When mega-fights look to be on the horizon, but fall off faster than Vanilla Ice, it's usually because of money. This very well could be the case for a potential clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Any time there are mega-fighters involved, there are also mega-egos to deal with. Usually you won't find a high-caliber fighter who is willing to take the smaller portion of the purse. Such is the case with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, who have both proven to be shrewd business men when it comes to sitting down at the negotiating table.
A Mayweather vs. Pacquiao showdown is the only fight that makes logical sense, not just financially, but for the sport itself. Although it's a risky fight for both men, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would likely make even more money for everyone involved than Mayweather vs. De La Hoya ever did. For Manny, a victory would cement his status at the very top of our sport with nowhere else to go. For Floyd, a victory would justify everything he's told the media for the last 8 years; that he truly is the best. While most people would agree that it's the next logical fight for both men, the problem is that both men are stubborn enough to not come to agreement.
When Floyd escaped with a split decision victory over part-time fighter/promoter Oscar De La Hoya in a fight that was his biggest payday to date, it seemed like a rematch between the two would be a no-brainerÂ…or so we thought. Instead of fighting a rematch, which would have netted Floyd a great deal of money and at the same time given him a chance to shut up all the naysayers who thought Oscar deserved the nod, Mayweather decided not to. Instead, out of nowhere, he retired, stating that he had accomplished everything he wanted to in the sport and leaving most fans and boxing scribes scratching their heads. Let's also not forget Manny Pacquiao, who at one point, almost walked away from his two biggest paydays without batting an eye. When he was unhappy about the purse split being offered to him in his bouts with Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao stood firm on his stance, demanding a bigger percentage and more money. Despite Hatton and De La Hoya trying to call his bluff by persuing other options, both men ended up giving in to his demands and ultimately giving Pacquiao what he wanted. Would Mayweather do the same if put into the same scenario with Pacquiao? Highly unlikely!
There may be another road block in making this fight happenÂ….the weight! Since moving up from the lightweight division, Manny has never fought over 145 pounds. Although his bout with De La Hoya was officially set as a welterweight bout, both men weighed in well under the limit of 147 pounds. His bout with Ricky Hatton took place in the 140-pound division and his most recent bout with Miguel Cotto took place at a catch-weight of 145 pounds. Agreeing to fight Pacquiao at any weight under the welterweight limit is something that I don't believe Floyd will agree to. In fact, he already demonstrated that fact in his comeback bout with Marquez when he opted to pay a fine of $600,000 to Marquez instead of making the originally agreed upon catch-weight of 145 pounds. Although Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Bob Arum have come on record stating that the weight wouldn't matter, it's still just one of many issues that will have to be ironed before this fight even comes close to being a reality.
For our sake as fans, let's just hope that none of these issues will prevent the fight from eventually happening. It seems like all interested parties are willing to make it happen, but thus far, neither side has been quick to sit down at the negotiating table. Just how serious either side really is about making it happen remains to be seen. 2010 will start off with a great welterweight clash between WBC champion Shane Mosley and WBA champion Andre Berto. Let's hope that Pacquiao and Mayweather follow suit and make 2010 a year to remember in boxing.