By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
Photos by Tom Donoghue
When it comes to combat sports, debuting for a promotion is for the young, while retirement is most often not an older athlete’s choice. In the fight industry, it happens in an instant when nobody see it coming, and then everybody sees it coming. Boxers, MMA fighters, and professional WWE wrestlers all face the same fate.
We saw all types of older combatants in Las Vegas Saturday night with 42-year-old, history-making boxer Manny Pacquiao vs 35-year-old Cuban-born, Yordenis Ugas at T-Mobile Arena.
A mile or two south at Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, WWE SummerSlam offered up its own headlining veterans headlined by 36-Year-Old Drew McIntyre, 44-year-old John Cena, 45-year-old Bobby Lashley, and 54-year-old Goldberg. There’s a reason why the old guys still get top billing. Simply, they’ve earned it through blood, sweat, and box office and Pay-Per-View dollars.
Pacquiao was expected to earn a $5 million guaranteed purse and could bump up to $25 million in PPV money. The Fox price for the event was $74.99.
Veterans like Pacquiao, Cena, and Lashly may no longer be at the peak of their career as athletes, but name recognition, brand equity, and fan endearment has value that up-and-comers just don’t provide. SummerSlam 2021 was the biggest event of the year for WWE with 51,326 fans in attendance. Pacquiao headlined in front of an announced attendance of 17,438 inside of T-Mobile Arena. Combined, that’s a draw of 68,764 between the two events.
The money and fan curiosity remain longer than the fighters’ actual skill-set. People start talking about it, wondering when the gloves will be laid down on the canvas right around when a competitor hits their mid-30s. Manny’s heard it for years, and after his unanimous decision loss to Ugas Saturday night, the senator from the Philippines could no longer look away from the final page of an illustrious book of records he’s amassed. Boxing’s only eight division champion looked slow in his 77th professional fight.
“My legs felt tight, they were cramping,” Pacquaio acknowledged in the post-fight press conference. The fluid mobility that has always made his power so dangerous was not available in this fight. “In my heart I want to continue, but I have to also consider my body.”
For the few who become champions, or even just a mainstay at any level, the grind is a bit like the force needed to turn coal into diamonds. No matter if we’re talking 147-pound boxing welterweights, or 6’3’’, 250 pound professional wrestlers, constant combat takes a toll. Beyond characters and PPV counts are men and women who contemplate their career paths while also managing a life out of the spotlight. Currently, 43-year-old wrestler Stephen Farrelly, known to WWE fans as Shemus, is more aware than ever of how to properly take care of his body. LVSportsBiz asked the now former United States Champion what he thought of the retirement talk surrounding Manny Paccquiao and if he’s also considered stepping away.
“I’m actually older than Manny Pacquiao and here I am a champion too. So, I think that whole thing about getting to a certain age and slowing down is just a stereotype. I don’t think that’s true. If you’re hungry and passionate about what you do, then you’ll stay on top of your game. For me, I’m hungrier now than I was when I started. I have a different outlook on life. I still got a lot to do.” How you take care of yourself changes too. I’m way more conscious about how I take care of my body, what I eat, and how I manage recovery on my off days. You have a better lifestyle,” he said.
“I love doing this, and until the day I don’t have big passion for this I’ll think about something else. Right now, I’m just as passionate as I’ve ever been.”
Sheamus was part of WrestleMania XVIII, the highest grossing WWE PPV of all time. As well as being watched by 1.2 million people across 120 countries, the 78,363 in attendance at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium generated $8.9 million in gate receipts.
Scottish-born Andrew McLean Galloway, known to WWE fans as Drew McIntyre, echoed the thoughts of his colleague. “Remember there’s 52 weeks in a year. I used to have the mindset when I was younger that I needed to have it all right now. That’s not the way to be thinking. I used to think too far ahead. Learn early how to take care of your health.”
He added, “I look at somebody like Sheamus who’s 43, or current champion Bobby Lashley who’s 45 I believe, and he keeps getting younger and younger every year. He keeps himself in incredible shape. As far as I’m concerned, I’m gonna wrestle as long as I physically can at a high level. The second I can’t do that is the day I retire.”
The two-time WWE Champion also gave his thoughts on Pacquiao. “When it comes to a fight like Manny Pacquaio, that’s the kind of fights I watch with people I know. I think he can stay for as long as his body will allow him to box. He’s been a great champion.”
As Sheamus, Drew McInyre, and Bobby Lashley continue to challenge Father Time and push ahead in their careers, Pacquiao is winding down that conversation. Pacquiao has won just about every championship he’s pursued, made a ton of money, and will be a first ballot boxing Hall of Famer. Before the judge’s scores were announced, there was little doubt amongst media in the arena, the front row view of one of the most prolific boxers in history was closing. He was outclassed by Ugas for most of the fight.
“This situation might finish my career in boxing,” Pacquiao said. “But this is my statement to all the boxing fans all over the world: The most important thing is how we can help each other, especially in this pandemic.”
As the senator out of the Philippines contemplates his inevitable retirement from boxing, LVSportsBiz asked him what is more important, the championships inside the ring, or what he’s been able to accomplish outside of it. “What’s important for me at this point is how can I inspire people. I focus on how I can help people. Later on, when Manny Pacquio is no longer in the world, I want them to remember that Manny Pacquio isn’t just one of the best boxers in the world, he’s a friendly guy, he’s a nice guy, he’s helping people.”
The PacMan has a lot of plans beyond boxing. A new and perhaps more important fight is on the horizon. He’s held senatorial office since 2016 and is planning a run at becoming the next president of the Philippines. Presently, the popular athlete is behind in the polls to several other candidates. He has some ground to make up ahead of the May 2022 election.
The senator closed out perhaps his final post-fight boxing press conference with “Thank you, boxing.” In reality, it’s boxing that owes gratitude to Manny Pacquaio.