It will happen. It has to happen.
“We are morons not to let it happen,” Richard Schaefeer, president of the Golden Boy Promotions that promoted the last three fights of Floyd Mayweather Jr., was quoted as saying on the possibility of a fight between Mayweather and Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.
Indeed, it is a great sin of omission for the boxing world not to let a megafight such as that between Pacquiao and Mayweather happen.
In the first place, such a fight would pit the two biggest crowd and pay-per-view drawers in history, ensuring huge paychecks for both fighters, the promoters, the venue, the trainers, HBO and all individuals and organizations that would have anything to do with the fight.
Secondly, such a fight would settle once and for all who is the world’s greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the history of boxing.
But more importantly, such a fight would give boxing fans all over the world a chance to witness what could be one of the greatest, most explosive ring battles ever. It will not be a brawl as many previous great fights had been, but a classic battle between two of the smartest and most technically gifted fighters equipped with the fastest and most powerful punches ever seen in boxing history.
After demolishing a game Miguel Cotto and wresting his seventh title in as many weight divisions last Saturday at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, the crowd blared the clamor of every avid boxing fan all over the world: “We want Floyd! We Want Floyd!”
When told by a reporter that a possible March 13, 2010 date has been suggested for a bout with Mayweather, Pacquiao said: “I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m sure he doesn’t want to fight.” And then, in an uncharacteristic stab at the brash Mayweather, Pacquiao added: “Boxing for him is like a business. He doesn’t care about the people around him watching. He doesn’t care if the fight is boring, as long as the fight is over and he gets his money. I want people to be happy. You have a big responsibility as a boxer.”
Will the stinging words catch the attention of Mayweather? I don’t think so. But Manny was right, Floyd is all about money, that’s why he is called “Money.” Mayweather will insist that he should get a 65-35 share, and that’s what would stall any negotiations between Schaefeer and Bob Arum, president of Top Rank Promotions that has been handling Pacquiao’s fights.
Arum, who has gone through scores of negotiations in his illustrious career, knew he and Pacquiao have gained the upper hand after Pacquiao’s successive explosive knockout victories over some of the greatest boxers of this generation, including the legendary Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
During the post-fight press conference at MGM Grand, Arum said if Mayweather wants to fight Pacquiao, all he has to do is call. Within minutes, Arum received a call saying that Schaefeer would call him on Monday to set up an appointment on Tuesday to discuss the terms of a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. To which, Arum said Schaefeer would have to wait until Wednesday.
Famed trainer Emanuel Steward, HBO’s regular boxing analyst, echoed what Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said, that there was only one logical next step for the 30-year-old Filipino.
“There’s no doubt you have to go with Mayweather,” Steward said on air. “When you have a fight that’s been made by the public more than the fighters, that’s what happened with Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard. The public said we want that fight to happen and that’s why it happened.
“I think it will happen, it’s just a case of when and who gets what in terms of money. I think it should be a 50-50. Manny has earned his position as an attraction and to me not just as pound for pound but as one of the all-time greats. I’d put him up there with the Ray Robinsons and Alis.”
Mayweather will try to stand firm on his 65-35 sharing proposal, but who is he kidding? If he remains stubborn and arrogant, Pacquiao can always fight Juan Manuel Marquez again and still generate one of the biggest crowds and PPV hits ever. After all, the first two fights with Marquez were both classic battles that ended in a controversial draw and an equally controversial split decision. There is an issue to be decided between two great fighters and as in most trilogies, the last match would be a sure epic battle.
If that fails, Pacquiao can fight the winner of the bout between veteran Shane Mosley and upcoming Andre Berto, both knockout specialists and tested crowd-drawers.
But what about the issue of who is the better pound-for-pound fighter between Pacquiao, listed by Ring Magazine and regarded by millions as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and Mayweather, who was the acknowledged number one pound-for-pound fighter until his retirement in 2007?
That is not for Pacquiao to prove. He is the current pound-for-pound champion, and Mayweather was the previous pound-for-pound best. It is really up to Mayweather to prove he is still the best by fighting the reigning best. Why should the one sitting on the throne be the one to hurl the challenge? If no one challenges him, he remains the king.
Pacquiao should be the one dictating the terms. The least the Filipino pride should get is a 50-50 share. Pacquiao should not settle for less than 51-49 in his favor, but in the interest of boxing, it wouldn’t hurt to agree to a 50-50 share.
Arum said the fight could be held as early as spring, thus the March 13, 2010 suggestion. But Pacquiao, who appears bent on pursuing an elective seat in Congress or, as suggested lately, in the Senate, so that fight date probably won’t materialize because that period would coincide with the peak of the election campaign.
Pacquiao said he would take a long vacation from boxing and suggested his next fight would probably be not earlier than December next year. But if he should fight Mayweather, he shouldn’t take a very long rest from boxing. A July or August fight, two to three months after the elections, should be good enough for him to recover from a long layoff.
Mayweather remains unbeaten in 40 fights, with 25 knockouts. But he has fought only five times in the last four years, and scored only one knockout victory during that period. He scored a 10th round technical knockout over Hatton on Dec. 8, 2007, after which he announced his retirement.
Previous to that, he won by unanimous decision on April 4, 2006 over Zab Judah, who was to lose via an 11th round TKO to Cotto one year later; a unanimous decision over Carlos Baldomir on November 4, 2006; and a split decision on May 5, 2007 over De la Hoya, whom Pacquiao demolished into retirement on December 6, 2008.
Mayweather came out of retirement on September 19 this year to prove he is still the best and possibly to serve as a warm-up for a possible bout with Pacquiao, and won convincingly but only on a unanimous decision over Marquez.
In contrast, Pacquiao won by devastating knockouts in eight of his 13 bouts in the last five years, winning by decision over four others and settling for a draw with Marquez in their first fight after flooring the Mexican slugger three times in the first round. All these wins were against some of the finest boxers of this generation – Cotto, Hatton, De la Hoya, David Diaz, Marquez, Marco Antonio Barerra, Erik Morales, and Hector Velasquez.
But all these statistics would come to naught once the two great fighters step onto the ring to settle once and for all who’s the greatest.
Most boxing experts agree that Mayweather is a far different boxer than most of Pacquiao’s latest opponents. He is a technical fighter who wouldn’t engage his opponent in a brawl. He is a pure boxer, not a fighter. He will jab, punch and move out. He has great defensive skills and has a fast footwork, which would make it difficult for Pacquiao to unleash his powerful hooks.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, can be a boxer and a brawler. He jabs and connects in flurries but has a tendency to always move forward and engage his opponent in a brawl if needed. Either way, he can outpunch his rival. Lately, he has also shown great defensive skills.
In any case, a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather promises to be an epic battle for the ages. It is a pity if arrogance and greed make it impossible for the fight to happen.
(valabelgas@aol.com)