Lots of people right now are saying that the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao deal is signed, sealed and delivered. Those people are wrong.
We’re looking at you TMZ. Maybe they’ve been drinking too much Bob Arum Kool-Aid, or maybe they just don’t know what they’re talking about, but literally everyone else involved in the situation denies that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao has been finalized. That includes Showtime Sports honcho Stephen Espinoza, who’s steadfastly shooting down the rumors right and left on Twitter, and every actual boxing reporter in the business.
TMZ usually has good sources. This time, not so much. “@Woodsy1069: http://t.co/gFOQB06ogq”
— Stephen Espinoza (@StephenEspinoza) January 31, 2015
The largest remaining issue, as of right now, is hashing out the television arrangement between HBO and Showtime, as Kevin Iole discussed on Yahoo! Sports. That means Espinoza is a guy who might know a thing or two about the matter.
So, will Mayweather vs. Pacquiao actually happen? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it’s at least five years too late. Either way, the endless and mindless chatter is maddening. Either way, we’re all being taken for a very long ride and some of these folks must be basking in the attention.
Don’t forget, the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight was this close from happening once before. That was all the way back when it first made sense, circa Floyd Mayweather’s comeback from a mini-retirement and Manny Pacquiao’s win over Miguel Cotto, until that pesky drug testing issue arose. And don’t forget about this either.
The rumors, the faux announcements, the Hollywood and celebrity websites reporting the world’s boxing “news” all of the sudden… doesn’t mean a thing.
