Finally, boxing fans are at the doorstep at what could be the biggest fight in the history of boxing. Rumors have been swirling of a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather for the past two years, but still a fight has not been put into place for the two best in the sport to compete against each other to prove once and for all who is better.
As it stands right now, Floyd Mayweather is scheduled to fight on May 5, 2012, and he is now expressing interest in fighting the other best pound for pound fighter in the world Manny Pacquiao, but will this fight happen?
Both sides have been finger-pointing as to why the fight has not happened yet. Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum told the media that the reason why a fight will not happen between Pacquiao and Mayweather is because of Manny Pacquiao’s right hand, essentially calling Mayweather afraid of Pacquiao. Arum gave credit to Mayweather as being a great student of the game and explained that Floyd knows that he will not be able to get away from the right hand of Pacquiao, so the fight will not happen.
On the other side, Floyd Mayweather’s side claims that the only person that is stopping this fight Arum himself, especially given the sub-par performance that Manny Pacquiao gave in his last fight with the great Juan Manuel Marquez.
I am not sure as to who is telling the truth between the two camps, and at the end of the day, what they say doesn’t matter. Here are my five reasons why I feel the fight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao not only should happen, but will happen.
5. Promotional Climax
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have been dancing around a fight with each other for two years now. In that time, combined they have beaten just about every worthwhile opponent from 147 to 154 pounds, leaving both out of realistic options. This is the only fight that is left for each fighter and the fight cannot get any bigger with all the buildup which has occurred. From allegations of steroid use by Pacquiao from the Mayweather camp to Bob Arum, along with a lot of sports analysis, accusing Mayweather of being scared of Pacquiao.
4. The Fans
There have been a lot of fights in the past two years that boxing fans wanted to see and were able to witness like Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander, Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams, and the fight in the heavyweight division between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye. However, even with big fights like this, the only fight that the boxing world will be satisfied with is a fight between Money Mayweather and the Pacman. This can potentially be the biggest fight in boxing history and it would shatter pay-per-view and gate records.
3. Legacy
Manny Pacquiao has pretty much done all he can do in the sport of boxing. He has done what nobody else has done and that is winning titles in eight different weight classes.
Floyd Mayweather has a little more proving to do than Pacquiao because I feel that although he has an unblemished record, Manny Pacquiao is the one name that can be his ticket to finally getting the respect that he deserves.
In order for both Manny and Floyd to be considered one of the best ever, these two must fight each other. Their legacy depends on it. I feel that neither one of these fighters want to end their careers with the looming question in their head as to whether or not they could have beaten the other guy.
2. Money
A potential fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would generate enough money for both fighters to retire after the fight that is why this is the number two reason why Floyd and Manny should get it on.
When all is said and done, there is no way Floyd and Manny will walk away from a potential fight where they can earn as much as 60 million dollars apiece. Heck, I will fight anybody for that amount of money myself right now.
1. Boxing
The sport of boxing needs this fight. From the lopsided robberies like the Paul Williams vs. Erislandy Lara fight to the controversial no contest of Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson, there are a lot of fans that are getting sick and tired of the madness that is going on in the sport of boxing right now.
If the fight happens between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, this could potentially save the sport of boxing and the fans that are fed up, putting the sport we love can be put back on track.
Conclusion
Boxing has a lot of great up and coming fighters like Amir Khan, Nonito Donaire, Canelo Alverez, and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. to name a few, but there is no other craving that is looming over the boxing world like a potential fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
I cannot stress enough that boxing needs this fight. It is the only fight that matters right now and it is the only fight that makes sense. Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya need to stop the game playing and make this fight happen in May of 2012! The boxing world will not be satisfied until we truly find out who is the best pound for pound in the world.
