Manny Pacquiao is stripping away all excuses Floyd Mayweather has for not agreeing to a fight with the Filipino legend.
Now, I won't go as far as to say this will lead to Money signing his name on the dotted line for this fight. For Mayweather, there is only one thing he feels he should do, and that is whatever he feels like doing.
What I will say is that this needs to lead to Mayweather taking on this challenge. Otherwise, his fantastic career and undefeated record, assuming he maintains it, will feel hollow and tarnish his legacy.
Money could finish off his career in brilliant fashion, but if he never fights the man who is widely regarded as his biggest rival, there will be a need for an asterisk next to his record.
Especially now that Pacquiao is making concessions in the areas that have been the biggest sticking points in making this fight happen.
Not surprisingly, money has been a major source of contention. So has drug testing. Mayweather has long maintained that he wants Olympic-style drug testing for this bout.
According to Pacquiao's advisor Michael Koncz, via ESPN, Pacquiao will agree to "any kind of testing as long as Floyd does the same."
Not even someone who is as big a fan of debating as Mayweather can have much to say about drug testing continuing to be an issue.
However, the cash will be a different concern. Koncz says that Pacquiao is willing to agree to a 60-40 split of the money.
This is yet another concession for Pacquiao, as he previously was looking for 45 percent.
Mayweather could still use this as a point of contention. He has wanted Manny to take a flat fee. And I'm sure he'll hold out to try to get it.
With Pacquiao having lost two straight fights, his bargaining power is rapidly diminishing, which not coincidentally, has happened at the same time as him getting more lenient on his desired terms with a fight with Mayweather.
While I won't begrudge Money sticking to his guns in this negotiation, at some point he just has to make sure this deal gets done.
Mayweather is 36. His window for earning top dollar for his bouts is rapidly diminishing. It would be foolish to pass on an opportunity to wage in what would likely be the most lucrative fight in boxing history.
But this isn't just about dollars and cents—this is about Money's legacy.
With Pacquiao making these concessions, the perception only grows that Money is ducking Manny. He can't let that hang over his otherwise brilliant career.
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