It was pretty obvious, wasn’t it? (It always is) …
In the scheme of things, I was an avid fan of boxing in my youth. I regularly watched boxing bouts on the box, I went to big promotions by Mickey Duff, Jarvis Astaire and Frank Warren in and around London and – with some pals of like mind – I ran a small-circulation magazine devoted to the Noble Art.
However, I had one fatal flaw that might be considered odd for a follower of the sport. For all my knowledge and reading about it, I was a pretty hopeless caller of the outcomes of major bouts. At one stage this reached such a run of ignominious failure that I actively thought carefully through all the factors involved in an upcoming fight, picked my likely winner …. and then deliberately announced the opponent as my predicted winner! As my dear old Dad used to say, “The next best thing to having someone who makes good decisions on your team is to have someone who always gets ’em wrong – that way, you get to learn what not to do when an important decision has to be taken!”
All that said, as regards the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight, which took place in Las Vegas in the wee hours of this morning, I did call that one correctly.
There’s a well-worn boxing principle that ‘A good big ‘un beats a good little ‘un’ and on this occasion I could see no way past it.
According to the Radio Five Live commentary of Mike Costello and Steven Bunce this morning, I was right not to do so.
Both protagonists are past their best now, and Manny Pacquiao – depsite being the younger – is probably starting to lose his hunger for the fight game more.
I was rooting for Pacquiao, of course. I don’t respond to the Floyd Mayweather style of fighter. Yes, a surpremely-talented boxer, but he’s a clever, slick, counter-puncher who frustrates opponents and then wears them down. I haven’t seen more than a couple of his professional bouts by specific choice simply because I prefer pugilists who ‘go to war’.
It appears this ridiculously-hyped ‘Fight of The Century’ was a bit of a snore-fest, certainly for those who paid top dollar to be there. Mayweather won by the proverbial street and it was effectively all-over, done and dusted by Round Seven as far as the result went.
Pity, that.
