IT WAS a downright disappointing weekend for me in terms of sports results!
It kicked off with yet another dismal Manchester United performance, followed by Manny Pacquiao’s loss to Floyd Mayweather and concluded with a rather uneventful MotoGP, where Valentino Rossi finished third.
I’ve always been a Pacquiao fan, but be that as it may, I, like so many others across the globe was conflicted ahead of the fight – my mind told me Mayweather would win while my heart wanted Manny to take it. Pacquiao delivered as he was expected to in terms of going all out and putting on a show for the fans, whereas Floyd was his usual boring self, boxing for points rather than proving he is a true gladiator, worthy of his self-proclaimed title of being the best ever.
Although hopeful throughout the fight that whizzed by (considering the long, agonising wait), the fight wasn’t as one-sided as the judges’ unanimous decision suggested because I truly believe it was much closer than their scorecards indicated.
It was never going to live up to all that hype, it couldn’t possibly, but it was very disappointing to watch Floyd Mayweather in action. Many of us in the Twittersphere likened the American’s performance to Jose Mourinho’s tactics of “parking the bus”.
Mayweather might have an unblemished record but I don’t think he will be rated as the best ever when he finally retires. His performance was underwhelming and in fact, downright disrespectful when you consider his arrogant statement about losing love and passion for the sport which he considers solely a business.
Yes, we all know that he is all about the money, but seriously, such arrogance and disrespect for a sport that has made him hundreds of millions of dollars – that is just downright disgusting.
Filipinos are calling for a rematch and I sincerely hope it doesn’t happen – we’ve watched the so-called Fight of the Century and while it didn’t live up to the hype and expectation, the truth is that it never will – this fight should have happened about five years ago!
Mayweather strategically avoided Manny for years but couldn’t dodge the Filipino before hanging up his gloves, which is why he found himself in the precarious position of being backed into a corner by being “forced” to fight someone he hadn’t actually chosen himself.
The fight is in the past; fans were treated to what some of us had resigned ourselves to thinking wouldn’t actually happen and the sport of boxing received a massive boost that will hopefully have ripple effects the world over.
At the end of the day, in the court of public opinion Manny remains the darling of the boxing world and Floyd will bow out as the villain, booed by his fellow countrymen, mostly due to his documented history of domestic violence.
n n n
CHELSEA winning the league was never in doubt and predictably they did just that with three games to spare on Sunday afternoon, following a narrow win against Crystal Palace.
But I can’t help wondering about how satisfied José Mourinho will be with the past season, especially considering their disappointing Champions league performance.
Two trophies are way better than none, which is what United will close out the season with.
The battle for that fourth Champions League spot should provide some entertainment in the coming weeks, as will the Arsenal/Man City fight for second, and of course the desperate attempts to avoid the dreaded drop.