Pacquiao Wants to Shut Mayweather Up; Roach Thinks Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Still Happens Later in 2010
You didn’t think that all of the drama, hype and news surrounding the potential Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight was just going to disappear, did you? Well, it’s all brought back up to the surface again now after Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach have both made some statements regarding Mayewather and the potential clash.
Manny Pacquiao has said that he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather because he wants to shut him up once and for all. Not a surprising statement given Mayweather’s similar comments to the media recently, and all of the back and forth trash talk and blame that has occurred during negotiations and since the fight has been scrapped.
Of course, the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight was originally supposed to take place on March 13th of this year. Final terms for the deal could not be closed out due to disagreements about the drug testing to be performed leading up to the fight. Pacquiao of course signed to fight Joshua Clottey, and now negotiations are taking place for Mayweather to fight Shane Mosley in the beginning of May.
For his part, Freddie Roach has said the he still believes the fight will happen at some point later in the year. Of course, that’s easy to say but the fight should already be set, so you never know how negotiations will go. Roach has also been known to change his mind and voice different opinions on matters such as this from week to week.
Even if the two sides really are planning to get Pacquiao vs. Mayweather together for later this year, perhaps in September, there are other serious obstacles to overcome. There is still the drug testing issue that was never dealt with for the original bout, and with all of the drama you could imagine the money terms also having to be rehashed.
Additionally, Mayweather potentially has the toughest fight of his career coming up in May if he and Mosley can agree to terms. If anybody thinks that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is a guarantee when Mayweather has to get past Shane Mosley, they are seriously deluding themselves. Pacquiao has an easier challenge with the somewhat complacently minded Joshua Clottey, but still, Clottey is the biggest and strongest fighter he has faced and may not be as easily deterred as some think.
So for now, it’s just more talk from Pacquiao and Roach on the potential Pacquiao vs. Mayweather clash. Could it happen this year? Absolutely, but nothing is guaranteed… not with Mayweather vs. Mosley in the works, and not with these two sides trying to renegotiate something that already failed with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. It is, however, encouraging to see Pacquaio publicly express his desire to make the fight and Roach’s belief that the fight will happen in 2010.
