By Babatis Banda: It is our belief that Manny Pacquiao is the gentleman he is portrayed to be, by both his countrymen and the press. It is our belief that Manny Pacquiao is not the only reason the fight with Floyd Mayweather junior has not happened up to now.

It is also our strongest belief that Manny Pacquiao is not afraid to face Floyd Mayweather junior on May 5, 2012. If our beliefs are correct, then Manny Pacquiao should stand up, look Arum in the eye, and tell him that he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather junior this coming May, 2012. Failure to do that will only mean one thing, that he is a wimp and a cheat, who hides behind the crookedness of this sport and has wasted everybody’s time all this long.

Manny Pacquiao has indicated that he wants to fight Floyd in May. It should not just end with press statements, but he must make it clear that he is willing and able to fight Floyd without any more delays and excuses. Many people have voiced their concerns over the manner Arum has been handling this issue. Many have also categorically pointed a finger at Arum as the biggest stumbling block in the fight’s way, including Ariza, a member of the inner circle of Pacquiao’ s team.

We all saw that Pacquiao got cut on the eye in the Marquez fight and needed a good number of stitches to put it together. While this was a significant injury, we have seen worse injuries in boxing and six months is enough time to heal the cut. While we don’t want to sound unreasonable over Manny’s healing period, why is it that Arum was willing to put Magarito, barely five months after he had two surgeries on his eye in the ring? Why is it that Magarito could be sacrificed and Manny protected?

While Arum has a hand in the fight not being made, my opinion is that Manny has been comfortable with it and he is equally guilty of avoiding fighting Floyd. Manny is a big star and so, he should be man of his own, and should have the bigger say in his career. After all, he makes the money and should be in charge. This time around, if it does not happen, it is clear who will sit on it again and the only solution is for Manny to stand-up to Arum.