Did you shell out $60 to watch Manny Pacquiao take a welterweight championship from Jesse Vargas last night? Probably not.
Yet, somehow everyone was talking about his performance, Mayweather’s surprise entrance and Stephen A. Smith’s questionable commentary last night. The myth of Manny Pacquaio is what fans remember and it’s the reason that the Filipino senator remains relevant.
Ignore the fact that Manny Pacquiao hasn’t knocked anyone out in just under a decade, 2007 to be exact, the Pacman is still must watch television.
Before nay-sayers throw out a million PPV statistics, Manny may not sell as much as he once did but the eyeballs still gravitate toward him. Despite 2 major college football games and a UFC event on free TV, Pacquiao was the talk of Twitter last night. Regardless of PPV buy or stream, Manny is still a top 5 boxer in the eyes of the public and that means he has his choice of opponents moving forward.
All of the signs point towards Mayweather and Pacquiao setting up a rematch this Spring. Floyd showing up at the Vargas fight is far from a mere coincidence and if Floyd is looking for another $100+ million payout, Manny is his only option.
Is Floyd a red herring? Is he just a negotiating ploy for whomever Pacquiao selects next? Possibly, but the spectre of Mayweather looms large of the boxing world and Manny is the current beneficiary.
Manny refused to call out his next opponent during Stephen A. Smith’s post fight interview, which was puzzling to many but makes perfect sense for Manny and Top Rank.
Manny isn’t sure where his next pay check is coming from but he does know that the list is long enough that he doesn’t have to limit his options. In fact, there’s 5 fights that make a lot of sense for Pacquiao and we’re here to lay them out for you.
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