Everyone loves an action packed fighter who can deliver a brutal beating or knockout.
Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao presented that freakish attraction of this tiny lower weight class fighter going up like David to slay the Goliath’s in higher weight divisions.
Deontay Wilder is a freakish chicken legged heavyweight with one punch KO power that can end a fight at anytime.
Wilder might be 6’7″ and long but he is undersized when it comes to weight he fights from 209 to 218 pounds. He could easily fight at cruiserweight and he is knocking out men who outweigh him by a significant amount.
What makes Manny and Deontay special is their willingness to go toe to toe and have no fear in the ring.
They don’t pick and choose who they fight and are both humble outside the ring. Wilder a little bit more outspoken than Manny but they share the same type of good-natured spirit especially around fans who are eager to ask for autographs or take selfies.
In a time when Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the face of boxing, he made it difficult to enjoy fights because he picks and chooses the easier opponent or got them at the right time when they were softened up and ready to be taken.
He was also greedy, demanding so much money just to make a fight and then ran in the ring instead of delivering a show.
I do give Floyd credit for the Conor McGregor fight, at least he went toe to toe with an opponent for the first time but at the same time it was an MMA fighter who never boxed professionally before so it’s hard to even count that as a legit boxing match.
He even admit he wouldn’t fight Maidana, Canelo or a Pacquiao the way he walked down Conor McGregor with his hands down. Floyd knows those guys would knock him out cold if he chose to walk them down with less than stellar defense. So Floyd carefully picked Conor to get to the 50 and 0 mark to defeat Rocky Marciano’s American boxing record.
If you pay hard earned money to watch a fighter, you want someone who comes to fight like Pacquiao and Wilder.
Pacquiao is 40 years old and a full-time Senator in the Philippines but he beats up and competes with men half his age and gives up a significant weight and height advantage every time he steps into the ring.
He has been knocked out cold by his greatest rival Juan Manuel Marquez, only to comeback and win the title again. He was robbed against Tim Bradley, only to beat him in rematches. He was robbed agaisnt Jeff Horn and then went on to beat Lucas Matthysse and Adrien Broner.
Pacman has been counted out many times only to prove people wrong just like when he defeated Keith Thurman and won the WBA welterweight title. They said Thurman was too big and too strong, but Pacman took every power shot and even hurt and dropped the arrogant American boxer.
When Wilder could have easily taken a tune up fight before his rematch with Tyson Fury, he opts to give the dangerous Luis Ortiz a rematch. Ortiz hurt Wilder badly and almost had him out in the fight before Wilder’s game changing power finished him off.
Wilder doesn’t care about gimme fights, he is a true competitor who likely has warrior lineage in his bloodline. He wants to test himself against the best. He wanted Anthony Joshua but Joshua and his promoter ducked the fight by trying to underpay him and AJ got knocked out by Andy Ruiz in what was a cherry pick gone wrong bout in his USA debut.
Wilder is undefeated but he is one of those guys that even if they lose will still draw viewers because they know he comes to fight. Just like Pacquiao who has multiple losses, he still has the fans love and admiration because of his willingness to fight all comers and give the fans a good show on fight night.
These are two warriors that young fighters should look up to and emulate, fight your heart out to earn the admiration of fans and to create a legacy that speaks for itself.
