By John F. McKenna (McJack): Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO’s) trainer Freddie Roach at this point is not impressed with Saul Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KO’s) as a potential opponent for his fighter. Roach was responding to the report that Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim was seeking to pay 65 million dollars to host a fight between Pacquiao and Alvarez in 2012. Roach was quoted as saying “Everybody says how good Alvarez is. I think Vanes Martirosyan would knock him out in one round. Vanes won the eliminator to face him. Let’s see how good “Canelo” really is.
A lot of Mexican boxing aficionados think that the 20 year old Alvarez is nowhere near Pacquiao’s level at this stage of his career. He is a work in progress and hopefully a legend in the making. Alvarez is also very popular in Mexico and it would seem that putting him into a fight prematurely with someone like Pacquiao could possibly ruin him. Presumably Carlos Slims has made his fortune by being smart. Obviously being the good businessman that he is he would want to enhance rather than damage his standing with the Mexican public, where boxing is much more popular than it is in the USA. For that reason it seems highly unlikely that he would cast to the wolves a fighter who has the potential of Saul Alvarez. Alvarez will not turn 21 until July of this year. He has many hills to climb before taking on a fighter of Pacquiao’s caliber.
Manny Pacquiao has fought all the tough Mexican legends and has earned his way to the top of the boxing pedestal. With exception of Floyd Mayweather there are no other fighters who are really at his level. In essence he has no more worlds to conquer.
To the chagrin of Manny Pacquiao’s detractors he now transcends the world of boxing and has achieved world wide popularity. The boxing fans in Mexico follow him closely and would very much like to have him fight on Mexican soil. There may be some truth that Carlos Slim wants to host a Pacquiao fight in Mexico. Whether or not it is against Saul Alvarez remains to be seen. There have been denials from the Alvarez camp that such an offer is pending. Carlos Slim as reported by FORBES is the wealthiest man in the world with a net worth in the range of 74 billion dollars. He has the money and power to make a huge Mega Fight involving Manny Pacquiao happen.
Financially the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya in 2007 was the biggest fight ever. After all was said and done Oscar walked away from that fight with 52 million dollars.
With Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions now on speaking terms it seems likely that a huge Mega Fight involving Pacquiao will soon be made. Part of the reason for the apology that Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions made to Manny Pacquiao last week regarding the performance enhancing drugs issue was to pave the way for such a fight to take place. It remains to be seen who Pacquiao’s opponent will be.
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