By Trevor Weis: Following the Ortiz/Maidana fight, Max Kellerman went on to say that “more is required in the sport of boxing than any other, maybe more than what is reasonable.” And even though we as boxing fans may not truly understand, still we demand more. After all, who is in need of a mediocre hero? Who cheers for the simply average athlete?
Manny Pacquiao is unanimously regarded as boxing’s P4P king; with devastating KO’s of Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, the little man is changing betting logic, going from a 2-1 underdog against the Golden Boy to a 2-1 favorite against the naturally bigger and supposedly stronger Hitman. But even with these victories, whispers still circle the champ: how much credit can be given to Pacquiao with victories over a drained and faded De La Hoya? Did Pacquiao look that good or did Hatton just look that bad? No matter your viewpoint, we can all agree that Pacquiao is in need of a definitive win over Miguel Cotto to cement his P4P supremacy. Cotto is coming off a shaky but gutsy performance against the game veteran, Joshua Clottey. Cotto will be looking for redemption as well, and continue his quest to fight the best welterweights available. Even if the fight is competitive through the middle rounds, I strongly believe Pacquiao will need a late stoppage or KO to silence the skeptics and defend his throne.
Especially with the return of Mayweather. I feel like Mayweather is comparable to a fine wine: the more I watch him, the more I come to appreciate his undeniable skills. Although the brash, former P4P king and undefeated ring technician is coming off a 2 year hiatus, be sure that Money will be coming to make a statement on September 19th. Especially because he picked a smaller, untested lightweight to fight at 144 lbs, Mayweather will be looking to make a statement, or maybe an example out of Marquez. By beating the current P4P #2 fighter in Marquez, especially if he succeeds in dramatic fashion, he will be able to contest his place as P4P king, especially since Pacquiao underwent two debatable wars with the Mexican legend. Mayweather is not looking to be shown up by a smaller man like De La Hoya was, so expect the counter-puncher to be more inclined to stand and trade.
And Kelly Pavlik has reached a cross-roads; two years ago, Kelly Pavlik was being marketed as the next big thing in boxing. A blue-collar, hard punching middleweight from Youngstown was inspiring American boxing fans across the country with an unexpected TKO of power-punching middleweight contender, Edison Miranda. And then Pavlik knocked out Jermain Taylor in the 7th round…Fast forward to today, and Kelly has not lived up to the expectations we placed on him. Nor has he been the lineal, undisputed middleweight champion we hoped. Assuming his fight with Paul Williams gets made in December (and that’s still a big if with all these habitual staph infections…), Pavlik is in need of a dramatic and emphatic victory if there is any hope of resuscitating his dying career. Pavlik will almost need to stand in front of Williams and take his high-punch output, returning fire with that shotgun right. If the Ghost wants to resist fading away, he must give the Punisher a night that will haunt him for years to come.
Maybe the expectations we put on boxers are unfair or unreasonable, but such is the price of greatness. And maybe we as fans cannot truly understand the depth or sacrifice required to catch our attention or develop a following. But the boxers, the athletes, the heroes straining for that attainable greatness all know the hard price we expect them to pay: they pay it gladly.
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