For any chance of the superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to happen, Money May must illustrate he hasn't been hurt too much by his yearlong layoff from the ring.
Mayweather is the heavy favorite going into his return bout with Robert Guerrero. Despite being 36 years old, Mayweather has shown few signs of slowing down and looks the far superior fighter to his opponent.
In order to remain a high box-office draw, he must look as strong as possible. Mayweather needs to make Guerrero chase him around the ring and avoid his best punches.
Some have given up hope that any fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao would ever happen. And who could blame them? The fight has been teased for years and is no closer to coming to fruition.
According to ESPN.co.uk, the Pac-Man remains extremely open to the bout:
Manny Pacquiao is still targeting a bout with undefeated welterweight star Floyd Mayweather Jr, but the decision lies firmly with the American - according to Pacquiao's advisor Michael Koncz.
Koncz recently confirmed that 'Pac Man' will return to the ring in Macau on November 24, and while Mayweather Jr defends his WBC welterweight title against Robert Guerrero on May 5, the Filipino's advisor remains open to a potential clash between the two.
Negotiations have taken place over the years to create what would be one of boxing's most lucrative fights, with the main stumbling block being Mayweather Jr's request for Pacquiao to agree to Olympic-style random drug tests leading up to the fight.
However, Koncz revealed that 34-year-old Pacquiao would agree to any form of testing required, as long as 'Money' committed to do the same.
If there is a chance—no matter how small— that a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao could be on the cards, it all depends on how well Mayweather does in his return.
People are going to be less inclined to buy tickets to a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight or buy it on pay-per-view if Money May is beaten or made to look weak by Guerrero.
Forget about what Mayweather has said about the fight losing any of its luster.
(Note: Skip ahead about a minute to get to the Pacquiao stuff.)
The narrative is already there, as untrue as it may be. Pacquiao is the more humble fighter who wants to give back to his native Philippines and performs on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Mayweather is the unbeaten braggart whose mouth moves as quick as his fists. There are plenty of fans who would love to see Money get his comeuppance at the hands of Pacquiao.
Plus, now there's the belief that Mayweather is ducking the Pac-Man, best expressed by Skip Bayless:
When Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez, you could almost see the dollars getting flushed down the toilet. It's one thing to have one fighter—Pacquiao—struggling and looking past his prime. But fans aren't going to care if both guys are nowhere near their respective bests.
Oscar De La Hoya was a bit past it when he fought Mayweather back in 2007. That didn't stop the fight from becoming the highest-earning of all time. It's fair to think a Mayweather-Pacquiao bout would shatter records as well.
Part of the reason the hype behind this prospective fight has died is because people don't feel the need to get excited about something so unlikely to happen. The second the fight is confirmed, though, social media sites will be ablaze with opinions and buzz.
Should Mayweather not look strong against Guerrero, a superfight against Pacquiao wouldn't be dead on arrival. But in order to maximize any profits from the fight, Money May needs to maintain his still extremely high standard.
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment