Floyd and Manny

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is in the Philippines. “Floyd who?” If you lived in a cave for the past couple of decades, you may ask that. But I am a boxing fan, so having the Money man visit the Philippines is an interesting thing for me.

For the longest time, I hated the man, not only because he defeated our very own boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in a match dubbed as the “Fight of the Century” but more so because of some of his objectionable ways. He was jailed for domestic abuse in 2012 and boasts about his earning, calling himself “Money.” I don’t like his defensive style that none of his opponents could solve, allowing him to retire undefeated.

But time has a different way of judging a boxing legend. Years of following Mayweather’s exploits and antics tell me that the man’s “bad boy” image could be just all hype and that deep inside him lurks a misunderstood child. My respect for him actually grew while my admiration for Pacquiao waned in recent years.

Pacquiao is no doubt a legend in international boxing, which is a big feat for a Filipino. But his politics sucks. So too the way he is handling his boxing career as his skills waned. Instead of retiring from boxing and devoting his time to his senatorial duties, he scheduled another fight weeks from now, this time without his mentor, the respected Freddie Roach, in his corner.

Some people say the Pacman is already doing this for the money, not for the love of boxing. That may be true considering that he is a politician. A Filipino could not be a politician for long without money. And we all know how much money is needed to prop up a nationwide campaign. Pacquiao may have earned billions of pesos in boxing, but in politics billions can be small change.

Floyd used to boast about how he is handling the millions (in US dollars) he earned in the boxing ring. I didn’t believe it but years have passed and I haven’t heard reports that Mayweather has followed the path taken by another boxing legend, Mike Tyson, who years ago declared himself bankrupt.

Mayweather is not in the country for a business deal. Reports say he is already in Palawan together with members of his group called TMT (The Money Team) that include some Filipinos. He is obviously on a vacation and the Philippines is but one of his destinations in Asia. He is enjoying the sea and the sights here.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao is starting preparations for his fight against welterweight champ Lucas Matthysse of Argentina. He is known for punishing himself in preparing for fights, but he is no longer at his peak. And his fights no longer attract that much attention like they did before. That’s what happens to boxing legends that overstay their welcome.

When Pacquiao rose to prominence by defeating Lehlo Ledwaba as a super bantamweight, Mayweather was already campaigning as super featherweight. Who would have thought that their paths would cross years later as Pacquiao climbed weights? Floyd is retired and Manny should already have retired. It seems to me like their names will forever be linked.

I started off tilting the balance in favor of Manny. Now for me the balance is tilted in Floyd’s favor. I hope, though, that Manny recovers in the end.