Michael Marley's memoirs: Returning to Vegas and reflecting on Pacquiao-Cotto

Attending Pacquiao-Cotto brough back memories for boxing scribe Michael Marley

Throughout his days in the boxing world, veteran boxing scribe Michael Marley has just about seen it all. From starting the Cassius Clay Fan Club at the young age of thirteen to traveling the world over doing PR work for legendary promoter Don King, Marley has seen just about every situation imaginable in the sport, whether good, bad, or ugly.

While some may think that being involved in boxing would kill one’s enthusiasm, Marley is still very much passionate about the game and that was on display recently during a trip to Las Vegas. As a young writer Marley experienced much success in the Valley and his return home was in conjunction with this year’s biggest fight, Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marley spent the years of 1975 through 1978 in Nevada and claims to have walked away from the desert with a much wiser outlook on everything the sport entails. Despite knowing the area like the back of his hand, Marley was still taken back by the electricity that the Pacquiao-Cotto event created. There is something about a huge boxing event that is extremely surreal, whether you are a fan or keen boxing scribe such as Marley.

Recently I caught up with Marley as he was one his way back home to New York to gather his thoughts on his return to Las Vegas, the behind the scenes drama of Pacquiao vs. Cotto, and what the future holds for the Filipino sensation. In his own words, this is what Marley had to say…

Inside the Wild Card…
“I was down with Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach at the Wild Card for about five days before moving over to Vegas. I’ve noticed that wherever Manny is, he always seems happy and he always has that great smile. He looks the kid that is underneath the Christmas tree who has his bicycle that he always wanted. I never saw a guy that was full of so much joy. I’m sure he has his bad moods and his bad moments like any other human beings but when he’s in the public eye he’s always smiling and joking. I mean he was at the post fight press conference singing. I think he gets a kick out of being Pacquiao and I can understand why.”

Lessons from Vegas…
“I lived in Las Vegas many, many moons ago. I was a young boxing writer for the Las Vegas Sun. There was no question to me that it was the place to be. If you were a young person and you wanted to get involved in these big financial companies naturally you go to Wall Street, but if you wanted to get into boxing Nevada was the place. I was there from 1975 to 1978 and there were some fantastic fights there. That’s where I met Larry Holmes, Don King, and I had already known Bob Arum, Muhammad Ali and many others in boxing. It’s like grand central station there in boxing. If somebody was important in boxing they were there in Reno one time or another. It was a great place for a young person like myself to get to know people. In fact Freddie Roach was one of the guys who made his debut at the Silver Slipper so you saw former champions and a lot of guys on the rise. It was a great atmosphere and a great place to be. After three years out there I was more than ready to move to New York when I had the chance to work at the New York Post.”

Returning to the city…
“Some of my friends joke with me because I’ve spent so much time in Las Vegas long after I moved away. For me, Vegas was the mother ship. Just being back there I was there to do a Zab Judah fight. I was one of the TV announcers at the Palms. I actually spent the last two weeks in Vegas but it was great to go from Manny’s camp to the city. By the time I got there Cotto was already in Vegas. Manny soon followed. A lot of these guys that don’t cover boxing year round or full time, they come in for big newspapers or websites and they come in on Wednesday or Thursday and the fight is on Saturday. I don’t think they really experience it all. They don’t get to see the fighters in training and they don’t really get the background on all that stuff. You have to be where the athletes are and you have to study your subject. That’s why it was great being there for two full weeks.”

Remembering the Pacquiao-Cotto fight…
“In about the third round Bert Sugar, who was a few seats away from me, turned around and said ‘This is the great fight since Hearns-Hagler’, which was the ultimate war for three rounds before Tommy got knocked out by Marvin. I told Bert to reserve judgment because it was in the third round that Cotto got dropped for the first time, and later dropped in the fourth round. After that he was just fighting to survive. Was it a great fight and an electric fight? Yes. Was it a competitive fight? It turned our really not to be after those knockdowns. It became a one-sided beat down. Before the fight the opinion seemed to be pretty mixed and I can understand that. I never wavered in my belief that Manny would win. I made a couple of wagers that the fight would go over ten rounds and it did, although the Cotto corner should be ashamed of themselves for not stopping it in the eighth or ninth round. I think they really destroyed much of what Cotto has left. He took a needless beating the last three or four rounds.”

Becoming an icon…
“I remember one columnist wrote that Manny was mesmerizing on this night and that was a good choice of words. It was interesting that Chavez and Duran were both out there to attend the fight. I remember covering Duran and I worked with Chavez when I was with Don King Productions. Those guys were both icons and I think Manny is in that class. He is just reaching a level that very few athletes achieve through their talent and accomplishments. He certainly is becoming an icon if he isn’t one already.”

The biggest thing out there…
“I came away from this fight thinking something that I hadn’t thought before. I believe that Manny Pacquiao can beat Floyd Mayweather. I don’t know if he will but I do believe the fight is going to be signed. It’s really all about keeping it simple and stupid. The only issue on the table is how to divide up the money and there is going to be so much money that neither guy can afford not to take this fight. Manny wants the fight, although he doesn’t say that. I remember a young writer from the New York Times wrote an article suggesting that Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather will be in Yankee Stadium and I also heard a big rumor today that Jerry Jones of the Cowboys is going to make a big offer for the fight. I just don’t think it’s going to happen. At the end of the day, 99 out of 100 times if Vegas wants a fight they will pony up the money and get the big fights. History shows that.  I look at it this way. Bob Arum is going to be 79 years of age in December. Manny turns 31 in December. Obviously if you are Bob Arum you know that you are in your closing years as a promoter and why wouldn’t you want to promote what I think is the biggest fight since Ali-Frazier I? It’s the biggest thing out there. I think the fight will happen and people will talk sensibly. Manny will sign, Floyd will sing, and I think we’ll all be back in Vegas sometime in spring.”

Chris Robinson is a freelance writer based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.Facebook.com/CRHarmony.

To read more work from Michael Marley, including his coverage of the Pacquiao-Cotto event, please click HERE or check out the links below…
 

1.6 Million Buys for Pacquiao (By Michael Marley)

Living in Mayweather's Nirvana (By Michael Marley)

Cotto Carried back to dressing room (By Michael Marley)

For more coverage from Chris Robinson on the Pacquiao-Cotto event, please check below...

For Pacquiao-Cotto: The story in Pictures, click HERE