“SUPERFIGHT” IN NOVEMBER OR NEVER?
New York, NY– The turbulent Hollywoodesque business relationship between Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) and Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) seems to be, for now, back on. Sprots Illustratedis reporting that the most desired fight in the boxing world will happen, should Mayweather choose to accept his mission, on November 13, and Bob Arum and company have not yet decided between Las Vegas and Dallas, Texas. Mayweather has until mid-July to sign off on the deal.
FIGHT STILL DEPENDS ON MAYWEATHER’S COMFORT LEVEL
It’s hard to make a prediction as to whether Mayweather accepts, since the terms of the deal are still undisclosed and, if the last time this sham of boxing marriage reared its head, Mayweather refused to fight without significant drug testing. At the very least, Arum told Sports Illustrated that “we’re going to have a fight on Nov. 13 and we would love it to be Mayweather,” so Manila’s favorite Congressman will be needlessly risking himself in the ring instead of legislating by Thanksgiving time whether Mayweather likes it or not. Again, at the end of the day, it will all depend on whether Mayweather accepts the terms of the deal, and feels comfortable with the level of drug testing. It seems like a major waste of time on Arum’s sake to propose a deal he knows will be rejected on the outset, as well, though the fact that he went public with it before Mayweather had a chance to say now could also mean he’s hoping public pressure will get Mayweather to accept something slightly below his comfort level.
BOB ARUM THROWS US A MEATLESS BONE
I, for one, sincerely doubt the chances of this ever happening. Arum is a savvy businessman, and it’s no coincidence that he throws out this bone at a time when the boxing scene is more boring than the Elena Kagan hearings and the sea of exciting boxing matches is about as lively as a Louisiana marsh recently visited by BP. It’s brilliant when you think about it: knowing that the people want what is now– between Mayweather’s nitpicking and Pacquiao’s extracurricular activities– practically impossible, promise it to them anyway when they have nothing better to entertain themselves with, but make sure the fight date is set at a time when you can guarantee there will be so many other fun fights that boxing fans might not even remember this deal was even offered. We know what you’re up to, Bob Arum.
BACK TO REALITY
In fact, the chances of this even happening are so slim that Sports Illustrated ends the piece daydreaming about other possible matchups for Pacquiao (who really, I repeat, should not be fighting when he is a Congressman). “Possible alternative opponents,” they suggest, “are Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) and Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs).” Cotto would be a fairly “been there, done that” spectacle that will rake in the money from Puerto Rican audiences and, frankly, be extremely fun to watch and much less predictable than, say, Mayweather-Pacquiao– which would be predictable stylings from both and leave nothing to the imagination but the outcome. But, ultimately, watching Pacquiao beat Cotto yet again will amount to nothing. But Margarito-Pacquiao? Now that‘s mouth-watering.
MARGARITO-PACQUIAO THE NEW FRONTIER OF BOXING
To be completely honest, I wasn’t even aware that Margarito was allowed anywhere near a boxing ring ever since he failed to defeat Shane Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs) despite sporting cement blocks on his fists. But there he is, somehow being acknowledged as a legitimate fighter, so let’s play! Margarito is significantly larger than Pacquiao, and there is no guarantee he won’t pull one of his trademark “stunts” against the pound-for-pound best. But on the plus side, the chances of Margarito demanding steroid testing will be slim to none, which means this fight could turn out to be one of the least regulated fights in history. If both parties agree to suspend the rules, I would have no problem watching them use some performance enhancers openly and see what happens. All is fair as long as both parties agree, and the experiment could be a game changer, literally, for our sports. So let’s cross our fingers for an anarchist Pacquiao-Margarito, and not worry about this impossible Mayweather-Pacquiao dance recital Arum keeps making empty promises about.
Frances Martel