Science of Fights

Every globally recognized sport has its own fair share of bizarre incidents and hateable characters. We have Lebron as NBA’s most recognized choke artist, the polygamous Tiger Woods for golf, and the enhanced Sosa’s and Mcgwire’s of baseball. These personalities are amazing players of their chosen sport but they do have flaws and had made decisions that shook the sporting world. In boxing right now, we have Floyd Mayweather Jr. His last fight against Victor Ortiz is just another testimony to Floyd’s outrageous personality as a leading sports figure. His beautifully executed left-hook, right-straight combination knockout of Ortiz is overshadowed by the fact that Ortiz (and referee, Joe Cortez) seemed to be caught off-guard when it happened which made people think of Mayweather’s win as either cheap or a cheat.

The combination of Manny Pacquiao’s pugilistic genius and whirlwind aggression inside the ring made him boxing’s biggest draw. He’s an all-action fighter with an uncanny blend of affability and killer instinct. Outside the boxing ring, the top pound-for-pound fighter has a remarkably untiring sociability without a hint of arrogance. This made him endearing and marketable as he does not only sell tickets and pay-per-views, he has also become an effective product endorser. He purses around 25 million dollars with his usual two-fights-a-year schedule. Add the ever increasing endorsement deals and bonuses, he has become one of highest-paid athletes of this generation and a constant presence in Forbes’ richest athletes list. His recent deal with HP is proof that he can carry a brand that is not even remotely related to the sport. Watch the HP Veer commercial below.

“Shane Mosley has the power to knock the lights out of Manny Pacquiao. The first four rounds are crucial.” Leading up to the fight, that was the common consensus among boxing fans—analysts and laymen alike. Even Roach was in agreement of this. Nazeem Richardson, Mosley’s trainer, had been saying that he was training his fighter to fight a defensive fighter because once Pacman felt Mosley’s power, the Pound-for-Pound king will go on the defensive.