Road to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, part 10: Nobody left to fight but each other

Manny Pacquiao was back in contention. His win over Tim Bradley saw him reestablish his position among the top two welterweights in the world.

Bradley had beaten Juan Manuel Marquez in his fight prior to the Pacquiao rematch, so in beating the aggressive American, Pacquiao was more easily able to move on from his devastating loss to Marquez.

Once again, Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao was the obvious fight to make. By now, however, boxing scribes and fans had gotten used to the idea of it being out of reach. There was less clamor for the fight and – surprise, surprise – it didn’t get made.

Mayweather and Pacquiao run out of opponents

Mayweather began his 2014 schedule with what many saw as a routine defense of his 147 lb crown against Argentine slugger Marcos ‘El Chino’ Maidana.

Maidana had beaten up the brash Adrien Broner to earn the fight, though he hadn’t received the vote of the fans; many of whom chose Amir Khan when asked via social media who Mayweather should next fight.

El Chino got the call regardless, and proceeded to prove everyone wrong by doing something most other opponents of recent years had failed to achieve: make Mayweather uncomfortable.

His chaotic, wild and utterly unpredictable form of offense caused Mayweather great difficulty in the early rounds. The champion eventually got to grips with it, just, and earned a majority decision victory.

The tension in the air when that decision was read was all that needed to be felt, however, for a rematch to be organized. Some felt that Maidana deserved more, and so the return bout was penciled in for September of last year.

The second contest between the pair was far more one-sided. Maidana’s bull-rushes were fewer and Mayweather was, with the benefit of experience, more able to deal with those that came. The result was unanimous in Mayweather’s favor and nobody argued for a trilogy.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao was busy training for a fight many felt was almost entirely devoid of merit.

Chris Algieri had shocked the boxing world by beating Ruslan Provodnikov, controversially, on points. In doing so he took the Russian’s place atop the queue to fight Pacquiao.

Algieri had a unique backstory, and his height and reach led some (including this author) to believe he could cause issues for Pacquiao. This did not prove to be the case, however, as the Filipino battered Algieri from pillar to post, knocking him down six times en route to a clear decision victory.

They may have ended 2014 with comfort, but the reality was that Algieri and Maidana were hardly opponents of the caliber for all-time great fighters. Mayweather and Pacquiao were in danger of sabotaging their legacies fighting below-par opponents. Instead, finally, they came together.

The Fight – May 2nd, 2015

They had fought everybody but each other. In many cases, they had fought the same men. A cast including Marquez, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya had squared off with both Mayweather and Pacquiao.

The sport’s biggest stars had ran through an all-star line-up and emerged at the end of it. They now faced two juxtaposing possibilities.

The first was that they fight one another. To everyone but themselves and their teams, this seemed to make perfect sense and had done for some time. The second option was that both men become entangled in a new generation of welterweights.

The second option was far riskier and much less rewarding. The likes of Amir Khan, Kell Brook and Keith Thurman have speed, power and youth. Furthermore, they are hungry. They want what Mayweather and Pacquiaio already have. This risks involved in taking this option outweighed the risks in fighting each other. Finally, Mayweather and Pacquiao signed to fight.

Credit can be given to both sides for making it happen. Mayweather came out and publicly stated his wish for it to happen. Pacquiao conceded ground to ensure the fight happened. Ultimately, though, all involved must be discredited for taking so long to come to terms.

This fight is years past its peak. Both men are older, slower and less resistant than they were when the fight was initially being called for. This goes for Pacquiao in particular.

Thus, although the fight goes ahead this weekend, there are still so many uncertainties. Is it a show or a superfight? An event or a bout? Has it been made solely for monetary gain, or do the fighters’ legacies come into it at all?

We will find out the answer to all of these questions in a matter of days when the pair fight on Saturday evening at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After such a long saga, how sweet it is to be able to say those words.