Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: It’s a No-Brainer

By Christian Ramos: It’s a no-brainer. The mega-fight between the self proclaimed “Greatest Boxer to Ever Live” Floyd Mayweather Jr. and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao is going to happen. The media has poured out as much Kool-Aid as it possibly could, and it amazingly seems as if the boxing world is hooked. It’s actually not a bad thing though. This is exactly what makes this fight what it is and what it’s going to be, the biggest fight in the history of the sport.

Boxing fans all throughout the globe have remained anxious, hopeful, frustrated, and very disappointed with the failed negotiations or even non-negotiations with Manny vs. Money. However, this event has been well-seasoned for years. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was undisputedly the best Pound for Pound fighter in the world from July 18, 2005 through June 2, 2008. After his big win over the undefeated Ricky Hatton, Mayweather retired from boxing and was replaced by none other than PacMan, Manny Pacquiao. That is exactly where the promoting began.

Since Floyd’s retirement, Manny Pacquiao’s ferocious and relentless fighting style captivated fans everywhere looking for a new P4P King. Pacquiao has beaten former Floyd opponents Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton in an even more dominant fashion. That would lead to Mayweather coming out of retirement to pitch a shut-out against Juan Manuel Marquez, the man that has won most of the rounds in the two meetings between himself and Manny Pacquiao.

The showmanship led to the first negotiations between the two camps, and although they did manage to agree on a 50-50 split as far as the money was concerned, the negotiations failed due to the refusal of random blood and urine testing from Team Pacquiao. From there, they would both go off to different opponents. Pacquiao would go to sell $1.25 million in a boring mismatch against Joshua Clottey, while Floyd Mayweather Jr. would sell $1.4 million against then Ring Magazine’s #3 Pound for Pound fighter “Sugar” Shane Mosley, simply out-classing him with the exception of the 2nd round.

And, here we are. Bob Arum has attempted to negotiate the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, but has decided to move on to Cotto or Margarito because Floyd never responded before the deadline he had placed. Then, Floyd breaks his silence stating he is not interested in boxing at the moment. Then, Team Mayweather issues a statement denying negotiations have ever taken place. Apparently, Arum was negotiating with himself. Arum responds saying, “This is Alice in Wonderland Time.” Then, Jeff Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle, says Floyd was not interested in the fight because Pacquiao would not agree to random drug testing. He would agree to a cut-off date to test, but knowing the cut-off date is not random. Floyd Sr. came out and shared his belief that Jr. was not interested, because he refuses to go 50-50 with PacMan. Whether you like him or not, the numbers do indicate that the PPV performances between the two are more like 60-40 in favor Mayweather. Most recently, Bob Arum has mentioned that a deal between Pacquiao and either Cotto or Margarito should be finalized this week.

I have obvious news to the boxing public. This fight is going to happen. This fight is worth more than $200 million. That’s a lot of money. This is promoting 101 by the best in the game. I very much appreciate Golden Boy and Top Rank for their marketing genius. I do however oppose the situation in this regard.

Bob Arum has mentioned that a deal has to be finalized in July in order for the super-fight to be promoted perfectly. Arum said 4 months of promoting is not enough. News flash! You do not need 3 years of promoting! How much more promoting do you need? The boxing world has been anticipating this since 2008, and the fight is looking like it’s heading into 2011. Bob Arum and Team Pacquiao mentioned they were going to call Mayweather’s bluff. Unfortunately, it seems if they did negotiate, they used the same contract they used earlier this year. Hey Arum, if you want the fight done, it doesn’t take a deadline to really pressure Mayweather. Call a press-conference. Tell Floyd Mayweather Jr. that Pacquiao is willing to fight him, take the random blood and urine testing up until the fight, and take a 40% or even 45%. That would put an end to all of the madness and confusion, and it would surely corner Pretty Boy Floyd. In that instance, either Mayweather’s afraid, or you have a serious fight on your hands.

It’s not easy to tell that Mayweather was serious when he mentioned that he was not going to accept anything different that 60% and random drug testing. It’s also obvious that Bob Arum is trying to place Pacquiao’s 8th divisional title in his hands. Fortunately, it’s all part of the process. We’ll just have to be patience. The final pieces of the puzzle are falling in place. You can get anxious, desperate, frustrated, and disappointed. You shouldn’t though. The fight is going to take place. It’s been right in front under our noses all along.

Side Notes:

1. Many fans are upset with Bob Arum for his tendency to keeping his fights in house. Golden Boy, you’re not much different. Get Amir Khan in there with Timothy Bradley. He called him out. Now you must do your job and promote. You’re promoters, not managers. You don’t make the decisions.

2. Gary Shaw, if Bradley can’t get Khan, challenge Devon Alexander. Stop chasing Pacquiao if you know you’re obviously not getting him. Don’t judge Arum if you’re not prepared to put Bradley in there with the best challenge he has at 140.

3. Dan Goosen, find Paul Williams and tell him Sergio Martinez is waiting. You too have been calling out PacMan, but are not prepared to take the same tough challenge that others have criticized Arum and Pacquiao for not taking.

4. Arum, learn your lesson. You are a multi-millionaire. You do not need the money. Pacquiao does not need the money. Mayweather doesn’t need the money. Need is a lack of something. None of you lack the money. Make it happen. Legacy’s at stake for everybody. Not only Mayweather and Manny have legacies at stake, but so do you in being the greatest promoter in the sport’s history.

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