By Rasheed Catapang: “There are 4… 5 ways to beat Pacquiao,” Floyd had said so many times. None of them, it seems, involves him getting in the same ring with the little man. Of course we want Mayweather to show us how. But with such reluctance, he appears every inch afraid to try. And nothing in his current stance suggest otherwise.
It might be a bit unfair to question the courage of one who makes a living fighting. In this instance, the words of Blaise Pascal applies: “The heart has its reasons which reason does not know.” Does that make sense to you, Floyd? How apt.
And while we contemplate on that, Juan Manuel Marquez gets the chance to do the job with his third try.
While Marquez gave Pacquiao hell in their first two fights, the soothsayers had end-of-days written all over Marquez this time around. Either people perceived him now to be diminished goods or Pacquiao to be just too evolved – way, way ahead of him by leaps and bounds. No matter though, give it to Marquez because he still believes he’ll win as he believed he’d won their previous fights.
And maybe he will. After all, battles are first won in the minds.
In which case, Mayweather who might as well be 5 fighting levels above the Mexican Warrior, denied himself 3 times (to which Judas by the way did a far better job). By default, he had already lost his war to Pacquiao.
Tyson had beaten Spinks even before he threw the first punch. Mayweather would be damned to go through the motion against Pacquiao. He’s wiser then than I care to imagine. So much for being undefeated.
In reality, Marquez will pretty much once again suffer the pain and humiliation of losing to Pacquiao. There should be no shame in that – it’s just that real champions demand so much from themselves. It’s a better poison though than the pill Mayweather will constantly swallow – enduring the shame of denying destiny’s call and going thru the rest of his life not knowing.
Just who is the better man?
Well, Victor Ortiz might have a say on that if Mayweather is too far gone. This is boxing after all where anything can happen so long as you keep on punching.
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