Floyd Mayweather did it, and in doing so, “Money” showed he had business acumen, smarts, and the cash needed to pull it off. Oscar De La Hoya did it, and in doing so, “The Golden Boy” also proved he had the brains, the guile, and the heaps of money needed to make it. These are just two great fighters who, when they sought to hang up the gloves, or even a little time before then, managed to become champions in the new career of boxing promotions.
Now, as fans may have read, Manny Pacquiao will try his hand when it comes to transitioning from fighting great fights to promoting great fights. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do. For each Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, there are a far greater number of former fighters who fell down when trying to become promoters.
Can Pacquiao Match Mayweather And De La Hoya’s Business Success?
Pacquiao may or may not have the vast amounts of cash needed to make it in his new venture, while it also remains to be seen if Manny has the brains, along with the combination of ruthlessness and resiliency to do what big names from the sport such as Bob Arum, Don King, Eddie Hearn, and so many others have/had at their disposal. To be blunt about it, is Manny too much of a nice guy to be able to rise to the top in a racket that was perhaps once most accurately explained by the famous quote Mickey Duff came out with, this when he said that “if you want loyalty in boxing, go buy a dog?”
Maybe.
Pacquiao’s new outfit, Manny Pacquiao Promotions, was officially launched in August and will kickstart in earnest in November, this with, according to Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of MPP, Tony Cohen, “two world title fights and an amazing fight schedule for November.”
A Political Fighter Faces Boxing’s Cutthroat Business Side
More power to Pac-Man here, no doubt, and the more “great fights” we fans are treated to, regardless of who it is promoting them, the better. Manny of course has plenty of experience as a politician, and one would think the traversing of that particular minefield – one filled with potential corruption, with hard-to-make-deals, with the need and the know-how when it comes to working with potential swindlers and all-round superb liars – will see to it that being a boxing promoter will be veritable kids’ play in comparison.
Again, let’s hope so. Let’s hope Manny can become as big and as successful as Mayweather, as De La Hoya……as Arum and King!
Pacquiao might not be quite done fighting himself yet, but it could well be that the all-time great finds it so much tougher fighting this particular outside of the ropes battle.