CONTRARY to reports, the Manny Pacquiao-Amir Khan is not a done deal yet. The news was quickly rebutted by Manny’s promoter Bob Arum, saying “it’s not true.”
Arum said negotiations are going on with Timothy Bradley and Terrence Crawford still in the picture for a possible match with the Filipino pride in April next year. Meanwhile, both Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez already shut down the door for a return showdown with Pacuiao.
Among the list of Paquiao contenders, Crawford stands out as the fighter with the best credentials to possibly beat the Pacman. Even Arum has reportedly said that the projected fight could be boxing’s “passing of the torch.”
But who is Terrence Crawford?
Crawford is currently the WBO lightwelterweight champion, undefeated in 27 fights, 19 via knockout. His biggest victim was Yuriorkis Gamboa, whom he stopped in the ninth round of their 12-round lightweight title bout in 2014.
He is described as a hard-hitting, technical and thinking fighter–thanks to his splendid amateur background as a national US champion and Pan-American lightweight gold medalist.
The American is younger (28) and taller at 5’8” and he can match the Filipino’s speed. The only question is, can he withstand a punch?
Most fighters don’t realize Pacquiao’s punching power until they meet him in the ring. Go ask Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and even Flody Mayweather, who had to dance his way to victory over Pacquiao.
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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king George St. Pierre is going back training, getting ready for a comeback in the cage.
That is if his boxing trainer Freddie Roach is to be believed. Roach, in an interview with Fight Hub TV during the weigh-in for the Canelo Alvarez- Miguel Cotto boxing tiff, said that the Canadian MMA star will train for six weeks and is “ready to fight one more time.”
If George’s return to UFC would be timed for the UFC 200 in July, it could be a very huge attraction. He can start again with tune-up fights in the welterweight division, then immediately get a shot at the title. Now, the Robbie Lawler Carlos Condit title match gets a new twist.
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Wonder what Mike Tyson is doing these days? The former world heavyweight champion has a TV show called Mike Tyson Mysteries, which is now on its second season.
The MTM is an animated series with Tyson, voiced as himself, tasked to solve mysteries with the help of her adopted daughter and a carrier pigeon. But this is not just what Tyson is busy with.
He loves to go around and talk — on TV and social media — especially about politics. In his most recent pronouncement, he said business and media mogul Donald Trump should be the next president of the United States. He said a lot of people hate him and Trump, because they both tell the truth.
Being an acknowledged Pacquiao fan, Tyson, I’m sure, fully supports Pacman’s run for a Philippine senate seat. But a lot of Filipinos may not feel the same way as in the most recent survey, the boxing politician teeters from the 12th to 13th positions.
Pacquiao needs to prove himself more in the political arena. And it didn’t help that his absenteeism has become the highlight of his Congress stint as representative of the lone Sarangani district in Mindanao.
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