For a long time, an epic collision between superstars Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather was considered boxing's holy grail. After Pacquiao's most recent loss to Juan Manuel Marquez and Mayweather's plans to fight on May 4, boxing fans will now need to find a new super-fight to dream about.
According to a report from ESPN, Roger Mayweather (Floyd's uncle and coach) wants the fight to happen and believes that people still want to see the fight.
While there will always be a contingent of fight fans that will clamor to watch the fight when both guys are in their 70's, there's really no need for these two to meet in the ring anymore.
The greatest intrigue surrounding the fight would have been that it would settle, in the ring, who the true pound-for-pound champion is. While it would be a great fight, it would no longer do that. It's clear that Mayweather is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Pacquiao's reputation has never been heavily invested in his record—unlike Mayweather, he hasn't had an undefeated resume to protect. However, the fact that he has now lost his last two fights in a row gives credibility to the notion that he's no longer the Pacquiao that could knock out anyone with his relentless aggression.
The thing about dream fights is that they ultimately have an expiration date. In the UFC, fans clamored for a dream fight between UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and pound-for-pound lynchpin Fedor Emelianenko, but the deal never got done. As both fighters faded into obscurity, the fight lost its luster.
If the UFC were able to put Emelianenko and Lesnar in the Octagon now, it would generate interest, but it wouldn't be the blockbuster fight that it could have been when both were dominating the division.
The same is true for a Mayweather-Pacuiao fight. The clash of styles is still interesting. Mayweather remains one of the most elusive and defensively adept fighters of all time while Pacquiao has the hard-charging power that may prove the foil to Mayweather's wizardry.
At this point there are better options for each fighter.
Mayweather is expected to schedule a fight on May 4 against an opponent yet to be named (it's likely Robert Guerrero). After that, a fight against undefeated Canelo Alvarez would inspire plenty of intrigue.
For Pacquiao, it would be much more intriguing to see him settle some unfinished business from his last two losses. His decision loss to Tim Bradley could best be described as suspect and a rematch would draw plenty of viewers interested to see if he could turn the tables this time around.
There's also the potential for a fifth fight against Marquez. The fourth installment of the series was a thrilling back-and-forth bout and Pacquiao may want to prove once and for all that he's the better of the two.
While there's still a chance that Mayweather and Pacquiao finally figure out a scenario in which they will sign to fight each other, it's no longer the great fight that it once was. With Pacquiao's star waning and Mayweather scheduled to fight once already this year we won't be seeing this fight anytime soon.
By the time the two would meet in the ring, it would only generate a fraction of the excitement that it could have if the two could have pulled off a fight in their respective primes.
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