Every Thursday, right here at FightHype.com, boxing fans gather around my bulbous, bulging sack and marvel at the magnificent load of gooey, salty truth that I call into action– and this Thursday is no different. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Manny Pacquiao’s future, Josh Taylor’s ceiling, more Rigondeux-Casimero fallout.
Pacquiao’s Life After Ugas
Hey Paul.
I’m just going to assume that Manny Pacquiao beats Yordenis Ugas this Saturday. I think that’s a safe assumption. What’s next then? Can the Spence fight be revisited or do you see Manny taking on someone else? If Spence is not available and Terence Crawford is not in his plans (or tied up with Shawn Porter), who do you see him fighting? Maybe this’ll be the end, just for lack of options? What say you, Sr. Magno?
– Rich M.
Hey Rich.
Depending on how serious Spence’s retinal tear is, it’ll take up to a month for him to heal. But that’s just the estimate for “regular” people. For a fighter, assessment of recovery time could be significantly more complicated. There are also a lot of moving pieces involved in putting together a fight of the magnitude of Pacquiao-Spence. So, there’s no guarantee that the stars will align just right to re-visit the Spence bout or any other bout, for that matter. Pacquiao’s reported interest in running for President of the Philippines in May would pretty much tie up all his time from post-Ugas fight until the election. The Presidency bid could mean the end of his ring career.
But if Manny DOES fight on, there aren’t a lot of big fight options out there. Hopefully, the Spence fight could be brought back into being. I don’t think Crawford is in Manny’s plans no matter what. A Shawn Porter clash would be outstanding, but that’s assuming Porter doesn’t meet and get beat by Crawford first. A Mikey Garcia fight doesn’t do much for me, neither does a Danny Garcia fight or a Keith Thurman rematch. The cynic in me says that Amir Khan would be a bankable target for a UK Wembley clash. There’s also the possibility that he COULD pick up his career after the election and then better assess which big names are available. And how cool would THAT be– a sitting President putting on the gloves and going to war?
We’ll see how this all plays out, but first he has to beat Yordenis Ugas this Saturday.
More Rigondeaux-Casimero Fallout
What’s up Paul, I wanna start off by letting you that I love your work cuz I can see that you honestly understand the sport and call the bs out out when It has to be called out, so keep up the good work bro I truly appreciate it.
In this last Rigo fight I understand what you mean that it takes 2 to tango, but in all honesty it looked at times that Rigo was literally running and you can see Ronnie getting frustrated with him in the corner between rounds. I normally stand up for Rigo cuz I believe he is an awesome fighter and has great defense and many times can stay in the pocket in slip, block and counter punches beautifully. But in this fight I was really turned off by it because it seemed very different, I mean I felt he really did run at times and maybe if he woulda stood his ground he could’ve caught Casimero. Because Casimero also felt Rigos power but he was at least trying to make a fight out of it.
Imho I believe the fight should’ve been a draw because like u said Casimero didn’t cut the ring and make it a fight but U can tell he wanted to fight and Rigo just kept running. I wasn’t upset with the decision only because I think Rigo should learn from this and give fans a friendlier fight style because even though he absolutely dominated Donaire in his prime, he made that a snooze fest and lost out a lot because of it!
I just believe he has so much potencial and he can definitely execute it if he wanted to and he had a top notch corner man telling him the same!
Sorry for this long ass email, I never write but I’m always entertained by your writing and I don’t always agree but i do about 90% of the time lol!
Keep up the good work,
— Noel P
Hey Noel.
Thanks for the kind words. I see your point and I don’t disagree that Rigo was especially “runny” in this fight. I’m wondering if there wasn’t some arrogance/pride involved in Rigondeaux’s performance on Saturday.You know, “You think you can retire me? You’ve been talking about me leaving the bike at home and fighting like a man? Let me show you how shitty I can make you look.” I think Rigo just may be spiteful like that. There’s a case to be made there because he HAS been more offense-minded in recent fights and this one felt like a metaphorical thumb in the eye, an intentional stink bomb.
At this point, Rigondeaux is who he is. There are some fighters so well-trained that they’re just not going to deviate from what has become instinct. He’s one of those guys. He may even WANT to throw more hands, but when pushed, he’ll go back to what he knows and feels comfortable with.
But none of this is new with him. He’s been maligned from the very beginning of his career, even when standing more in the pocket. Saturday’s “outrage” is just an extension of the stupid storyline that has followed him throughout his career. When he was letting his hands go in recent fights, there was no backtracking or even a “he’s doing much better” from his critics. They just talked about him being in decline, slowing down, close to the end. There’s nothing he can do to win the critics over. He knows that and, maybe, that also played a role in him stinking up the joint on Saturday.
Having said all that, though, I still lay blame at Casimero’s feet and point to the fact that he had plenty of time to prepare for what could reasonably be expected from Rigondeaux– and he simply did NOT.
How Good is Josh Taylor?
Hi Paul.
How good is Josh Taylor? I see him making a lot of pound-for-pound lists and getting high praise from a lot of people. His resume is also impressive. I know any four-belt unified champion is very good, of course, but these days having four belts doesn’t necessarily mean you are a great. So, how would you rate Taylor and how do you think he would do if he stepped up to 147 and fought some of the top stars in that division like Spence, Crawford, Pacquiao, Porter, etc.?
– Malcolm Miami
Hey Malcolm.
I think Josh Taylor is the real deal. He’s clearly got world class skills and his wins over Jose Ramirez and Regis Prograis, even though they were fairly close decisions, prove that he’s the rightful top dog at 140.
The question, IMO, is his ceiling. Ramirez and Prograis, while very good fighters, are not Crawford and Spence (or Pacquiao for that matter). He won’t get that true elite-level test until he moves up to welterweight, unless a fight with Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez, or maybe Mikey Garcia materializes (and, even then, Tank, Teo, and Mikey are still not Crawford, Spence, or Pacquiao).
For now, though, he’s passed every test and has proven that he at least belongs in the “best of the best” conversation.
Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.