Pacquiao-Mosley: The Event

Special to TopRank.com

By Thomas Hauser

Editor’s Note: This is the final article in a four-part series by Hauser examining the May 7th welterweight title fight between champ Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. The first three entries are availableHERE and HERE and HERE.

There was no catchy title like “Gory Glory” or “The Brawl for it All.” The May 7th fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley was for the WBO welterweight crown, but that was a footnote. The event was marketed simply as Pacquiao-Mosley, although PACQUIAO-Mosley might have been more appropriate. It was a Manny Pacquiao fight. That was what mattered.

In recent years, Pacquiao has taken on a Superman-like persona. The ability to fight for survival was ingrained in him as a child. In the ring, he attacks with savage fury. He has achieved greatness as a fighter. But unlike many superstars who rise from poverty to glorious heights, Pacquiao is appreciative of those who helped him along the way and truly grateful for what he has now.

People hang on Manny’s every word. He uplifts them with his presence and treats them like he wants to be treated: The Golden Rule. He goes to great lengths to avoid disappointing anyone. There’s no macho swaggering. Each day, he seems enchanted by the wonder of the road he has traveled.

Unlike Mike Tyson (whose fights were “events” with an ugly undercurrent), Pacquiao brings an aura of good will to the proceedings. The mood on site at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was upbeat throughout fight week. Bob Arum hosted the proceedings, telling the assembled media that Tecate (a fight sponsor) is “a terrific beer” and Pacquiao is “the greatest superstar in boxing since Muhammad Ali.”

There were five hundred applications for media credentials; many of them from what Top Rank director of publicity Lee Samuels called “premier press.” Tickets went on sale on January 31st and sold out soon after. Pacquiao was guaranteed a $20,000,000 minimum purse; Mosley, $5,000,000.

The respective trainers — Freddie Roach (Pacquiao) and Naazim Richardson (Mosley) – were part of the story-line. Each is respected and popular in the boxing community.

“Pacquiao fights like [Floyd] Mayweather talks,” Richardson told the media. “Believe me; we understand that Pacquiao is a problem. I could tell you all these things that Pacquiao has and praise him to the sky, but it’s easier if I tell you this. The only attribute in boxing that Manny Pacquiao doesn’t have is height and range. Everything else, man, he’s got it all. He’s got great ring generalship. He’s got movement, speed, power, one-punch power, combination punching.”

When asked if Mosley’s sparring partners offered a reasonable facsimile of Pacquiao, Naazim responded, “The last fighter I saw who fought like Pacquiao was Aaron Pryor. If anyone was fighting like Pacquiao, they’d be off somewhere defending their own title. They wouldn’t have time to come to our camp.”

Meanwhile, Roach praised his opposite number, saying, “Naazim is a very good trainer. He’s experienced. He knows how to get to his fighters. He brings out the best in people. It’s a great challenge for me to come up with a better game plan than he does.”

Richardson and Roach share the bond of having battled through physical disabilities.

Richardson has recovered from a stroke suffered three years ago.

Roach has Parkinson’s disease. He takes medication three times a day and receives botox injections in his neck every three months to control the symptoms. “The progression has been slow,” he says. “I know how to handle it. I don’t let it get in my way.”

Despite his illness, Freddie is far from frail. Constant gym-work has given him biceps that Popeye would envy.

Like most fighters, Roach comes from a hard place. “My father was a mean guy,” he says. “He taught us killer instinct. If you’re in a fight, you’re in it to win. If you hurt somebody, finish him off. That’s the way he ran the household. There was fear when you were around him.”

One day before Pacquiao-Mosley, Freddie was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America for the fifth time as its “Trainer of the Year.”

Pacquiao calls Roach “master” and “my big brother.”

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (who Freddie also trains) refers to Bob Arum as “the Freddie Roach of promoters.”

“I have a lot of Eddie in me,” Roach says, referring to the legendary Eddie Futch (who trained Freddie as a fighter and took him on as an apprentice when his ring career was done). “I know how to train a fighter. But when the bell rings, I sit down and Manny is the one who fights. It’s about Manny, not me. I have the best job in the world, If you want to call this a job. I have the best life in the world. I ask myself sometimes, “Is this really happening to me?”

Mosley could have been forgiven for asking himself the same question. Once again, despite a career highlighted by two victories over Oscar De La Hoya, he was the B-side in a super-fight, the other guy, the opponent.

“Shane Mosley is pretty much the forgotten man in this media circus,” Rick Folstad wrote shortly before Pacquiao-Mosley. “After all, this is the Manny Pacquiao Hour; a one-man act that doesn’t have room for a sidekick. Mosley is just a little trimming, extra frosting, a guy left out in the cold, peering through a greasy window at the celebration he never got invited to. It almost feels like he’s an afterthought in this fight, someone who was needed to fill an empty chair when they started snapping photos for the history books.”

Pacquiao treated Mosley with respect. “He knocked [Antonio] Margarito out,” Manny said at the final pre-fight press conference. “I fought Margarito and we finished twelve rounds; so advantage to him for that.”

Naazim Richardson addressed the matter of Shane’s age (39), saying, “There’s a difference between a legendary fighter who has age and an old boxer. When special gets old, you can still be extraordinary.”

And Mosley noted, “Margarito landed the most punches ever on Manny Pacquiao. If Margarito is fast enough to land punches on Manny Pacquiao, then I know I’m fast enough to land punches on Manny Pacquiao. My thing right now is to get the win. We can talk about my being the underdog afterward.”

But Shane was a 7-1/2 to 1 underdog for a reason.

Several reasons, actually. Pacquiao is a great fighter. And the prevailing view during fight week was that Mosley looked older than he had before his previous two outings (a loss to Mayweather and a draw against Sergio Mora).

“I think I can still do all the things in the ring that I could do five years ago,” Shane said three days before Pacquiao-Mosley.

Not many people believed him. The question of the week was not who would win, but whether or not Pacquiao would knock Mosley out.

“The biggest mistake a trainer can make is to think that his fighter can’t be beaten,” Roach cautioned. “If you just walk into Shane and attack him, he’ll counterpunch the hell out of you, and he has knockout power.”

“I lay in bed last night, trying to fall asleep,” Freddie acknowledged on Thursday morning.  “I was asking myself, ‘Is he going to try to box us?  Bang with us?  Will he go to the ropes and try to sucker us in?  I ran through every scenario that might happen. And when I’d gone through them all, I fell asleep.”

But Roach was confident. “I don’t think Shane can handle the pace that Manny will set for him,” Freddie said. “Shane is a tough guy, a very durable guy. But like most fighters, Shane is at his best when he’s faster than the other guy. He wasn’t against Mayweather and he won’t be against Manny. I’ve never seen a fighter with the combination of speed and power that Manny has. It’s like an explosion when he hits you. I think Manny will knock him out.”

Expectations run high for Pacquiao each time he steps into the ring. It’s an article of faith among the faithful that he can’t lose.

Meanwhile, the Pacquiao Circus, Manny’s Magic Mystery Tour – call it what you will – rolled on.

Early in the promotion, while Shane was at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, Pacquiao and his wife were meeting with Barack Obama at the White House in the Oval Office.

“I told him,'”Mr. President; I heard you like basketball,'” Manny later recounted. “And President Obama told me, ‘I like boxing too.’ I invited him to this fight, but he said he cannot come.”

Most superstar fighters isolate themselves during fight week. Except for contractually-mandated promotional appearances, they shut out the outside world.

Pacquiao took an opposite tack. Sporting a Justin Bieber hair-style (he prefers to think of as evocative of Bruce Lee), he was remarkably accessible in Las Vegas.

“I never worry about Manny once he gets to work,” Roach said. “It’s the ‘getting him to work’ part I worry about. There’s always distractions. There are days where I get fed up with all the craziness. Fortunately, Manny is such a hard worker that, once we get going, everything is fine.”

Pacquiao, in turn, says of his many outside-the-ring activities, “They are only distractions if you allow them to distract you.”

Manny spent several hours on Wednesday night rehearsing for a planned post-fight concert and took advantage of every opportunity during the week to plug his new musical release: Sometimes When We Touch, recorded with Dan Hill.

“I feel happy every time I hear music,” he said.

Roach was less pleased.

“I went to Manny’s room at eleven o’clock last night,” the trainer groused on Thursday morning. “There were guys in there filming a TV show. I wasn’t happy about it. I said, ‘Manny; you have to go to bed.’ Don’t these people understand that he’s fighting in two nights in the biggest fight of the year?”

Pacquiao-Mosley was Showtime’s biggest fight since Holyfield-Tyson II in 1997 (not counting Lewis-Tyson, which was a joint venture with HBO). Thus, Pacquiao was shadowed for much of the week by aFight Camp 360 film crew whose members wore black T-shirts with red lettering on the back that read, “Waiting for Manny.” That was a reference to the phenomenon known as “Pacquiao time” (chronic lateness caused by stopping to pose for photographs and sign autographs for fans).

The Fight Camp 360 crew was in attendance on Thursday at 1:00 PM, when Pacquiao began a nine-interview satellite-TV tour. Sitting in dressing room #1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena (which had been turned into a darkened television studio), Manny patiently answered questions and repeated familiar themes.

“I do my best to give a good fight to the people . . . I’m always motivated to do my best for the fans . . . It is never personal between me and my opponent. We are just doing our job.”

“Why haven’t we seen a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight?”

“Something is wrong with him. For some reason, he doesn’t want the fight. I don’t know why.”

“How do you see your place in boxing history?”

“I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved in boxing. I don’t have to compare myself with anyone else.”

“What do you think about mixed martial arts?”

“For me, MMA is too brutal. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I think boxing is the best.”

“Tell us about the new Manny Paquiao cologne.”

“The cologne is good,” Manny said with a twinkle in his eye. “You can smell like Manny Pacquiao.”

Then Pacquiao moved down the corridor to meet with the Showtime and Top Rank announcing teams. Al Bernstein, Gus Johnson, Antonio Tarver, Jim Gray, James Brown, Barry Tompkins, Rich Marotta, and Steve Farhood were there.

How would he feel if he lost on Saturday night?

“Losing sucks. It has happened to me, so I know. And it would be worse now because so many people are hoping for me. I don’t want to disappoint them.”

“Do you think you’re a great fighter?”

“That’s what people say.”

“Can you get better?”

“I think so.”

Then came the all-but-mandatory question about Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I’m happy with what I have done in boxing,” Pacquiao answered. “If that fight happens, good. If that fight does not happen, I’m okay with that.”

“Is there anything more you can do to get Mayweather to fight you?”

A smile crossed Manny’s face.

“I could pick up the phone and call him and say, ‘Floyd; I’m tired of people asking me when are we going to fight. Let’s do it.'”

“Have you thought about doing that?”

“That’s my promoter’s job to do.”

The weigh-in on Friday was open to the public. Fans began lining up at five o’clock in the morning. By the time Pacquiao and Mosley stepped on the scales shortly after 3:00 PM, all six thousand seats were taken.

One wondered if there might come a time when all of the hopes, dreams, expectations, and demands that have been placed on Pacquiao’s shoulders become an unsupportable burden.

*

On Saturday night, Freddie Roach arrived at dressing room #2 at 5:20 PM. He and assistant Billy Keane moved a table from mid-room to a far corner. Then the trainer emptied out his carry bag, arranging the tools of his trade on the table. Gauze, tape, scissors, warm-up mitts . . .

At 5:30, Roach fashioned six “ligaments” (strips of tape rolled vertically so they resemble sticks of incense) that would be placed between Manny’s fingers when the fighter’s hands were wrapped.

“I know I’m wasting my time,” Freddie said. “Naazim will make me re-roll them, but I feel like doing it now. I told Manny this afternoon, no matter how your hands are wrapped, Naazim will make a fuss. He does it every time. He’ll complain to the inspector. He’ll ask for the head of the commission to come in and make a ruling. All he wants is to get the two of us excited. Don’t let it bother you.”

Roach smiled.

“Manny told me, ‘Don’t worry; I don’t get excited.’ That’s true. I don’t see how he handles everything, but he does. I went to Manny’s room last night. The corridor outside the room was jammed. I asked the hotel security guys, ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ They told me that Manny said the people outside the room could stay. Then I went inside his room, and it was more crowded than the corridor.”

“It doesn’t stop,” Freddie continued. “This afternoon, I was in Manny’s room. He had a seating chart of the arena and a pile of tickets on his bed. Five hours before the fight, and he’s worrying about who’s sitting where.”

Keane went to Mosley’s dressing room to watch Naazim Richardson tape Shane’s hands.

Manny arrived at 6:35. There were fewer entourage members with him than is usually the case when he fights. Security at the MGM Grand was more stringent than at previous Pacquiao outings. But space in the dressing room was tight because of the presence of three camera crews representing Showtime, the Manny Pacquiao website, and an independent documentary production.

Manny went into the bathroom. Jim Gray entered to conduct a pre-fight interview.

“Manny is in the bathroom,” a cameraman informed the Showtime production team in the truck . . . “I just heard the toilet flush . . . I hear water running. I think he’s washing his hands.”

Pacquiao returned. Jim Gray conducted the interview. A cameraman whacked his camera against Manny’s shoulder. Roach winced.

At 6:50, a Nevada State Athletic Commission inspector asked for a urine sample.

“I just peed,” Pacquiao told him.

Manny looked toward his physical conditioner, Alex Ariza, for help.

“I’m not in charge of peeing,” Ariza said.

“Right now, I cannot pee,” Manny advised the inspector.

“Not a problem,” the inspector responded. “”Let us know when you’re ready.”

“There was another interview; this one for Top Rank’s international television feed.

Pacquiao took off his shirt and pants. As he disrobed, he seemed to grow larger.

Three cameras were within arm’s reach with a boom microphone overhead. Manny is used to thirty friends inhabiting every nook and cranny of his dressing room. This was different. The television lights were on constantly. The room was hot; the area around him, claustrophobic.

He put on his trunks, socks, and boxing shoes.

At 7:00 o’clock, Michael Koncz (Pacquiao’s lead adviser) came into the room with Harry Reid (the senior United States senator from Nevada) and Sig Rogich (a political power broker).

“How are you, Congressman?” Reid inquired.

Brief pleasantries followed.

Five minutes later, Naazim Richardson entered and Pacquiao (as is his custom) began wrapping his own hands. When an extra hand was needed, cornerman Miguel Diaz assisted in the process.

Richardson was uncharacteristically unintrusive.

After Diaz applied the first ligament, Naazim pointed to the second one. “Can I look at that, please.”

Roach handled the ligament to Richardson, who flexed it back and forth.

“Okay,” he offered.

At 7:38, the taping was done.

“Thank you, gentleman,” Richardson said.

There had been no gamesmanship. Perhaps that was out of respect for Pacquiao and the fact that Manny had done most of the wrapping himself. Or maybe Richardson simply felt that everything had been done in compliance with the rules.           

Referee Kenny Bayless entered and gave Pacquiao his pre-fight instructions . . . There were stretching exercises . . . Shadow-boxing . . . Padwork . . . A prayer . . . Then the fight.

16,412 fans had gathered inside the arena. The atmosphere was electric when the bell for round one rang.

The electricity was soon short-circuited.

Mosley tried to survive rather than win the fight. He started cautiously, keeping his distance, making Pacquiao come to him. Initially, one had the impression that he was looking to land a big counter off a Pacquiao mistake. That ran contrary to the prevailing view that Shane’s best chance to win was to force a firefight, land something big, and outmuscle Manny on the inside.

But as the rounds passed, it became clear that Shane had something else in mind.

“I’m going to fight hard,” he’d said before the fight. “Everybody knows that.”

He didn’t.

More than most fighters, Pacquiao tests his opponent’s resolve. How do you fight a hurricane?

Before long, it was apparent that Mosley wanted a sparring session, not a memorable fight. According to the Sports Media Technology statistics, he threw only five “power punches” per round and a mere five combinations during the entire bout.

The pattern was the same throughout. Pacquiao stalking. Shane on his bike. There were few highlights. A straight left hand put Mosley on the canvas in round three. In round ten, referee Kenny Bayless mistakenly ruled that a trip to the canvas caused by the entanglement of feet was a knockdown in Shane’s favor (he later apologized to Pacquiao for the mistake).

In sum, it was a disappointing effort on Mosley’s part. He fought a safety-first fight. Also, safety second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and on through the end of round twelve. As David Greisman wrote, “Shane struck out looking instead of going down swinging.” Or phrased differently, he mailed it in and put insufficient postage on the envelope.

The judges differed in their treatment of the tenth round (when Pacquiao visited the canvas). That accounted for the 120-107, 120-108, and 119-108 variation in scoring.

“I feel bad for the people,” Manny said afterward. “The people want a good fight, exchanging a lot of punches. That’s what I want. Mosley was always running. Every time I want to throw a lot of punches, he goes away. I was expecting him to fight me at least five rounds of the twelve [translation: I was hoping for a fifth-round knockout]. I want him to go toe-to-toe with me, so we can give a good fight. But he feel my power and did not want to go toe-to-toe. What could I do?”

Roach was more blunt.

“One guy tried to win the fight and one guy didn’t,” Freddie offered. “Mosley just tried to survive. When you get to that point in boxing, it’s time to call it a day. If you go into a fight, especially a fight as big as this one, and don’t try to win, you’re done.”

Mosley’s admirers will say that Shane has enjoyed a illustrious career and has nothing left prove.

That’s good, because he’s not likely to prove much anymore. Once an elite fighter accepts being an opponent, the good part of his career is over.

As for the future; the world wants to see Pacquiao-Mayweather. But Floyd has studiously avoided that fight and, presumably, will continue to do so in the months ahead. Boxing’s former pound-for-pound king has been reduced to “tweeting” his followers, offering them YouTube links to Pacquiao’s three losses, and advising them that he spent the night of May 7th watching a Lady Gaga concert on HBO.

Thus, Pacquiao’s next opponent will most likely be Juan Manuel Marquez.

And after that?

“Manny is transitioning more and more into politics,” Roach says. “He wants to be as successful in politics as he has been in boxing. I think you’re looking at two more years, two fights a year, and then he’s gone. If he continues doing things the way he has been, that shouldn’t be a problem. Manny lives a healthy lifestyle in between fights. His work ethic is incredible. He works even harder now than he did when he first came to my gym. I just don’t want him to fight too long.”

Recently, Pacquiao asked Roach, “When I slow down, will you tell me that it’s time to stop?”

“I will,” Freddie promised.

At some point, the magic carpet ride will end. Let’s hope it ends well.

Thomas Hauser can be reached by email at [email protected]. His most recent book (“Waiting For Carver Boyd”) was published by JR Books and can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com.