Floyd Mayweather, JR. – Manny Pacquiao Have Left the Building with Elvis
Loading ...
By “Big” Bill Bradshaw
Christmas 2014 is almost upon us. The tree is sparkling as I write and, all around the world, the innocent and the naïve are counting down to an event that the rest of us have sadly outgrown…reality has taught us that the magic is not real and we can never go back to believing, not even for Auld Lang Syne, but there’s a certain sadness in accepting that, regardless of the dreams and wishes of the young and enchanted, Floyd Mayweather, JR. Vs Manny Pacquiao will never happen. We have a better chance of the fat man coming down the chimney than we have of Floyd signing a contract to face the Pacman so let’s not ask what would happen should the fight go ahead. Instead let’s look at what happens when it doesn’t.
A year ago, when the cracks first appeared in the Golden Boy/TMT association, many people thought that the impending split would spell the end for Oscar and that TMT, complete with Richard Schaefer and Al Haymon, would hold somewhat of a monopoly over the sport. Floyd was set to outline the last four PPV blockbusters in his present contract and, it seemed a given that he would match Marciano’s 49-0 record in 2015. One more bout and he would make history. Pacquiao, on the other hand, was in a less enviable position with a Bradley rematch as the biggest bout on the horizon. What a difference a year makes.
On June 7th 2014, Miguel Cotto, reborn in the hands of Freddie Roach, produced one of his career best performances to destroy an aging Sergio Martinez and lifted the WBC World Middleweight Title. Almost immediately, Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya, announced that the cold war was over and Top Rank would now work closely with Golden Boy.
Negotiations began for a showdown between Cotto and Saul Canelo Alvarez. In the meantime Manny Pacquiao produced a mature performance to outclass Bradley but, against all the odds, Mayweather struggled badly against Marcos Maidana with many feeling that El Chino deserved a draw at worst. A one sided but dull rematch couldn’t satisfy the boxing world and, almost amazingly, Floyd Mayweather, JR. was under extreme pressure to deliver a bout that fight fans would consider paying for. It proved that, despite Floyd’s delusion, no one is bigger than boxing and, following Pacquiao’s dominant performance against the lightly rated Chris Algieri, the flood gates opened on calls for the elusive mega bout to finally be made.
Arum and De La Hoya have strongly indicated that the proposed Cotto Vs Canelo Alvarez bout will go ahead on May 2nd and this creates a huge problem for Mayweather, JR. and his motley crew. It’s widely known that May 2nd was Floyd’s chosen date for his next outing but he will fail badly in the PPV battle if he cannot announce an opponent dangerous enough to attract the numbers. This is where Mayweather, JR. really does not want to be. It was always assumed that he would coast into retirement without a genuinely risky bout ahead. But trouble seems to wait on every corner for Floyd as GGG has offered to make the 154lb limit to challenge for Mayweather’s WBC Light Middleweight Title. His fans would suggest that GGG is simply too big for their man but Golovkin is no stranger to the 154lb weight and he would be the one moving down.
Word of negotiations for a 157lb catchweight bout between Floyd and Jermain Taylor for the Arkansas mans IBF Middleweight Title haven’t done Mayweather any favors as even his most ardent fans are not only opposed to such a lame fight but they are angry that he has no difficulty in moving up to challenge for the WBA, WBO or IBF Middleweight belts but wont entertain GGG at 154.
It is widely expected that, should Amir Khan defeat Devon Alexander on Dec 13th, he will be Floyd’s next opponent. Will it compete with Cotto Vs Canelo Alvarez? Probably not so Floyd will have to play second fiddle to guys who are really giving the fans what they want to see. His choices seem limited. Should he fight for a Middleweight belt, there will be huge demands for a bout with GGG. Should he defend his WBC Light Middleweight belt and not consider Golovkin’s offer to move down, he’s left with a series of nothing bouts against the Lara/Smith/Trout brigade. Should he stay at 147, he simply can’t avoid Pacquiao or, at the very least, Keith Thurman. He may make a buck with the UK sales of a Khan fight but nothing like the TMT standard. It would seem that the Money train has derailed slightly and it’s time to step up and be counted by actually giving the fans more than just tweets and lip service.
Pacquiao has come out of 2014 in a considerably better position. The Algieri bout was fought at 144 and he has announced that, should Mayweather baulk yet again, he will make the move down to 140 and see out his contract there. When you consider that both Terence Crawford and Mikey Garcia are due to move up to that weight we may be looking at a Light Welterweight division that has Crawford, Pacquiao, Danny Garcia, Broner, Mikey Garcia, Matthysse, Provodnikov, Peterson, Postol and Jessie Vargas….a new golden era. One might finally say ‘Who needs Floyd Mayweather’ and not feel gobsmacked by those words.
Purchase your copy of “Big Bill’s” Book: Hello Welcome
