Floyd Mayweather JR Vs Manny Pacquiao: Don King Saving the Super Fight
By Joe Wilson
It’s a no-brainer, when you put two of the biggest attractions in boxing together and add Don King to the equation; what you get is a “mega fight.” King is king when it comes to something this big! I must admit, that I am not one to bet much on any sport, but I would go out on a limb and say that I would bet the farm, if you placed Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s vs. Manny Pacquiao, 51-3-2, 38 KO’s, and add Don King to the equation, it would be a “Done Deal.”
King would not let a fight of this magnitude, get away. Say what you want about his past and the outcome of some of his fights, which some have been very questionable with the judges and how they scored rounds, he still has what it takes to promote a big fight. There is no doubt that if Don King would have been involved in the negotiations of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao from the beginning, by now we would be getting ready to watch them fight for a second time, in other words—we would be preparing ourselves for the big rematch!
Just recently, King and Mayweather, JR., have been seen hanging out together on a few occasions. There has been a rumor that Mayweather, JR., was not pleased with the way Golden Boy Promotions handled his business regarding the Manny Pacquiao negotiations. That breakdown in communications or lack there of, has lead Mayweather, JR., to look elsewhere for a promoter. Of course, there is only one available that is capable of handling a fight of this magnitude and that person is Don King.
Top Rank Promotions, Bob Arum did not hesitate to place Pacquiao against one of his other fighters as soon as the fight with Mayweather, JR., fell through. It was as if, he had this all planned from the beginning. Arum’s intentions were not to spend much time, if any trying to put a fight together with Team Mayweather. Instead Arum had Antonio Margarito 38-6, 27 KO’s, sitting in the dark trenches waiting. However, in the dark trenches is where he should stay, after been caught using “Plaster of Paris” in his gloves before the fight against Shane Mosley.
Many fight fans felt that Margarito should have been banned from the sport of boxing for life. Just recently one of my colleagues and Ringside Report’s very own, Geno McGahee wrote a dynamic piece regarding Bob Arum, Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao and what this fight says about boxing. That article sums up the character of all three. It’s sad to see how far one would go for money, but it does not get much clearer than that article.
It seems with these three, reputation means nothing. Out of all people, Manny Pacquiao would be the last that comes to mind when it comes to something like this. He has carried himself very well climbing the ladder of success and his reign to be the best boxer on the planet. I must admit, this fight tampers with his legacy. No way should Margarito get the opportunity to receive a payday this big. No way! There are a lot of young competitors in this weight class that deserve a shot at Manny, but Bob Arum will not allow that. He wants all of Manny’s fights to stay in-house.
Again, if Floyd Mayweather, JR., had Don King onboard from the beginning, we would probably be approaching this fight for a second time. King and his experience in promoting a fight would have put Bob Arum’s feet to the fire. No way would Arum be able to walk away from a fight of this magnitude a second time without losing a leg or an arm, “well not exactly,” but close. King would not have made this easy for Arum to replace Mayweather, JR., with one of his other two fighters (Margarito or Cotto) to face Pacquiao, without fighting Mayweather, JR., at least once.
Don King has a good track record when faced with a challenge like this. The two fighters may not agree on everything in the contract, but King has a way of tying up the loose ends. Even though a tough battle will go on behind close doors with King and Arum, which could last for a few days, but you can rest assure once that door opened and the two of them walked out, they would definitely be announcing the “big fight.”
King has made it known that he is very interested in handling this fight for Team Mayweather. He has also said that not every promoter has what it takes to promote a fighter like Floyd. King believes that Floyd is the baddest dude on the planet, and should be treated as such. King blames Golden Boy Promotions for not representing Mayweather, JR., the way he deserves to be represented and because of that, the media has looked at Mayweather, JR., as being afraid of Pacquiao. In reality that is far from the truth, says King.
It’s no secret that nothing in boxing comes close to the size of this event. King has also made it known, that he would do something special for this fight, if Mayweather, JR., decides to sign with him. As we all know, King has not been the center of attention since his days with Mike Tyson. Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Promotions have been in the center of the biggest fights for several years now here in United States. King has had to travel abroad to promote big fights with fighters who are lesser known here in the States.
This would be just the fight that would place King right back in spot light that he once enjoyed. This fight offers him everything. This would be a big lost for Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer and their Golden Boy label, if Floyd jumps ship. It seems that the relationship between Schaefer and Arum is not on the level people think it is. This fight should have happened already. It really doesn’t need much marketing. Like I mentioned in one of my past articles “if it was a fruit, it would have fallen off the tree already, it can only get so ripe.”
Don King is like a wizard holding a wand, when it comes to promoting a big fight. If he signs Floyd Mayweather, JR., there is no doubt in my mind that this fight will be prolonged any longer than it has. King will make it happen. He will call a meeting with Bob Arum and seal the deal quick! Arum knows he has to hurry up and make as much money as he can with his in-house fighters, because when King signs Floyd he is coming right after Manny.
King will stop at nothing to get this fight. He knows this fight can help him rebuild his reputation as the promoter he once was. He knows this will be one way to win over fight fans that he seems to have lost over the past years. When it comes to this fight, it will be like giving a kid some candy. King will make negotiations look easy, even if he has to give away some of his profit, to make it happen. I do believe that he would. King would go into this fight looking at the big picture. That would be—giving the fans what they want.
Don King wants back in. This is definitely the fight that will give him that break. I can see the headlines now. “After hours of negotiations “Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is finally signed, thanks to Don King Promotions. Even if I’m daydreaming a little, I do believe King, has all the witty skills to make this fight happen. What ever it is that he does behind close doors; rather in trouble with the law or winning lawsuits placed against him, he seems to always come out as dapper as we were going in.
Would Don King be good for this fight? Without hesitation I would say, yes! This fight needs a savior. Knowing the history of Floyd and Don, they wouldn’t just be hanging out with each other, because they have run out of friends to hang out with. These two guys need each other like no other time before, and I would be willing to bet they have big plans for the near future.