By Charlie Knoxville
A true boxing superstar is someone who can still receive the love, admiration and support from the fans even in defeat.
Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao has fans from all walks of life. His fans Love him so much that they light up with a big smile in anticipation of each and every one of his fights. They get butterflies in their stomachs the day of a Pacquiao fight and get nervous any time the champ gets caught with a good shot during the fight, as if Manny Pacquiao was their own brother getting hit in that ring.
People are drawn to Manny Pacquiao because he has that Peter Pan charm, that innocent and boyish personality that’s unique to the Pacman. You watch him entering the arena and as he walks out to the boxing ring he is waving to the fans with a huge grin on his face like a little boy going to Disneyland instead of going to a fist fight.
How can such a sweet looking guy be considered one of the most ferocious fighters of our era? That’s the pit bull in Manny Pacquiao. It’s like he has an on and off switch, once he gets to the center of the ring and is ready to touch gloves his face changes from a huge grin to a serious face like he is ready for war.
That’s what makes Manny so special, he knows when to switch it on and off. Some boxers will carry that violent mentality outside of the ring, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Floyd is actually more aggressive outside of the ring than inside the ring) who walks around like a diva throwing tantrums and using intimidation tactics when things don’t go his way. Floyd claims he is the biggest star in boxing but he isn’t, he is only the biggest star in his own mind.
The majority of Floyd’s fans will leave him in a heartbeat the moment he loses. A lot of people mainly buy his pay-per-views to see him lose, and not because they enjoy seeing him spar in the ring, but because they want to enjoy seeing someone possibly smash his arrogant face in. If you don’t believe this, watch the second round of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley fight, watch all the people jump out of their seat when Mosley rocks Mayweather, the people were screaming in enjoyment when Mosley rocked him a second time. These people enjoyed seeing Mayweather get hurt and almost knocked out. That’s the only time anyone ever gets excited in a Mayweather fight, when he gets hit. The remainder of the fight was boring, the people were just sitting there waiting to see if Mosley would land another punch, but he never did.
You can see the difference when Pacquiao and Mayweather get hurt in fights, the fans get nervous and worried when Manny gets hit, but when Floyd gets hit people are jumping for joy like they won the mega millions lottery.
A big part of being a superstar is how you carry yourself outside of the ring. Manny is approachable, if fans come up to him in a crowded mall he will smile, wave, try to sign everyone’s stuff and shake their hands. When Floyd walks through a crowded mall he acts cocky, has 5 huge bodyguards, and doesn’t acknowledge anyone at all. The only time you see Floyd acting friendly to fans is when he is on a press tour promoting his upcoming fights, other than that he really doesn’t interact much with the fans unless it’s via UStream where he acts like an idiot counting his cash or throwing money in clubs.
Floyd needs to realize a true superstar has people rooting for him and not against him.
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I am an avid fan of boxing and video games. My first fight of memory was watching Prince Naseem Hamed destroy Kevin Kelly. I enjoy all aspects of the sport. My favorite current boxer is Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. My favorite boxing match is Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo 1. I love watching boxing on Pay-Per-View more than being there live because you can really enjoy and watch the action from the best view.