The Boxing Glove Awards 2015: Sour Grapes Award: Manny Pacquiao

The Boxing Glove Awards 2015
Sour Grapes Award
Floyd Mayweather Jr. W12 Manny Pacquiao
World Welterweight Championship
May 2, 2015.    MGM Grand, Grand Garden, Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fight was supposed to be the fight of the year, it was the matchup that most boxing fans had wanted for years, now it was really happening.  Unfortunately the fight was nothing like many fans had hoped, it was devoid of fireworks, and rather than being a close and competitive fight, Mayweather Jr. dominated it mostly with his extra skill, and speed.  Manny received a boxing lesson.

If the fight was disappointing, then Pacquiao’s reaction to his defeat would cause even more controversy, and disappointment.  First Manny thought he should have been given the decision, then he claimed that he had injured his shoulder.  The details of Manny’s shoulder injury became quite a drama in itself, and the smell of bittersweet sour grapes overwhelming.  

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

The Boxing Glove Awards 2015: The Fight That Never Should Have Been Award

The Boxing Glove Awards 2015
The Fight That Never Should Have Been Award
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Vs.  Andre Berto
World Welterweight Championship
Sept 12, 2015. MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Following the disappointment, which was Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, Floyd staged his ’final’ fight against Andre Berto. To say that the choice of Berto as an opponent was underwhelming would be an overstatement.  In fact, many pro-Mayweather fans were sure that it was some sort of bluff or joke and that as the fight approached, Berto would drop out of the match with an ’injury,’ and the replacement would be more acceptable and exciting for all concerned.  Although an ex-world champion in his own right, Berto’s career has been on the wane for the last few years, with just 6 contests in the last 5 years in which he had gone an unimpressive 3-3.

Floyd’s hopeful fans waited for the opponent to change, but there was no change.  September 12th came, went, and so did the fight. It was as predictable and forgettable as had been feared.  Berto was brave, but no match for the far technically superior Mayweather Jr.  So Floyd Mayweather Jr’s career bowed out against a man whose style was made for him, after a fight that never should have been, and that many boxing fans didn’t even bother to watch. 

Watch Floyd Mayweather Jr. Vs. Andre Berto:

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com