Bob Sheridan: “Manny Pacquiao can give Floyd Mayweather a better fight than he did the first time around when he injured his shoulder”

Hall of Fame boxing commentator, Bob Sheridan, has called some of the most iconic fights from ringside. He has seen many of the best and closest bouts in the history of the sport from a vantage point not many get to experience. Having called so many bouts over a forty year period has given Sheridan a unique perspective of the close and controversial fights and with this past weekend’s Kovalev vs. Ward bout, the legendary commentator once again finds himself sharing his view of a bout that the people watching on TV, did not see.

In part 2 of my interview with Bob Sheridan, I discuss with him the outrage over the Kovalev-Ward decision that has been expressed by fight fans and Team Kovalev. Bob talks about the chances for a rematch and if he thinks there should be one after such a close fight. Sheridan also talks about the upcoming Lomachenko vs. Walters bout and who he is favoring to win that fight. Additionally, Sheridan shares his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao’s latest win and what he thinks would happen in a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch. Here is what Bob Sheridan had to say.

Robert Brown: Team Kovalev were very upset with the decision loss to Andre Ward. What did you think of their reaction to the result?

Bob Sheridan: If I was Kovalev or Kovalev’s people, yes I’d be annoyed, because he did enough to win the fight as well, if it went one point the other way. I had Kovalev winning the fight by two but that’s not in cement. When I’m scoring a fight, I have a lot of other distractions that are going on in calling the fight, I’m listening to the producers in my ear, I’m working with a color commentator.

To judge very close rounds, you have got to give it one hundred percent concentration and none of us do. If you’re at home, you’re talking to people in the room, you’re doing other things and you can be distracted by the commentator. My scoring in the fight can lead you a certain way and that’s why I try to explain why I’m scoring a certain way.

On the very close rounds why I sometimes will put down 10-10 because I know the judges aren’t scoring 10-10 rounds but I have to give my audience an indication of how I think it might go, and on rounds when I think there’s a round where the judges might be split on, I’ll put that down as 10-10, so my score could be a little off. In comparison to the three judges, they all had it the same way by one point. I was a little off.

Robert Brown: Do you want to see the fight again?

Bob Sheridan: Of course I want to see it again, that was a terrific fight. The next time Sergey is going to be furious because he thinks he got jobbed in this. I’m sure that there will be a European judge or an Eastern European judge as part of the panel. Sergey thinks he got jobbed in the fight and I can understand from his perspective. I want to see the fight again.

Robert Brown: We have an upcoming fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters. Do you think Lomachenko will be favored in this fight?

Bob Sheridan: I think he will be and I would slightly favor Lomachenko. I’m really impressed about his ability to fight. I’ve seen more of Lomachenko, so maybe that’s why I’m leaning that way, but either guy can win this fight. You have an undefeated fighter for all practical purposes, Lomachenko was surprised when he lost to Orlando Salido but he turned pro after an extensive amateur career and had a world title shot in his debut and that’s something that’s only happened a couple of times in the history of boxing.

Robert Brown: Floyd Mayweather was in attendance for the Pacquiao-Vargas fight and it’s raised questions about a potential rematch. What are you thoughts on a rematch? Did you see anything that Pacquiao did that could make Mayweather worried about fighting Manny again?

Bob Sheridan: I think that Manny in his last couple of fights has fought extraordinarily well. He fought a young stud and was able to beat him and before that he fought Timothy Bradley who was fighting the fight of his life and he was able to handle him.

When it was all said and done with what Manny Pacquiao has done in his career, he always comes to fight in great shape but the Manny Pacquiao of today is not the Manny Pacquiao of ten years ago. He’s lost a little bit but so has Floyd Mayweather.

When people talk about big fights, they always talk about the ‘Thrilla in Manilla’ and Frazier and Ali. One of the great things about that fight was the huge personalities made the fight bigger than it was. The second fight that was back in New York was actually a better fight than the third fight, but because of Manilla and the magnitude of who these fighters were, it made that fight.

If the fight can be made and Mayweather wants another huge payday, I think it would be interesting. We know how Floyd is going to fight the fight, the only way he can fight it is defensively on his back foot and try to rally enough just to win rounds. Manny Pacquiao can give him a lot better than he did the first time around when he injured his shoulder.