Thrilla in Manila II? Pacquiao vs. Mayweather

from: By Alejandro del Rosario / manilastandardtoday.com

HE sauntered into the room, wearing dark heavy shades, topped by a black Oakland Raiders baseball cap that matched his gray and black outfit.

But Hermie Rivera, who’s often mistaken for the boxers that he manages due to facial scars left by an errant beer bottle or fists that flew during his young, rough and tumble days, looked dapper the day he walked into Myther and Friends.


Now, Myther’s is not exactly a place a gym rat like Hermie Rivera would visit to purvey a boxing promotion since talk at the Thursday Club borders mostly on politics and the hottest scandals in town.

“I’ ve got a scoop for you,” he told a columnist discounting the fact it was no longer exclusive since he announced it before a table full of journalists. Nonetheless, in the true tradition of PT Barnum, Hermie was able to tweak and peak the interest of the people who cared to listen. That was most probably the idea – feed the “exclusive” news item to at least five newspapers for maximum exposure.

“Thrilla in Manila II. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao!” Hermie blurted out.

The skeptics would no doubt say: No way that’s gonna happen. Too much money needed to pull it off, too many greedy promoters and boxing managers, who would want a piece of the action, their pound of flesh, and too many egos to massage. Undoubtedly, Hermie Rivera was referring to Bob Arum of Top Rank, who currently promotes Pacquiao’s fights and Oscar de la Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, who still has ties to Mayweather.

Here’s the plan, according to Hermie. You just have to let Hermie continue his spiel, after all, he knows his boxing having at one time or another handled two Filipino world champions—junior welterweight Morris East and bantam-featherweight Luisito Espinosa.

Win or lose, Manny Pacquiao hangs up the gloves after the Margarito fight on Nov. l3 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. This would end Manny’s contractual obligations to Arum. Then, Manny spends time as Congressman Pacquiao until, say six months before he’s lured out of retirement.

That’s one part of the equation. What about Mayweather?

Mayweather is his own man, without a manager and incorrigibly unmanageable. It seems to run in the family—Floyd Jr. , Mayweather Sr. and Uncle Roger all have pending court cases involving domestic violence.

Would Mayweather be willing to come and fight Pacquiao in Manila? That’s the hard part.

After all the racial slurs and insults he dumped on Pacquiao and therefore also against Pinoys, Floyd might be mobbed upon arrival at NAIA. But not in the true tradition of Filipino hospitality.

But then he might just come. The money is just too big to pass up.

“Thrilla in Manila II, starring Pacquiao vs. Mayweather”?

Why not? The idea may sound harebrained to some, cockeyed to others because of the enormity of it all—the cost and convincing Mayweather to come over. Still, the idea brings back a flood of memories of the original 1975 Thrilla in Manila pitting Muhammad Ali against Smoking Joe Frazier.

An Araneta Coliseum filled to the rafters, President Marcos at ringside, the international press in full attendance to cover The Event held at 9 a.m. Manila time to sync the time difference between the US and the Philippines for live television coverage. This live pay per view worldwide coverage could be the clincher to get the two fighters to come together.

Mayweather who gave himself the moniker “Money” should be hearing the sweet sound of the cash register once he gets word of Hermie’s brainstorm. If he chooses to ignore it, then he should change his name from “Money” to “Pink Floyd.”

Pink, of course is only a shade shy from yellow.

(Mr. Alejandro Del Rosario is a World Press Institute fellow and former president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association)