We already know about Floyd Mayweather's superb skills in the ring, but his latest requirements of Manny Pacquiao for a potential match show his promotion skills aren't far behind.
In an interview with Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, the man they call "Money" laid out the hoops that "Pac-Man" must jump through if he wants to set up a fight that was once the biggest that boxing could possibly make.
Everybody's like, 'Aw, Pacquiao,' but I'm just letting you know he's not getting a fight with me... The only way he's getting the fight with me is if he signs with Mayweather Promotions. He's got to give me fights with Mayweather Promotions. If he don't give me no fights under Mayweather Promotions, then he's not getting the fight. That's how it is working now, because the ball is in my court. The ball has been in my court. I have been the A side.
While some are going to cry "duck" at the fact that Mayweather is demanding that Pacquiao sign with his promotion in order to fight him, this a genius move from the 36-year-old.
Mayweather told Iole that he once offered Pacquiao $40 million for the fight but hung up on him when the eight-division champion said that he wanted a 50-50 split.
Ever since these two fighters were at the top of the sport, the reasons for the fight not happening have always been a "he-said, she said" type of affair, so it's difficult to take Mayweather's words as gospel. However, he is right about one thing.
He holds the cards now.
At one point, there was a case to be made that the boxers were even. Pacquiao had the right to ask for a 50-50 split, if Money's version of the story is correct.
Mayweather was undefeated, but Pacquiao was a destroyer of men in multiple divisions. He was also regarded as the only boxer with the tools to end Mayweather's undefeated streak.
Two consecutive Pacquiao losses later, the fight would mean much less for Mayweather now than it did then. We've seen Pacquiao lose to a slick boxer in Bradley (although this loss could have an asterisk as the scorecards were dubious) and a dangerous counterpuncher in Juan Manuel Marquez.
The problem for Pac-Man is that Mayweather is slicker than Bradley and a better counterpuncher than Marquez.
Sure, people will tune in. Even if these two finally lace up the gloves when they're 50, we'll gladly watch. But it's not going to be nearly the spectacle it would have been just a few years ago.
So how can Mayweather make up for the money he lost out on because the two didn't make the fight when its stock was highest?
By convincing Pacquiao to join Mayweather's promotion.
Despite the loss to Bradley, Pacquiao showed once again that he's still one of the biggest draws in boxing. His fourth fight against Marquez garnered 1.15 million buys, according to ESPN.
Mayweather realizes that Pac-Man's drawing power would be a huge boost to his own promotion. Especially because it would mean taking away one of Top Rank's top fighters.
With two straight losses and not much time left in the sport at 34 years old, Pacquiao would enhance his already Hall of Fame-worthy resume with a win over Mayweather.
The question is, would he be willing to line Money's pockets to get the chance?
It's probably a long shot, but Mayweather has shown that he's a savvy businessman by creating the possibility.
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