I am certain we all have our share of competitiveness. And with that, our own experiences with defeat.
But… to be robbed of something that you have earned wholeheartedly is something entirely different.
It’s like Al Gore losing to Bush in 2000. (Gore was robbed of the Presidency, let’s be clear about that.) Or when David Stern did Chris Paul and the Lakers dirty this year. Or, when Cleveland lost LeBron, and Dan Gilbert now has to eat his words.
And we’re actually looking at perhaps the biggest robbery of all – boxing fans not getting to see Floyd Mayweather pony up and fight Manny Pacquiao.
Michael Buffer, on that fateful Saturday fight night, uttered the words… “And NEW.”
You don’t really hear anything after that.
This is the base of how I can understand and feel for Manny Pacquiao.
With how he was blatantly robbed this past Saturday. With how the sport blew up on Twitter with the hashtag #RIPboxing associated with it. With how a win was taken away from a man who carries the pride of an entire Nation.
An ENTIRE NATION!
Not to mention that he has, to quote Emmanuel Stuart, “been the face of the sport for the last 10 or so years.”
I saw the fight in a friend’s living room with about at least 30 people, and we were all flabbergasted.The basement of the house had another 15 or so people watching, and it was as quiet as a church.
You could hear a bee buzz, with everyone in utter disbelief.
And then I thought about our conquering hero, and that he got duped. The sinking feeling of having an earned victory taken from you, I remember that pain. I feel worse for him, despite how calm and composed he was after.
As someone who carries the same Filipino blood, and despite the fact that I am obligated to root for the national hero, as a fan of the sport, you can’t help but feel helpless and discouraged.
I understand that in this age of the internet and mass media 24/7 coverage, a lot has already been said. But I bet you, the grief over Twitter does not nearly encompass how Filipinos feel about this, along with boxing purists.
Teddy Atlas, who is one of the best boxing gurus ever, broke the situation down with such passion and succinct expertise, primarily in pointing out that there was a need for a governing body in the sport.
Atlas implored that accountability is needed for the horrific and appalling judging that took place.
And now, more than ever, a system of checks and balances is a necessity if boxing wants to come back from this incredulous turn of events.
Will boxing get it? Probably not.
Not yet anyway.
We can talk about everything that transpired that night. How Pacman won at least 7 rounds, and the majority believes he won 11 of 12.
How Tim Bradley, who now holds a title that he did not win, apparently told Top Rank Chief Bob Arum that he “just couldn’t beat” Pacquiao.
How names such as Oscar De La Hoya, Max Kellerman, Jim Lampley, Emmanuel Stewart, Roy Jones, Jr., among other boxing authorities all agreed that there was no way Bradley won this fight. Or how one of the judges, Duane Ford, tried to explain how he scored the fight. And how he sounded incredibly ridiculous in doing so.
But, the damage has been done. For shame.
And how does boxing rectify itself from this? A sport that has already been competing for popularity with the rise of Dana White‘s MMA pay-per-views with the ever-successful Ultimate Fighting Championships.
Boxing breathed its last on this day. And there’s no resurrection in sight, sans the fight we all want to see.
In the meantime, we continue to mourn the loss, and while there seems to be no happy resolution in the immediate future, I hope that in some way or form, PacMan gets to right this abomination. Either by knocking out Bradley in a rematch, but more justifiably, with an overturning of the decision.
#PacShet
