Talk of a potential fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather dominated boxing discussions for a couple years. Just when it seemed like hopes of a bout between the two superstars were fading away, Pacquiao brought them back into focus with a bounce-back victory.
The Filipino sensation looked revitalized as he made easy work of Brandon Rios using a combination of quickness and repeated shots to the body to wear down the powerful American. It was a vintage performance by the eight-division world champion.
Although the marquee victory restored talk of a possible superfight with Mayweather, boxing fans shouldn't be overly optimistic about a deal being reached. The sides bickered for years without finding enough common ground. A rebound win by "Pac-Man" doesn't change that.
To his credit, Pacquiao remained open to the possibility of facing off with Mayweather and left the ball in the undefeated star's court, as passed along by Bryan Armen Graham of Sports Illustrated:
Top Rank Boxing's Bob Arum said the fight should happen due to the mainstream desire and Pacquiao's victory, but Greg Bishop of the New York Times was rightfully less optimistic:
"If everybody wants it to happen, it can happen," he said (although that "everybody" would include Arum himself).
"I mean, there’s no impediment," he said (although there are several, most prominently the current cold war between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions).
The ongoing differences between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions are going to make reaching a deal on a fight as big as Pacquiao vs. Mayweather very difficult.
Remember, ever since the idea first became popular several years ago, there's been plenty of money on the table because it truly was the bout both diehard boxing supporters and mainstream sports wanted to see. At peak hype, it could have been a huge spectacle.
An agreement at this stage wouldn't reach the same level, mostly because Pacquiao dropped a couple fights, which caused the allure of the superfight to slip. That said, it still represents the type of big-time bout boxing needs more of to attract casual viewers.
Unfortunately, that isn't nearly enough to push the sides closer together. Even though "Pac-Man" said he would be open to facing Mayweather and "Money" would probably say the same, getting the details worked out is very much an uphill battle.
From major issues like how the revenues would be divided and drug testing procedures to smaller factors like where and when the bout should take place, there are a myriad of hurdles that would have to get jumped before a superfight became a realistic option.
Add in the fact the two promotions don't get along well and it's a long shot that fans gets to see Pacquiao against Mayweather in each fighter's next bout, or anytime soon for that matter.
Looking ahead, the endgame could see the duo face off down the line, long removed from each of their respective primes. It will still be Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, but the fight itself would be nothing like fans would witness right now or over the past three or four years.
Only time will tell if that's the case or they simply never step in the right together. In either of those scenarios, it's hard to see the situation as anything other than a huge missed opportunity for boxing.
Who knows, maybe the two sides will realize the opportunity that is presenting itself one more time after Pacquiao rebounded to crush Rios and figure out a way to get the superfight scheduled once and for all.
Just don't bet on that happening. Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is likely to remain a figment of boxing fans' imagination, at least for awhile.
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