Manny Pacquiao waved goodbye to boxing Saturday night the way he said hello 15 years ago: Fists flying and with that trademark ear-to-ear smile.
Pacquiao put the finishing touches on his Hall of Fame career with a workmanlike, if not spectacular, unanimous decision victory against Timothy Bradley before a partisan crowd at the MGM Grand. He knocked an athletic fighter known for staying on his feet down twice. Bradley has lost two fights in his career, both to Pacquiao. Most believe it should have been three.
There were no excuses from Bradley. “I got beat by a legend,” he said.
TRILOGY, CAREER OVER: Pacquiao beats Bradley again
So boxing has lost its two biggest stars in a matter of nine months. Floyd Mayweather hung up his gloves in September, and now Pacquiao will fly back to the Philippines, very likely be elected Senator, and maybe a few years down the road run for president.
If I were a betting man, I would put money down that neither man will stay retired. As Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach said Saturday night, boxing is a very difficult sport to quit. The fame, fortune and adulation, especially in the case of Mayweather and Pacquiao, who regularly earned $20-30 million per fight, or much more, is a hard thing to say no to.
But Mayweather insists he’s happily retired, and Pacquiao said about coming back on Saturday night: “I don’t know because I might enjoy retired life. I’m not there yet so I don’t know what the feeling is. And I committed to my family and I made my decision already, although if you ask me about the condition of my body, my body’s OK.”
Does that sound like a man sure about his future?
ROGERS: Pacquiao walks away while he’s still at high level
Boxing’s past is littered with great fighters who stuck around too long. Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, and (still fighting at 47) Roy Jones Jr. are a few who come to mind. Bernard Hopkins was fully capable of fighting at 50, so he doesn’t count.
Ironically, both Mayweather and Pacquiao retired, if not at the top of their games, then close to it. And with their faculties intact. They were two of the biggest pay-per-view attractions the sport has seen. Pacquiao has perhaps the greatest global following since Ali.
Boxing can’t help but miss these superstars. Did they retire too early? Will they come back again, like so many others have done before them? Time will answer those questions.
And time will answer the question of who is waiting in the wings to replace them.
If the sport could put an ad in the newspaper seeking a new legend it might read like this: Wanted: Budding superstar desperately needed to become new face of boxing. Must be confident, charismatic, charming; must possess power, passion and personality. High school education and grasp of English language a plus, but not required. Only qualified candidates need apply.
Boxing has no shortage of qualified candidates. If you watched Showtime Saturday afternoon, you saw one in Anthony Joshua. The British heavyweight (16-0, 16 KOs) knocked out Charles Martin in less than two rounds to become the new IBF champ. He possesses all the attributes in the want-ad. One word comes to mind with Joshua: Wow!
And don’t forget another British heavyweight, new lineal champ Tyson Fury. He’s 6-9, undefeated and with a mouth that won’t quit.
There are several other qualified candidates in the running for the job:
Triple G, Gennady Golovkin, who next fights on April 23rd in Los Angeles, has it all, including 21 consecutive knockouts. Not to mention a killer smile. But he’s 34. His fellow Eastern European, light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, has a killer smile that belies his killer instinct in the ring.
Golden Boy’s prize, Canelo Alvarez, 26, has many of the attributes necessary, not to mention that spectacular shock of red hair. The Mexican superstar has global appeal, but would help himself by learning to speak English better. He will open the new arena in Las Vegas to boxing on May 7 against Amir Khan.
Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions unveiled three potential faces of the sport Saturday night, all of Mexican descent:
Gilberto Ramirez, the tall, handsome, undefeated masher from Mazatlan (34-0, 24 KOs), shut out veteran European champion Arthur Abraham to become the first Mexican to win a belt at 168 pounds.
Two-time Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez (20-0, 17 KOs), looks like a young Mayweather but with power as he took care of Evgeny Gradovich with an early TKO. And the handsome Valdez speaks fluent English.
Jose Ramirez, a former U.S. Olympian trained by Roach, has looks, power, the requisite undefeated record (17-0, 12 KOs) plus this bonus on his resume: He is an advocate for the Hispanic farm workers of Central California, and for bringing more water to the parched fields there that could potentially affect all of the U.S.
Another Top Rank prospect that has everything going for him is Puerto Rican star-in-the-making Felix Verdejo. There’s not much not to like with this kid.
In the heavyweight division, undefeated knockout artist Deontay Wilder of the Premier Boxing Champions oozes charisma and has a knockout punch heard round the world. The Alabaman is the great hope of the U.S. in a suddenly rich heavyweight division. Other PBC fighters include young former Olympian Errol Spence, WBA welterweight champ and knockout artist Keith Thurman and new WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia, each of whom has skills, charisma and power.
Omaha’s 140-pound champ Terence Crawford is a little on the quiet side but his skills are undeniable. The 2014 fighter of the year might be Top Rank’s biggest attraction with Pacquiao out of the picture.
And don’t forget the last U.S. boxer to win an Olympic gold medal, Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KOs). He has been involved in a terrible contract squabble for a few years, but he handles himself well in and out of the ring.
Boxing seems to be in good hands even with the Mayweather and Pacquiao eras in our rear-view mirror. Let the stars come out.
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