SPORTS SHORTS 110: MANNY PACQUIAO WANTS LAS VEGAS FAREWELL FIGHT
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 21 Apr 2021
World Boxing News first reported that former eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao wanted to bid farewell to Las Vegas this year by having his final fight in the boxing capital of the world. At one point, a match up with Mikey Garcia at the MGM Grand as a farewell to the famous Nevada was likely to happen.
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But with the pandemic’s unpredictable and wavering atmosphere, those targets may have to modify if the Filipino sports icon will have to face Terence Crawford as an alternative. Reports are widespread that Top Rank has offered Pacquiao the opportunity to fight Crawford in the Middle East on June 5.
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This plot would wreck the lengthy talks with the Garcia camp. Crawford’s trainer Brian McIntyre has now confirmed that the Middle East fight will be the only recourse for Crawford due to the financial difficulties during these times.
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So, if Pacquiao is willing to accept Crawford’s offer, the Las Vegas dream finale will be dilly-dallied until at least the end of this year.
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On June 23, 2001, Pacquiao made his U.S. debut at the MGM Grand scoring an upset knockout victory over Lehlo Ledwaba to win the IBF junior featherweight title on the Oscar De La Hoya-Javier Castillejo undercard.
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Ledwaba was very popular having defended his belt five times before going into this title fight, with some experts foreseeing stardom for the South African. Pacquiao accepted the fight on two-week’s notice as a replacement and was relatively an unknown fighter that time.
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The disparity in the odds against Pacquiao were so huge that casinos in Las Vegas reportedly would not accept bets on the fight. Ledwaba from Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa was the overwhelming favorite.
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Fans in droves may have witnessed the card to see Oscar De La Hoya fighting Javier Castillejo of Parla, Spain in the main event, but 22-year-old Pacquiao stole the show, releasing his outlandish mixture of hand and foot quickness, back-and-forth maneuver plus murderous left blow.
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The unwary Ledwaba was sent to the mat once in the second and twice more in the sixth, prompting referee Joe Cortez to cautiously waive the fight off with Ledwaba lying on his back and the crowd standing on their feet unbelievably seeing the birth of Pacman's stardom in Las Vegas.
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“I had never seen him,” TV analyst Larry Merchant commented in amazing fashion. “And frankly I’d never heard of him. But I’ve seen and heard of him now. And I want to see him again.”
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Then Pacquiao fought 21 times in Las Vegas against Lehlo Ledwaba, Juan Manuel Marquez (four times), Érik Morales (thrice), Marco Antonio Barrera, David Díaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Timothy Bradley (thrice), Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jessie Vargas, Adrien Broner, and Keith Thurman.
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Pacquiao is most likely targeting just two more boxing matches before joining the race for the Presidency in 2022.
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If his fight with Crawford would be realized, then the senator has to choose between Las Vegas and the Philippines for his goodbye match.
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McIntyre seemed to state that Crawford would fight outside the US, with or without Pacquiao as the opponent. “We’re going to fight on June 5th,” McIntyre told Town Bizznizz on YouTube. “We’re looking at the Middle East. We got a couple of opponents on the chopping block."
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“I can’t say right now. But Terence Crawford is definitely going to go through in the Middle East. That’s where all big money is, right? We’re almost at the end of his career."
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McIntyre said Bud probably got a couple of years left. So he has to maximize the star-power that he still possess and get the guys that he wants. “If it’s Pacquiao, if it’s Spence, if it’s Porter if it’s Ortiz. Whoever it is. If they don’t like it, I can’t do too much about it."
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He added that the fans want certain fights, but sometimes the stars don’t submit themselves for those fights to happen. Sometimes these stars do line up like Bud’s next fight.
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“As we’re looking at it, it might be Pacquiao. Or it might be the next biggest 140-pound fighter that is coming up in the division. Let the man fight. That’s all we want to do. Let him prove he’s the best man in the division. Let him take on all challengers and knock him down as he comes in," concluded McIntyre.
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Stephen Curry sank 10 3-pointers and finished with 49 points, as he led the Golden State Warriors to a 107-96 win over the Eastern Conference leader Philadelphia 76ers. It was in the fourth quarter when Curry sparked his team to torch the Sixers.
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Golden State was behind 82-81 when Curry rejoined his teammates with 6:54 left in the game. He scored 20 points throughout the remainder of the quarter and hit some difficult 3-pointers that sealed the win for the Warriors.
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The first Olympics to include female athletes was the 1900 Games in Paris. Hélène de Pourtalès of Switzerland became the first woman to participate at the Olympic Games and became the first female Olympic champion, as a member of the winning team in the first 1 to 2 ton sailing event on May 22, 1900.
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British Charlotte Cooper became the first female individual champion by winning the women's singles tennis on July 11. Tennis and golf were the only sports where women could compete individually. There were 22 women who competed at the 1900 Games, which were 2.2% of all the competitors.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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