Floyd Mayweather JR & 50 Cent: Manny Pacquiao Targeted
By Geno McGahee
On May 7th, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao steps into the ring with the old veteran, Sugar Shane Mosley in what most contend to be an easy match for the Filipino superstar. Due to the light consideration of the opponent, most boxing fans are looking ahead to the next man that Manny will likely face: Floyd Mayweather, JR.
A match with Floyd Mayweather, JR., is the fight that the entire world wanted and it has almost happened on two occasions, but would fall through for various reasons. The first collapse is the most notable. The fight was ready to go, but Floyd made a demand, perhaps prompted by his father’s idea that Pacquiao was on steroids. Floyd demanded the Olympic style testing for steroids, which was quickly refused by Pacquiao’s team and a lawsuit was filed by the Pacman, claiming defamation.
Mayweather would move on and take on Shane Mosley, a fighter of name value, but of badly diminished skills. Mosley would agree to the testing and would pass, but would not be able to get past the great skill and reflexes of a sharper and fresher Mayweather, JR. Floyd beat him from start to finish, survived the one punch that Shane landed, and rebounded to beat up the jittery Mosley en route to a decision.
On the surface, Floyd has been avoiding a bout with Manny, and has had some personal problems widely covered by the mass media and widely exaggerated. The villain that Floyd has painted himself has not helped his reputation as he stays on the shelf and Manny fights.
Pacquiao’s reputation has not been as sparkling as it has been due to his bout with Antonio Margarito, where he stuck his hands into the filth for the money, allowing a known cheater that could have killed several fighters and did incredible damage to many careers with his loaded gloves. Bob Arum and Antonio Margarito, two of the real villains in boxing were rewarded and so was Manny. You lie with dogs, you get fleas.
The Shane Mosley fight, realistically, is a stay busy fight. The diminished reflexes are going to cost him tremendously. To beat Manny, you must be sharp and if you can’t pull the trigger, you are in trouble and Shane’s in deep trouble. Some point to the “puncher’s chance” but this is, and has always been, a sucker’s bet. The chances of Shane landing are slim. The chances of him landing hard enough to stop Manny are nearly non-existent. The odds are 5-1 at this point, but I would make them 20-1 that Shane can win this fight. Even if he gets Manny against the ropes, he will get hit five times before he throws his first punch.
This leads to the undefeated challenge of Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s. No matter what the legions of Pacman fans say, the man to beat is Floyd Mayweather, JR. This is why this fight is so important to them and why the backlash against Floyd has been so harsh. Manny needs to have this defining fight and he is the only guy around, outside of Sergio Martinez, that appears to have a shot to solve the Mayweather puzzle, and despite the fact that it would be the biggest test for Mayweather, arguably, he would still be the favorite to defeat Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, 53-2-2, 38 KO’s, is a great fighter but his timing was off. He just missed a great time in boxing when Oscar De La Hoya, Kostya Tszyu, and Felix Trinidad were fighting in their primes. He came along and did what great fighters do. They clean up the over the hill gang and the guys that have been around for a while, and that is what he has done. He has never faced a guy in the position of a Floyd Mayweather, JR.
RSR spoke with a fighter that claimed to have a discussion with Floyd concerning a Pacquiao showdown during his preparation for Mosley and there was some apparent concern for the speed of Manny and the idea of waiting it out a little seemed appropriate. Against Margarito, Manny did not look as crisp as he’s been, perhaps a sign that he has slowed down and may have slowed down enough to get Floyd out of his newest retirement and back into the ring into the biggest payday of his career.
The steroids accusations have not sat well with Pacquiao and his fans, but the jury is still out, and where there is doubt, there is speculation. Adding to the speculation is the famous rapper 50 Cent. He has used his Twitter account to accuse Manny of steroid use and support his friend Mayweather, JR.
Even though 50 Cent may have been crude in his comments about Manny, he does represent a great deal of people that are either not sure about or contend that Manny uses steroids. When a fighter moves up from division to division and still dominates, the accusation will come up. Then when you add that another Freddie Roach fighter (at one time), James Toney, had tested positive for steroids on numerous occasions, you can draw some conclusions.
The uncertainty from some of the boxing fans weighs heavy on the mind of Pacquiao and his fans. Should it ever come out that he was using steroids, it would tarnish his legacy and remove him from the list of great fighters and positive role models for the sport. The allegation from Team Mayweather has infuriated Pacquiao and the new words from 50 Cent have been heard and if and when the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight occurs, expect the bad blood to be boiling high. You can also expect 50 Cent to be along for the ride, helping to create a circus like atmosphere and create even more tension for Team Pacquiao, and this will play right into the hands of Floyd. If a fighter isn’t focused on the game plan 100%, Floyd will exploit them in the ring and make them pay dearly for the mistakes, and that has to be part of the plan, judging by this latest attack on his character by the rapper.
Money Mayweather, an expert at psychological warfare has Manny Pacquiao in his crosshairs and it will get even more personal when Manny defeats Mosley in May and the negotiations become public. Love them or hate them, 50 Cent and Floyd are great for the fight and great for boxing. Boxing needs a story and the back story to this mega fight is going to bring in the masses. It is easily the best fight of the last 10 years, and let’s hope that it can finally materialize this time around.