The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire sport of boxing (as well as most others) between March and July 2020. Even since then, for the most part, events have had to take place with zero or minimal fans in attendance, taking away one of the most significant elements of the entire experience: a vociferous, passionate crowd of fight fanatics blowing the roof off the building.
Of course, this is also a sport with a rich history of being its own worst enemy, so these unprecedented obstacles weren't enough. Politics has continued to delay or even completely prevent some of the big fights fans want to see, and nothing has summed up that frustration more than the past week's developments in the long-running saga surrounding Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury's proposed undisputed heavyweight title fight.
With an apparent green-light to make the fight official since December, fans were nonetheless subjected to five months of non-updates, finger-pointing, and, if it was their lucky day, maybe a tiny development to move the bout 1% closer to actually happening than the day before.
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And, of course, for as long it took us to finally hear all parties proclaim "August 14 in Saudi Arabia", it took just a day or so for all of that to evaporate.
Deontay Wilder, the ex-WBC champion dethroned by Tyson Fury in February 2020, was contractually due a trilogy bout. In an ideal world, that would have happened in December, around the same time Joshua took care of his business by finishing mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev. Instead, multiple proposed dates and venues came to nothing because pandemic gate receipts would have been modest.
Fury, Bob Arum and everyone else simply moved on, assuming they could do precisely that. It turns out, they couldn't. And now, fans start from square one on the heavyweight runaround.
It would be one thing if these games were restricted to the heavyweight ranks, but they aren't. These delays and false dawns can be found up and down the scales, creating a widespread issue that sends more and more fans over to check out amateur spectacles such as Logan and Jake Paul's fights because at least they actually happen.
For example, the lightweight division has all the tools to be the hottest show in combat sports, but we continue to wait for Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis to face off with each other, all the while filled with dread that some of them will simply move to different weights instead.
And for a while now, the welterweight ranks have been a solid source of frustration. Despite having such talent as Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., fans have found themselves wondering aloud, "why are we waiting?" for a true 'clash of the titans' month after month. Until now.
After over a year of settling for small victories for the viewing public thanks to lockdown and one of the biggest downer weeks in recent memory for those of us who want the big, exciting fights, Manny Pacquiao confirmed his first fight in 25 months. And it's an absolute dream.
The aforementioned Spence Jr., reigning WBC and IBF 147lbs champion, will put the belts up in what could be the final title tilt for 'Pac-Man'. It's exactly the kind of fight the 31-year-old needs to take his resume to the next level. It's precisely the kind of fight befitting what could be the only eight-weight world champion's swan song before fully focusing on his post as Senator of his native Philippines. And it's exactly the kind of super-fight we as fans have been craving after over a year of near-famine.
Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach admitted last year the plan is for Pacquiao to fight "once or twice" in 2021, and then, come 2022, he will be 100% politician and 0% active boxer. With his in-ring return now set for August 21, there's a very strong chance "once or twice" is indeed just the once.
Pacquiao will remember the frustrations of making the big fights happen, having been one half of the biggest wild goose chase prior to AJ vs. Fury in 2010 while trying to make the Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight happen. Mayweather took the bout five years later when it was a much, much safer endeavor. If Pacquiao cared about safety, he would have inked the Mikey Garcia contract or insisted on a sideshow with Conor McGregor despite the Irishman's UFC 257 humbling against Dustin Poirier.
The parting gift from one of the greatest to ever lace up the gloves to long-suffering boxing fans is one of the biggest, toughest, most intriguing encounters available. Either he will cement his legacy with another big win for even more gold, or he will pass the torch in a defeat that can nonetheless resuscitate a stammering division and bring it closer to back when a prime Pacquiao was a permanent fixture.
Because of the overall lack of government found in other sports that require teams and players to face off in routine tournaments each year, boxing has always been a profession driven by selfishness. As a result, Pacquiao's latest (and perhaps last) fight selection is utterly refreshing in its selflessness, and yet very on-brand for the man who has donated millions of his career earnings over the years and continues to do so to help the people of his home country through the horror of COVID-19.
If this is indeed 'it' for Pacquiao, win lose or draw, we are going to miss him. The Joshua-Fury farce and more mean boxing will miss a fighter, a man, the stature of Pacquiao even more. We can only hope that his decision to go all-in and challenge Spence inspires others to remember how pivotal fan satisfaction is to the sport.
