By Romeo Roblesod– The world eagerly awaited the superfight between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Floyd “Money” Mayweather to be finalized. However, we were sorely disappointed to learn that the bout unraveled due to a blood testing dispute. Despite the efforts of both sides to resolve the conflict, boxing fans are left with a bout between Pacquiao and Joshua “The Grandmaster” Clottey. At first glance, it feels like the boxing public was swindled out of a sports car and left with a family sedan. It’s a situation that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. We were promised greatness, but we were left with two men that couldn’t settle their differences. Despite the obvious letdown, the Pacquiao-Clottey fight provides some excitement.
It is an important bout for the welterweight division because it clears up any doubt surrounding WBO welterweight championship. Last June, Clottey and Cotto fought their hearts out in a memorable fight.. We saw Clottey enter the ring above 170 lbs, but go down in round one. A cut over Cotto’s eye opened up in the third round due to a clash of heads, which severely hindered his ability to fight and made the memory of his bout with Margarito flash before our eyes. The fight was back and forth throughout, and ended in a split decision. Many ring side observers felt that Clottey won the fight and the WBO championship. If Cotto wasn’t set to fight Pacquiao in a November fight, then there would most likely have been a rematch. Consequently, the Pacquiao-Clottey fight clears up any smoke concerning the WBO championship. Moreover, the fight could potentially pit a 170 lb. Clottey against a 147 lb. Pacquiao on fight night, as Clottey has been known to rehydrate up to much higher weights. The effects of the weight differential could be devastating. Can the Filipino phenomenon have the same effects against a 30 lb. advantage or can “The Grandmaster” muscle around the smaller man and assert his larger dominance? It should be noted that he thoroughly dominated Zab Judah, and many consider Judah to be a poor man’s version of Pacquiao.
Of course, many will assert that alphabet titles are trivial and that clearing up the true champion of the WBO is unnecessary. However, the potential result of this and the Berto-Mosley fight scheduled for Jan. 30 could produce a unified champion of three of the major belts and possibly include the Ring Magazine title as well. When was the last time that a champion held three of the true titles and the ring title?
Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins are the names that come to mind. Perhaps there are others later, but that condition is negligible. The fact of the matter is if Shane Mosley faces Manny Pacquiao we may have WBO, WBA, WBC, and Ring Welterweight Champion. This condition is history at any time. A 38 year old Mosley could be a true unified champion in one of the more stacked divisions of our generation, or a former flyweight champion could make history and maybe make his claim as one of the top five boxers of all time. Or could Berto or Clottey stake their claim as a unified champion and stun the world? The potential result of these two matches could be historic.
The potential Pacquiao-Mayweather fight would have been historic and a fight worthy of comparison to the ultimate American sporting event, the Superbowl. It would have shattered all sorts of PPV records and created a compelling storyline too. However, the welterweight division can still potentially produce a historic bout later this year. The boxing public also shouldn’t dismiss the hard work of Joshua Clottey, Andre Berto, or Shane Mosley because it wants to see a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown. In a sport where money consistently makes the difference, the prospects of a true unified champion shouldn’t get lost beneath the Ben Franklins and bright lights of Vegas.