Malaki ang paniniwala ni Hall of Fame boxing announcer “The Colonel” Bob Sheridan na pagkatapos ng rematch kay Argentinian Marcos Maidana, wala nang natitirang malaking laban kay WBC at WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. kundi ang reunification bout kay WBO 147 pounds beltholder Manny Pacquiao.
Sa panayam ni boxing writer Robert Brown ng On The Ropes Boxing Show sa United States, iginiit ni Sheridan na may kakayahan ang hahamon kay Pacquiao na Amerikano ring si Chris Algieri na makipagsabayan subalit matatalo rin ito.
“I think Chris Algieri has the ability that he might be able to catch up with Manny, but I just think Manny has too much speed for him and still is a terrific fighter,” ani Sheridan. “The fact that he got knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez doesn’t faze me one bit because it happens from time to time in fights where a guy will walk into a punch, and that’s what happened in the Marquez fight. Manny got caught and people said, ‘Oh that’s the end of Manny’s career.’ I never believed that for one second, I just think that in any fight, a guy can get caught, and that’s what happened in that fight.”
Sa rematch nina Mayweather at Maidana, bilib si Sheridan sa abilidad ni Mayweather na makarekober matapos malamangan sa mga unang rounds ng Argentinian.
Ofel, mas humina pa habang nasa vicinity ng Gonzaga, Cagayan
“Well that certainly would be the idea because I called the last fight and I think it was in the 5th round and I had given every single round to Maidana, then I said, ‘Now we’re gonna find out just how good Floyd Mayweather Jr. is, he’s gonna have to win every round just to get back in this fight and to pull it out.’ Floyd was able to do that, proving what an extraordinary guy he is,” pahayag ni Sheridan. “I think that he had the idea that he could just fight in the manner in which he did and then pull it out in the end, but Maidana never faded and I don’t think Floyd realized just how good this fighter was and because of the split decision, he gave him the rematch.”
Para kay Sheridan, may posiblidad na ma-upset ni Maidana si Mayweather.
Ngunit kung matatalo pa rin ang Argentinian ay wala nang ibang malaking laban sa Amerikano kundi si Pacquiao.
“I certainly think that there should be — as most people feel — a wider margin in this fight, but Maidana is a very good fighter and he may just turn it up a notch early in the fight and try to take him out of there, something he couldn’t do the last time,” diin ng Amerikano. “There’s not a lot of fights of interest for Floyd Mayweather right now, except for Manny Pacquiao, and maybe that fight can be made early next year, I don’t know.”
Gusto rin ni Sheridan na magharap sina Pacquiao at Mayweather at umaasa siyang ito ang pinal na laban ng kababayan bago magretiro.
“Well if the fight happens, I think that Floyd is just a little bit too quick for Manny. I think it would be a sensational promotion, I think that it probably is what Floyd Mayweather has in the back of his mind for his final fight. Whether it will happen or not, your guess is as good as mine and anybody that’s involved with this interview, you would have as much insight in this as I would,” sinabi pa ni Sheridan.
“I know that it’s been impossible to make to this point because of rival promoters and advisors, but the mega millions that it might be able to generate as a co-promotion in the finishing touch to Floyd Mayweather Jr’s career would certainly make it a mage, mega event — even though it’s maybe seven or eight years beyond when it really would have been something else,” dagdag ni Sheridan. “I think Floyd is a very clever guy in and outside the ring and I think this may just be what he has in the back of his mind. If he wants it to happen, it will happen because Manny will fight him.”
