By Rod Bautista: It doesn’t take you long to realize that Manny Pacquiao is the number one talked about fighter in the world today. Whether you like it or not Manny Pacquiao also takes the brunt of a lot of negativity and hate. In my humble opinion here are a couple of reasons why that is.

It’s Lonely At The Top

When you’re on top you are the number one target and no doubt about it Manny Pacquiao is at the very top of the boxing food chain. With that honor scrutiny is something that you have to live with. To be honest Floyd Mayweather and every other boxer has experienced it too. We still hear about Floyd ducking this fighter and ducking that one. When your at the top unfortunately you are a target of all the nay sayers, doubters and all the haters. You not only have to win, but your choices are questioned and your performance is critiqued even more. Regardless of who Manny fights unless it’s Floyd Mayweather his choice will automatically be questioned.

The simple fact is that this is prize fighting and match making has always been part of the sport. Until Boxing changes fighters at the top will choose who to fight and that choice will always be questioned. Floyd was questioned and scrutinized and so will Manny, it just comes with the territory. The fact that promoters control the fights and make the most profitable decisions as opposed to the most competitive is just the way that it goes. That brings me to my next point.

There Is No World Series, Super Bowl, or True Championship Of Boxing

If baseball were run the same way as boxing then the World Series would always be between the Boston Red Sox, and The New York Yankees every year. Bear with me hear what I’m trying to say is because Prize Fighting is about the most money available championship fights are not always who deserves to fight but who makes the most financial sense. It’s the way it has been forever. People used to be called out more often, but ducking the best has always been around. Because you can’t make the best fight the best they don’t.

The consensus dream fight is between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. When that fight happens then there won’t be as much hate. Sure Floyd fans will be Floyd fans and Manny fans will be Manny fans, but in the end one side can literally say look at the score board and shut the other side up.

Boxing fans very rarely get this chance and it sparks quite a bit of debate. Think about it you can be a Ravens fan and say that their defense will reign supreme all you want, but if they lose to the Patriots you have to at least admit that they weren’t the best team on that day. When and if Floyd fights Manny someone will gain at least a certain amount of respect from the other guy’s fans.

Until the fight happens anyone can openly criticize the choices that Manny makes as far as his opposition is concerned.

Manny Pacquiao Is Not American

I feel that because Manny is not American he will not get the respect he would have if he was American. If Manny was American he would be a national hero at this point. Imagine a homeless teen aged boy using his fists to get him out of poverty and on and on. There would have been dozens of movies made about him already if he was a homeless boy from the projects of say Detroit and taking on the world. Americans love an underdog story as long as it’s and American one.

We constantly hear how Manny is over hyped and over rated, and we constantly hear questions of how an Asian fighter can accomplish so much. People don’t remember Pancho Villa, or Flash Elorde, or Ceferino Garcia. Fact is there is a storied history of Filipino Boxers and world champions, but we live in North America and why would anyone remember them unless they were Filipino or true boxing enthusiasts. People are in denial that the greatest boxer around is not from North America. Boxing is one of the only sports that Filipinos have excelled at on a world stage. Believe it people we’re not just good at nine ball he can throw punches with the best of them.

If the Philippines were situated closer to North America you would see as many Filipino boxers as you would Mexicans and that my friends is the bona fide truth. Look at the Heavyweight Division long perceived to be the glamor division of boxing. The main reason that division is ignored is that there are no American heavyweights of note. When Lennox Lewis was the greatest heavyweight around he didn’t get the respect he deserved either. Now the best heavyweights are European and North America doesn’t care.

Manny is the best in boxing and because he’s not American he doesn’t get respected. Other non North Americans get the same treat6ment as well. Look at Amir Khan or Nonito Donaire they get hated on as well. Bottom line is a lot of people are in denial that the best boxer in the world is from The Philippines.

Floyd Mayweather Fans Are Mad That Manny Gets A Lot More Love Than The Pretty Boy

Let’s face it Manny has received a lot of love from the boxing media that Floyd never really got. It may be over blown and grandiose, but he does receive more accolades than Floyd did. A lot of it is Floyd’s fault, but most of it is due to the way these two go about their business. They are polar opposites in the ring and out of the ring, and Floyd has made himself the heel of boxing the bad guy, the boxer everyone loves to hate and the boxer people tune in to just to see him lose. Manny is humble and unassuming, always has a smile on his face and when he is in the squared circle he is a warrior. Floyd scores and evades. Truth is whether you’re a fan of boxing, the sweet science or a boxing historian everyone loves a good fight. Let’s face it there is a different energy at a Mayweather fight as opposed to a Pacquiao fight. Mayweather’s defense and technique are something to behold, but in the end a good fight is what people come to see.

If you’re a true Mayweather fan you talk about technique and defense and his pretty face. Manny is the polar opposite and in reality his style of fighting is more inspiring and creates more of a buzz than what Floyd creates. Seriously look at it id Rocky about a slick defensive fighter or an embattled win at all costs warrior? Is there a top 10 list of the best ever decision victories of all time? Did Ali inspire because he was the best at not getting hit? Boxing is a violent sport and in it’s glory days people gravitated to it because it was a battle of wills and not a battle of defensive strategy. Think about it what fight turned you on to boxing? Was it a defensive battle or a slug fest?

Manny has garnered attention for his fighting style first and foremost and for Floyd fans and Floyd it has been a really hard pill to swallow. Floyd fans know their guy is undefeated, but the majority of boxing writers and experts don’t regard him as the best, and frankly it hurts. So they write and do what they can to diminish what Manny has accomplished.

In the end we will always be behind our guys and no matter what the other side says we will always stay true to our pugilist. As a Pacquiao fan I wish he would just fight everyone to shut the haters up, but I know it’s not possible. In all of this hate and bickering we should at least agree that unless the Mega fight happens our sport will not be what it should.

The Mosley fight is what any other fighter in this position would sign on for, and if you disagree I would really like to challenge you to a debate, but in the end it’s just hypothetical and hearsay.

We have a chance to finally have a Super Bowl of Boxing. We finally have a chance to say hey buddy look at the score cards, and at least for that night make the other guy eat some crow. Sadly it doesn’t seem like it will happen so until then haters will hate and any guy with a computer can put their two cents in, and yes everyone is entitled to their opinion. So if you don’t like what these guys are saying say your piece and give your opinion, and at least you’ll get it off your chest.