COMMISSIONER’S CORNER PRELUDE TO THE BIG PAYOUT? By Randy Gordon
over-marinate like the first one did in 2015. It will happen quickly, perhaps by the end of 2025. Pacquiao-Mayweather 2. It’ll be bigger than their first fight!
“You’ve heard of Canastota?” asked Ed. “You know of Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus?” “I am the editor of The Ring,” I replied. We laughed. After a few minutes of answering a few of my questions, they opened a tube. It contained blueprints. I knew then and there that Don and Ed were the men who would get the job done. Nearly five years later, I was chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. I was invited by Don and Ed to cut the ribbon – alongside Basilio, Backus and Floyd Patterson – to open the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The following year, in 1990, I stood at the podium at the IBHOF and officially introduced the Class of 1990 and the first year of inductions. In all, 535 men and women have been inducted into boxing immortality in Canastota. I thank those two young men – Don and Ed – who came to visit me at The Ring and for living up to their promise and erecting an eternal monument to boxing. Yes, Don Ackerman, the IBHOF’s longtime president, and Ed Brophy, its longtime executive director, believed in themselves and made their dream come true. The last of those 535 inductees was this aging but still very active commissioner, as part of the Class of 2025. To paraphrase Rocky: Yo, Roni! I did it!
his record over the course of a few years with a few dozen fights. Today, if A fighter gets to 11, 12, 13-0, you hear him say, “I’m ready for anybody!” In many cases, they get the shot – and sometimes win it. HECTOR AGUADO, San Juan, P.R. – How do you think the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight will turn out? THE COMMISH: As we get closer to the fight, and after I hear all the inside scoops on each guy’s training camp, I will make an official prediction. I do know both will be in the best condition of their lives. As of now, I can see Crawford handling the weight very well and giving Canelo a very rough night. CHRIS CASILLAS (hometown unknown) – Randy, I just read the “hometown decisions” column you wrote. You can’t be serious to think this doesn’t happen. You should replace the word “hometown” with “A-side.” Did you not see Tank vs. Roach? [That was] clearly an A-side bias and the gutless powers that be [were] afraid to change the result to Roach by decision. There are many more examples, but you already know that. I’m hoping my next read is more honest. THE COMMISH: I never said hometown decisions no longer occur. I just feel, as do many of my colleagues, that they are not as prevalent as they once were. But I do hear and feel your frustration. BRUCE THOMPSON, Boston – Do you think Tyson Fury will fight again? THE COMMISH: Absolutely! A mega- money fight against Anthony Joshua is just waiting to be made. Tyson Fury will fight again! Send your thoughts, questions and rants to TheCommishRandyG@gmail. com. You guys are the best boxing fans in the world. You deserve to be heard in The Ring.
HHHH
Back in the summer of ’84, I was the editor-in-chief of The Ring. I had a busy day in front of me. For one, I had to write my editorial. Secondly, I had stories to edit and photos to choose for those stories. I also had an 11 a.m. phone interview with promoter/casino owner Donald J. Trump (you may have heard of him!). At noon, I had a lunch meeting with NBC-TV Sports Executive Producer Michael Weisman. Following that, I had two mid-30s businessmen coming into the office to speak with me about their idea for a boxing hall of fame. An International Boxing Hall of Fame. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do less, as the list of men who had come into my office to discuss a boxing hall of fame numbered in the dozens since I’d begun at The Ring in 1979. None of them came armed with anything more than a boring monologue, dirty clothes and mouthfuls of b.s. All they really wanted was a sponsorship check from The Ring and a cover story on themselves. All I gave them was an escort to the elevator. Yet I kept providing each of them with an audience, hoping one day to hear something real. So when the two guys, Don and Ed, walked into my office – the same one Nat Fleischer sat in 15 years earlier – I was prepared to listen. When they walked in, neatly dressed, I was immediately impressed. They weren’t like most of the others, who came in with gravy-stained ties and crumpled, coffee-splattered shirts. They were as impressed with me as I was in their appearances when they said they were from Canastota, New York, some 290 miles north of my Midtown Manhattan office, and I replied, “Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus.”
At press time, Manny Pacquiao was scheduled to challenge WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios on July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It is a venue in which he has fought on 15 occasions, winning 10, losing four times and fighting to one draw. The draw came in the first of his four bouts against
announced that Pacquiao had been selected for induction into the Class of 2025, as he fulfilled the competitor requirement of three years of inactivity. News broke in early spring of Pacquiao’s intentions – at 46 years of age – to return to the ring to face Barrios, but both camps were tight-lipped when questioned about it. However, when the WBC put out its latest list of ratings, and Pacquiao was seen at
Juan Manuel Marquez, whom he would beat twice and suffer the third – and most severe – knockout of his career. Technically, he was also KO’d in his 12th bout – when he was 17 – but reports say it was his opponent’s shoulder crashing into Pacquiao’s chin that caused the knockout. His second stoppage – to Boonsai Sangsurat (AKA Medgoen Singsurat 3-K Battery) – was the result of extreme weight loss. Pacquiao’s announced comeback was a shock to many fans and even to many insiders, but the signs were there in the months after his last fight, a unanimous decision loss against Yordenis Ugas on August 21, 2021. On several occasions, when asked by
No. 5, it was obvious that WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman had granted Pacquiao permission to fight for the sanctioning organization’s belt. On May 21 at a press conference in Los Angeles, the fight was officially announced. If Pacquiao should lose,
especially one-sidedly, it’ll be clear his competitive days are over. However, a win will drive him further. Much further! Will he look to unify against Norman? Nope! Will he look to unify against Ennis? Nope! Gone are the days of Pacquiao
fighting for legacy. With a record of 62-8-2 (39 KOs), world titles won in eight divisions (including three Ring championships), and dozens of other fistic accomplishments, Pacquiao is not looking for legacy. He is looking for a very large payday! In late December 2018, at the press conference announcing Pacquiao’s fight against Adrien Broner, I asked Pacquiao if he would like a shot of redemption by fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., who outpointed him by unanimous decision on May 2, 2015. “Of course I would,” Pacquiao said. “I would like that very much,” he added. “I think about a rematch all the time.” I have never forgotten Pacquiao’s words. The view in this corner is that’s the fight we will see next, should Pacquiao upset the odds on July 19. It’ll be
interviewers if he would ever consider a comeback, his stock answer was “you never know,” followed by a broad smile. After seeing Barrios held to a draw in his last outing by Abel Ramos (28-6-3, 22 KOs) last November, reports say Pacquiao stepped up his workouts in the gym. He made it known that if he were to return, it would not be against a rising prospect or even against a top contender, but in a world title fight. Nor was he looking to face Ring/IBF/ WBA champion Jaron Ennis or The Ring’s No. 1-rated welterweight, WBO beltholder Brian Norman. The view
HHHH
Several of you have sent in your questions, thoughts and rants to me. Here are a few: NELSON TRAGLIA, Sparta, Wis. – Do you think fighters today are being rushed? THE COMMISH: Most definitely. Gone are the days of a fighter building
from this corner is that he had his sights on the weakest link of the three titleholders. On December 5, 2024, the International Boxing Hall of Fame
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather 2. The first did 4.6 million PPV buys and raked in over $400 million in revenue. Pacquiao vs Mayweather 2 won’t
Manny might want a rematch with Floyd, but does anybody want to watch it?
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