The choices we make
What's this I hear about Manny Pacquiao being penciled to fight Jeff Horn this April? Jeff who? Horn. He's a fighter from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia with a record of 16-0, 11KOs.
He's apparently ingratiated himself to some WBO boxing executives who saw him fit to be ranked no. 2 at the welterweight division.
The best names on his hitlist are Ali Funeka and Randall Bailey. Funeka is a 38 year old journeyman who once lost via TKO to a fighter named Tsiko Mulhovhedzi with a record of 9 wins, 7 losses and 3 draws.
And Bailey? Yes, of course hardcore fans know him, but susmaryosep, at 42, he's just a year younger than this Last Rounder.
SIGNS. I'm curious about how they will package this fight. Obviously this is a huge opportunity for Horn, a former schoolteacher, but what does that say about Manny's stature and standing now that he's on the comeback trail?
Horn looks to be a tough, gritty fighter and from the clips that I have seen, he will make for a good opponent for Pacquiao.
Having said that, being a good opponent is just a polite way of saying he's perfect fodder for the Pacman. Horn comes forward bringing the fight with nary a regard for defense, never mind head movement. He'll probably give the Pacman a few good rounds before being chomped down to bite size pieces.
LETDOWN. This fight however has enormous potential to be a huge financial success especially in Australia.
But from a legacy standpoint this does nothing to enhance Pacquiao's body of work. We've seen him dispatch of enough Jeff Horns of the boxing world as he was coming up. We don't need to see more of that now that he's on the way down.
Of course, it's all about the money too and I can understand that. I'm not one to begrudge a fellow father from making an honest payday. But Pacquiao should remember that he's no ordinary fighter and his fans expect him to fight the best talent out there.
At the end of the day, how we will be remembered will be distilled by some of the choices we make. And by the way Sen. Pacquiao, I don't want to hear anymore of that ".. para sa bayan ang laban na ito" bulletin. Let's keep it real, shall we? LAST ROUNDS. Speaking of Australia, it's on lovely couple Romeo and Em-em Hapin who used to be nearby but now live happily "down under". Cheers!