Latest news with #LarryMerchant
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
His political career over, 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring for a world title shot
'Not only boxing, but the world would be better off if every division had a Manny Pacquiao . We'd have peace in the Middle East and global warming would cool off.' That was the tongue-in-cheek appraisal of Manny Pacquiao from HBO 's legendary boxing commentator Larry Merchant in 2006. By the time he made the remarks, Merchant had practically been converted into a disciple of the Filipino fighter. Pacquaio, nicknamed 'Pac-Man', seemed to take the advice literally in the years that followed, winning world titles in a record eight weight classes. He also took Merchant at his word outside the ring, to varying degrees of success and failure. It's not to say self-belief is a bad thing; Pacquiao started life in poverty, selling cigarettes on the streets, only to become a global sports icon and one of the most famous people in the Philippines. In a career of 72 bouts, he won 62 and reportedly banked a nine-figure sum for his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2015. READ MORE All the same, the confidence that helped him achieve glory in the ring has led Pacquiao into some embarrassing side shows. He's been the star of box-office flops and launched a music career that included strained and cringy performances on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show. He also had a stint as player-coach of a basketball team in the Philippines. His most successful side hustle outside of boxing, though, has undoubtedly been politics. Pacquiao's political career was initially promising, due to his fame and charitable reputation. His successful campaigns for the house of representatives in 2010 and then the senate six years later proved that he had plenty of support from voters. This period wasn't all cream and peaches, though. Critics at home lambasted him for missing senate sessions, as he continued to fight across the Pacific. Nike withdrew its sponsorship of Pacquiao in 2016 after he described people in same-sex relationships as 'worse than animals'. His boxing career started to slow up around that time too, with four losses between 2012 and 2017. His final fight came in 2021, a unanimous decision loss against Cuba's Yordenis Ugás. With the presidential election the following year, Pacquiao retired from boxing to focus solely on politics . Four years on, he says he has retired from politics to focus solely on boxing. TGB Promotions president Tom Brown (middle) looks on as Manny Pacquiao (left) and WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios pose ahead of their fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Photograph:For all his fame and popularity, Pacquiao never stood a chance in the presidential race, finishing third, 28 million votes behind the victorious Bongbong Marcos. On the campaign trail, Pacquiao criticised both Bongbong and his old ally, incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte, who was jailed and has since been transferred to the Hague for crimes against humanity. Pacquiao later joined Bongbong's party for the 2025 senate election, but failed to regain his seat, a disaster that has left him totally adrift politically. It has been 24 years since Pacquiao first appeared on the radar of most boxing fans. The year was 2001 and he comprehensively defeated the highly-rated junior featherweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba. Merchant was also on commentary duty that night and admitted: 'I had never seen him, I frankly had never heard of him. But I've seen and heard of him now, and I want to see him again.' In the following years, Pacquiao transformed from an athletic southpaw reliant on a powerful left cross, into a hard-punching speedster, with wonderful footwork and relentless combination punching. Even if his defence was shaky, in his prime years he stopped great fighters like Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto. He sold tens of millions of pay-per-view subscriptions in the US along the way. It's around 15 years since that period, but his name still holds weight in the sport. From a promotional perspective, his opponent this Saturday, WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (29-2-1) might as well be anyone, such is the difference in popularity between the two fighters. Barrios even said it was 'cool to know he (Pacquiao) knew who I was'. With four recognised world titles on offer in every division, there's usually at least one champion who could be seen as easy pickings. and At welterweight, that's Barrios. And that's exactly why he's been chosen for the comeback fight. Still, Barrios gave Ugás an absolute pasting in 2023 and has only lost twice, both to top-class fighters. He is also 16 years younger than Pacquiao and there is no such thing as an easy mark in boxing when you're 46. That age disadvantage is highlighted further by the fact that Pacquiao was already the oldest welterweight champion in history four years ago, before the Ugás fight. Manny Pacquiao's fight against Floyd Mayweather in 2015 was reportedly the most lucrative in boxing history. Photograph:The wider problem is that Mayweather and Pacquiao remain the last two superstars in American boxing; which explains why Pacquiao has waltzed back into a world title shot immediately. Amazon Prime are showing the fight on pay-per-view at a price of $80 (€69), but even if they do good numbers it's not a long-term solution. It's just another fight where boxing seems to wake from its slumber, only to hit the snooze button right after. It is 30 years ago this month since a 16-year-old Pacquiao recorded his first knockout victory in the ring. For comparison, the teenage sensation of that summer in Ireland was Jason Sherlock, who won the All-Ireland with Dublin aged 19. There's not much chance of him pulling on a jersey now. That kind of thing only happens in the wild west of sport. If Pacquiao gets badly beaten by Barrios, then it's a sad ending for a truly great pugilist. There's no reason to think that it would stop the ever-increasing frequency of freakshow fights either (see Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul). Barrios is decent, but has already proved to be below the top level, and someone else will be along to pick him off soon enough if Pac-Man can't. On the other hand, if Pacquiao performs reasonably well, or even wins, then the truly elite fighters around that weight could start to circle, looking to put a legend on their CV and flat on his back. WBC welterweight championship : Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Sunday, 4am Irish time, Amazon Prime
Forbes
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
HBO Boxing Icon Jim Lampley Drops Blistering Trump-Mayweather Take
Floyd Mayweather and Donald Trump, HBO Boxing Icon says, "No Mayweather, No Trump" 'No Mayweather, no Trump.' That's the heavy-duty take HBO Boxing icon Jim Lampley dropped on me during our conversation on Friday afternoon. It's one of the most polarizing, but plausible things anyone has said to me in a while. In case you're a relatively young sports fan or someone who didn't pay much attention to HBO Boxing during the 1990s and early 2000s, you may not know Lampley. Without listing every accolade and distinction, I'll say this: there are people in every industry who have a combination of experience and wherewithal that enables them to captivate a room with the stories and takes they've accumulated during their journey through levels of their craft and the years of their life. Lampley is one of those people. CANASTOTA, NY - JUNE 14: Boxing commentator Jim Lampley poses with his new ring and photo on the ... More wall after the induction ceremony at the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction Weekend of Champions events on June 14, 2015 in Canastota, New York. (Photo by) During our interview, we discussed his book, It Happened, his autobiography that tells the story of his 50-year career in sports broadcasting and tons of boxing stories and concepts. I asked him about the infamous post-fight moment with his longtime broadcast partner Larry Merchant—you know the one, where Mayweather snapped, 'you don't know s### about boxing,' and Merchant fired back, 'if I was 50 years younger, I'd kick your a##.' It's classic. I wanted to know from Lampley, who was there, what the deal was with Mayweather and Merchant, but I got so much more. Lampley explained, 'Well, obviously it was something that built up over a long period of time. I think that Larry gave him proper credit for being a great fighter. In particular, he didn't like that Larry would sometimes say something to the effect of, well, he's great and you can't beat him, but he isn't gonna sell a single ticket with this style, that kind of thing.' Clearly, Merchant was wrong about Mayweather's ability to sell tickets. No fighter has made more in pay-per-view revenue, and Mayweather can still command a crowd and a payday by participating in boxing exhibitions. Also, if you watch the history of post-fight interviews between Mayweather and Merchant, the latter is particularly abrupt and a little antagonistic toward the fighter. Even during the aforementioned interview, the conversation starts off with Mayweather having his arm around Merchant. However, Merchant's tone and verbiage was off-putting to Mayweather as it came just moments after the controversial ending to his fight with Victor Ortiz, but I digress. That aspect of Lampley's answer was mostly what I expected to hear. The broadcast journalism legend delivered a punchier concept as he delved deeper into Mayweather's dynamic and his overall influence on American culture. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 26: Floyd Mayweather Jr. visits "Making Money With Charles Payne" at ... More Fox Business Network Studios on February 26, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by) The concept is wild, but not completely unfathomable. I used to say this about Mayweather, 'it takes a special kind of person to be at peace with being the most hated person in a room.' In that sense, it's easy to see tons of people in every industry who have adopted that approach–whether they got it from Mayweather or someone else. DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 18: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, ... More brings boxing legend Thomas Hearns to the stage during a campaign rally on October 18, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. There are 17 days remaining until the U.S. presidential election, which will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by) Donald Trump's involvement with boxing dates back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Trump Plaza in Atlantic City became a key venue for major fights. At its peak, the hotel and casino played host to several heavyweight title bouts, including, Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks in 1988 and Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman in 1991. Trump didn't just rent out space for the fights—he appeared to actively positioned himself as a central figure in these events, often appearing ringside, hosting press conferences, and getting photographed with the fighters. ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - JANUARY 22: Businessman Donald Trump in ring with boxer Mike Tyson after ... More knocking out opponent Larry Holmes at Tyson vs Holmes Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey January 22 1988. (Photo by Jeffrey Asher/ Getty Images) Some may argue Trump used these moments to build prestige, associate himself with dominance and success, and to thrust himself into the spotlight. Needless to say, it seems to have worked. ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - JANUARY 22: Businessman Donald Trump and Champion Boxer Evander Holyfield at ... More Tyson vs Holmes Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey January 22 1988. (Photo by Jeffrey Asher/ Getty Images) Putting a bow on the Mayweather-Merchant beef: Mayweather's rise to global prominence began in the mid-2000s. Specifically, his bet-on-myself fight against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. The fight marked Mayweather's triumphant separation from Top Rank Boxing and it also was the cornerstone moment of his shift from 'Pretty Boy' to 'Money.' Mayweather and Trump's paths would more publicly cross years later. In 2017, Trump publicly praised Mayweather after his win over Conor McGregor, calling him a "great guy" and 'an unbelievable fighter.' Mayweather also endorsed Trump for President earlier. Mayweather may have used social media to push negative concepts in the past. However, to his credit, I interviewed him earlier this year, and he formally apologized for every time he used social media to be toxic. That admission actually adds some credence to Lampley's concept. I've never had an opportunity to speak to President Trump, but I can promise you, if I do, I will ask him if he learned anything from his encounters with Mayweather. Whether Trump truly studied Mayweather's moves or simply mirrored them instinctively, the similarities are clear—and Lampley might be one of the only people to call it out this directly.
