Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
By Scoop Malinowski
We have to look beneath the surface when analyzing fights today. Who is the money fighter? Who is the B side? Who needs the payday after two years of inactivity? Who is the A side draw franchise who is part of the long term business plan?
Manny Pacquiao may be 40 but he looks and sounds completely confident of victory tonight in Las Vegas vs the 30 year old Thurman. “I know I will win this fight,” said Pacquiao, in a verbal demonstration of supreme confidence, the likes he has never shown before in his career. It’s essentially a guarantee of victory. Freddie Roach, the coach of Pac, has also expressed similar confidence steadily over the recent weeks, even adding that the big picture plan is to hopefully lure Floyd Mayweather out of retirement to participate in a big money rematch with the Filipino, a fight event that would be extremely lucrative for the desperately needy Al Haymon who currently has no reliable moneymakers in his stable aside from Pacquiao, after losing over $500m with his failing PBC operation.
Thurman can afford to lose and bounce back with a few Get Back fights in the following years. Thurman will earn $2.5m tonight and Pac is contracted for $10m.
As you can probably sense by now, my pick is Pacquiao to win. And the betting odds flip from Thurman as the favorite to Pacquiao a couple of weeks ago are further hints the business plan is for Haymon to produce Pac vs Floyd II.
