“If this were American Idol, without a doubt, Manny Pacquiao would have won. But it was not. I gave an honest opinion,” said Duane Ford who scored the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley 115-113 to give the split decision to Bradley.
But the long time boxing judge has a point, maybe it should be more like American Idol.
The Pacquiao-Bradley fight, in this day-in-age of technology and pundits , will likely go down as one of the most, if not THE MOST, outrageous doctorings of a prize fight in history. It led SportsCenter the morning after Celtics-Heat Game 7, Stanley Cup Game 5, and the Belmont Stakes occurred.
It shone a black light on a sport that was previously in the dark, but making the travesty and downfall even more glaring and noticeable.
The fight is being reviewed by the WBO, but likely little is to happen. It would be a problem deemed unfixable. A rematch is inevitable, there is a clause in Pacquiao’s contract that entitles him to an immediate second fight, one that will likely gain twice the buzz of the first. But the second fight should be different.
What the sports lacks is star power, most noticably, inside the ropes. And besides beating their heads against the wall, or as Bradley likes to call it “Round 4 with Manny”, they should alter the guidelines of the artbirator. Give the people a reason to watch, with a phone line for them to vote with operators standing by.
You couldn’t replace Michael Buffer with Ryan Seacrest, but rather Simon Cowell for Duane Ford.
Bring in former boxers, athletes, celebrities, and even a few commentators ringside and let them watch the event. It’s “boxing”, not technical “Flamenco”. Everyone has seen a schoolyard scrap, and it’s no real secret, to those watching, who won. Take 9 scores, drop the high and the low and count them up.
What is the harm in that, besides what will occur inside the ropes. Bring stars to the ring, even if they won’t be the ones squaring off.
Boxing is old, it’s lost the raw edge, Pacquiao-Bradley was the final thing you saw before it all went black. It might be down for the count, or it could be up for it.
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