De La Hoya: Pacquiao makes fighters lose on the scales 1st

[Gandalf]

Bilbo, there is no reason why you cannot enjoy watching Manny fight but at the same time be critical of the continual use of catchweights. Just as you can appreciate that Israel is a democracy you can be extremely critical of government led state sponsored terrorism. They aren't exclusive ways of thinking.

I agree with Hornfinger in that there was no good reason not to fight Margarito at 154 and Cotto at 147. I will give Manny a pass with ODLH though as he was a big underdog and was jumping up 2 weight divisions for the first time. It was Oscar that wanted to play the weight game that night and he paid. And that's fair enough.

If Pac wants to fight the big guys it would be good for the sport to see him fight within the existing weight bands. If it is too much for him them he should really stay at JWW.

If it's too much for Pacquiao's opponents, then they should not have agreed to the fight. I am not saying that it's his opponent's fault nor is it Manny's fault. It goes both ways. They agreed to the fight knowing that they are still capable of beating Manny. If they knew that such catchweight is detrimental and that they are sure they can't win the fight and yet agreed to it, then they are the ones who are crazy and would be at fault.

If the catchweight is allowed by the boxing association, then why would someone fault the boxer for using it. Blame it on those boxing organizations. Have them abolish the catchweight.

I wished Pacquiao fought Cotto without a catchweight. Margarito is a different story. Several boxers fought at a catchweight: Henry Armstrong, Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar dela Hoya, Roy Jones, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bernard Hopkins, etc. The catchweights didn't tarnish these boxers reputation. I don't even think the general public remembers that they fought at a catchweight. Manny's catchweight fights would not even be remembered as such several years after he retires.

Yes, it does work both ways.

As a man of principles I wouldn't sell out, but it seems in professional boxing it is all too common. If you were offered a 12 round fight to secure your retirement, then you most likely would. And in the process would you then quibble over a pound or two that the richest fighter in the world argued about? No you would take the money and run and so that is what these opponents have done. Sure, they have fought Pac, but they have fought him at weights neither of them were used to. Not even Margarito.

And yes we could blame the administrations. But this is boxing. Have you suddenly entered the Nobel peace prize commitee? And even they can get it very wrong. You say that people will not remember. Okay, Bilbo has blacked out the past. But people like me don't and there are a lot of us. Sure Pac is exciting, but there are question marks and people who aren't into propaganda will question him.

You will just have to deal with that.