [url]sports[/url] most avid fans. Weeks after the strong performance by Manny Pacquiao, one fight fan still decided to ponder his true worth as it relates to his perceived greatness. Other topics touched upon were the Holyfield/Valuev debacle which many question (for good reason), as well as the potential late '09 showdown between Mayweather and Pacquiao. With no more preliminaries necessary, we jump into the mix, starting with our first question which comes from a fight fan in Richmond, Virginia who wanted to know the following:

Doug Peterson, (Richmond, Va): Manny Pacquiao has already accomplished a ton in the sport but many don't seem to rate him in their all-time great category. How do you see his true worth from a greatness standpoint in the sport?

Vivek W. (ESB): I pride myself as a [url]boxing[/url] scribe who likes to see not only my view, but the one that doesn't parallel mine as well. That being said, for starters, I don't think there's any way to discount the resume of Manny Pacquiao.. Morales, Barrera, Marquez, and down the line, Pacquiao has always done all you could ask of a fighter....which is to beat the man in front of him. The flipside of this coin, however, is that he didn't really begin to catch fire in the all-time greatness stratosphere until this year. Prior to this year some mentioned it but it was more of his staunch supporters than the mainstream media who now covet him as a perennial pound-for-pound figure. I've never been a fan of making quick decisions about boxers because if I did, I'd believe that Pavlik was permanently exposed or that Hopkins was washed up by now. Similarly, when you look at Pacquiao's resume for this year, you have to take it for what it was, not what we want it to be. He got a HIGHLY controversial split decision against Marquez. Their first fight was a draw but I think he did better in that fight than the second one where I continue to feel Marquez did enough to get that decision. Then he beat the slow-as-molasses David Diaz - which despite the jump in weight - was not much of a challenge. After that, he defeated what amounted to a very shop-worn Oscar De La Hoya. Granted, few thought he would beat the bigger man, but if you really wanna gauge whether or not that was the 'real' Oscar, ask yourself how was Pac-man able to accomplish something that Trinidad, Vargas, Mosley, Quartey, and many others failed to do? - which was stop Oscar. No one in the world can take away the greatness of Pacquiao that night, but make no mistake, a heavier, fresher Oscar would have taken those punches and landed a ton more. Bottomline, I say surely, Pacquaio is an all-time great, but how high he scales up the chart is totally in the eye of the beholder. If I'm looking for a fighter who handled tough opposition in their prime, I'm not rating him so highly considering that all of his named opponents were well worn down. Which is why the Ali's, the Leonards, and many of the old school guys get the nod in that sense because they always fought the best for the most part. If i'm rating him based on excitement and things along that line, he's the proverbial 'cream' that rises somewhere to the top. Either way, he's a helluva fighter and no one can take away what he brings and will continue to bring to the [url]sport[/url].

J. Merritt (Phoenix, Az): Is there any truth to the rumors of Floyd being required to face Pacquiao at a catch weight if the fight happens?

Vivek W. (ESB): For starters, Floyd hasn't officially agreed to face him, and neither has Pacquiao and Top Rank officially agreed to take the fight. Secondly, come hell to high water, if and when the fight is agreed to, a semi-retired Mayweather WILL NOT take the risk of accepting a fight at a lower weight against a fighter who has proven himself at 147. Some may say Pacquiao hasn't proven himself there but he faced a much more formidable opponent than Hatton did in his first fight there (Collazo) and he looked damn good doing it when you compare the two performances. Mayweather will not agree under any circumstances to a lower catchweight, or anything else below 147. I hate to pull the trump card here, but just like we've seen Oscar call the shots in the past, you can expect Mayweather to land that role here. Pacquiao needs Mayweather more than Mayweather needs Pacquiao. Mayweather has tons of mega fights to opt from...Be it Cotto, Margarito, or whomever. Pacquiao will not get this type of money ANYWHERE ELSE, not even with Hatton. So he may win at the negotiation table in other areas, but he'll lose the 'battle-of-the-bulge'. 147 or no fight! You can bank that one now!

Erik Martin (Boca Raton, Fl): If you had to choose one fighter in todays crop who represents the sport the way you would want it represented, who would that fighter be?

Vivek W. (ESB): Without a doubt Paul Williams! There are fighters like Margarito who like to be viewed as the "most feared man on the planet" and others like Pavlik who can put a pounding on nearly anyone you place in front of them, but when you view those guys and all like them, they seem to have a ceiling that caps their abilities. Perhaps Williams does as well but his is much higher. The guy will fight ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME! Literally. I think he represents what the sport is all about. No one can ever accuse him, his camp, or promoters of protecting him and doing anything to subtract from his appeal. What's even more likable about him is the fact that he doesn't have to get ignorant and loud to boast his talents. He keeps his words minimal and his actions optimal. I remember once commenting to a fellow scribe that it was amazing in todays [url]athletic[/url] circles with all the huge ego's we have to see a boxer (of all athletes) refer to the people interviewing him by saying "yes sir", "yes mam". I think this dude is a class act who understands how to turn on the "Jekyll" as well as when to lose the "Hyde". Many in the sport should take note, in and out of the ring!​

 

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Doug Peterson, (Richmond, Va): Manny Pacquiao has already accomplished a ton in the sport but many don't seem to rate him in their all-time great category. How do you see his true worth from a greatness standpoint in the sport?​

Similarly, when you look at Pacquiao's resume for this year, you have to take it for what it was, not what we want it to be.

After that, he defeated what amounted to a very shop-worn Oscar De La Hoya. Granted, few thought he would beat the bigger man, but if you really wanna gauge whether or not that was the 'real' Oscar, ask yourself how was Pac-man able to accomplish something that Trinidad, Vargas, Mosley, Quartey, and many others failed to do? - which was stop Oscar.

If I'm looking for a fighter who handled tough opposition in their prime, I'm not rating him so highly considering that all of his named opponents were well worn down.

Which is why the Ali's, the Leonards, and many of the old school guys get the nod in that sense because they always fought the best for the most part.

Either way, he's a helluva fighter and no one can take away what he brings and will continue to bring to the [url]sport[/url]. ​

J. Merritt (Phoenix, Az): Is there any truth to the rumors of Floyd being required to face Pacquiao at a catch weight if the fight happens? ​

Vivek W. (ESB): For starters, Floyd hasn't officially agreed to face him, and neither has Pacquiao and Top Rank officially agreed to take the fight. Secondly, come hell to high water, if and when the fight is agreed to, a semi-retired Mayweather WILL NOT take the risk of accepting a fight at a lower weight against a fighter who has proven himself at 147. Some may say Pacquiao hasn't proven himself there but he faced a much more formidable opponent than Hatton did in his first fight there (Collazo) and he looked damn good doing it when you compare the two performances. Mayweather will not agree under any circumstances to a lower catchweight, or anything else below 147.

Erik Martin (Boca Raton, Fl): If you had to choose one fighter in todays crop who represents the sport the way you would want it represented, who would that fighter be?


Vivek W. (ESB): Without a doubt Paul Williams! There are fighters like Margarito who like to be viewed as the "most feared man on the planet" and others like Pavlik who can put a pounding on nearly anyone you place in front of them, but when you view those guys and all like them, they seem to have a ceiling that caps their abilities. Perhaps Williams does as well but his is much higher. The guy will fight ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME! Literally. I think he represents what the sport is all about. No one can ever accuse him, his camp, or promoters of protecting him and doing anything to subtract from his appeal. What's even more likable about him is the fact that he doesn't have to get ignorant and loud to boast his talents. He keeps his words minimal and his actions optimal. I remember once commenting to a fellow scribe that it was amazing in todays [url]athletic[/url] circles with all the huge ego's we have to see a boxer (of all athletes) refer to the people interviewing him by saying "yes sir", "yes mam". I think this dude is a class act who understands how to turn on the "Jekyll" as well as when to lose the "Hyde". Many in the sport should take note, in and out of the ring!​

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Post #2 is what I picked out that Pac and AM fans are going to go crazy over lol...

 

I swear I thought I was reading a collection of my posts from the past that were collected and plagiarized by Vivek lol. Very well written and so true! I echo his thoughts:good

 

That's funny because black folk seem to think Whitlock only disses black athletes lol...

 

lol, the first fight was very close. IMO it was closer than the rematch.