The Latest Word on the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fight
by Charles Jay
BetUS Boxing Betting Odds:
March 13 (possibly)
Las Vegas (probably)
Welterweights
FLOYD MAYWEATHER -130
MANNY PACQUIAO -110
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao had agreed to fight on March 13; that is, they have agreed "in principle" to fight, with that deal supposedly finalized on Monday.
Some might argue that "principle" and "boxing" should never be in the same sentence.
I am still confident that the fight eventually will happen, because in boxing, unlike mixed martial arts, when there is a big fight that the public seems to demand, the promoters involved usually figure out a way to make it happen (and make a ton of cash in the process).
However, like I tell all casual fans who ask me, I've been through this kind of thing enough times to know that nothing is really set until the contract is signed. Sometimes agreeing to a deal turns into "agreeing to disagree" quickly, and much of it, at least at this level, involves the percentage of the purse each man will receive.
When I tell you not to count anything until the contract is signed, I mean it. The latest case in point involves something that presumably came out of the blue, which is the insistence on the part of the Floyd Mayweather camp that Pacquiao submit himself to random blood testing for banned substances, a la the Olympics, "up to and including the weigh-in the day before the fight," according to Bob Arum, the promoter for Manny Pacquiao, who says his man does not want to give blood so close to the fight, and adds that the fight is "dead."
This testing procedure would represent something that goes beyond what is customarily required by a boxing commission, and Arum claims that Mayweather is using that point to get himself out of the fight, because he never had any intentions of going through with it, for fear that he would lose. Of course, there is an awful lot of "gamesmanship" in a claim like that.
I was a professional in this business at one time, and if you asked my professional opinion, I would begin by saying that neither side is "afraid" of the other; that really isn't the case at this level of professional boxing when capable fighters get into the ring. However, although it is not unusual to hear accusations hurled around, I think it is altogether possible that it goes beyond that, to the point where the Mayweather camp probably has some special knowledge, or genuine suspicion based on certain knowledge, about something Pacquiao might be doing in training with his intake of supplements, and felt it was necessary to "play that card" at a critical point in the negotiations.
I do know of one particular supplement Pacquiao is taking, but I do not believe it would fail against Olympic-style anti-doping standards.
Mayweather told SI.com, "In a fight of this magnitude, I think it is our responsibility to subject ourselves to sportsmanship at the highest level."
Uh, like they say in the Hertz commercial, "not exactly."
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Ultimately this looks to me like a play for leverage, because Mayweather wants more money than Pacquiao. What else is new, right?
According to a source that was reportedly close to the negotiations, both sides had agreed to a 50-50 split of the money generated; my past experience suggests that when push comes to shove, both of them may want more of a slice of the pie than the other side is willing to give up. That's human nature, and it's the way the game is played.
That is not to say that both sides wouldn't have a legitimate argument for it. Mayweather (the 130 early line favorite at BetUS) can make a claim that he is the "pound-for-pound" champ until he is personally dethroned by an opponent, that he's the undefeated fighter, has beaten more marquee names, and that he is also the guy who has been in the bigger pay-per-view fights, namely a bigger fight with Oscar De La Hoya than Pacquiao engaged in (2.44 million buys and an $18 million gate, both records). If you notice, he has also tried to re-invent his persona in recent fights, going from someone who was sullen and largely uncooperative in peripheral activities surrounding the promotion of his fights to someone who has re-packaged himself as an "entertainer," making strategic media appearances, conceptualizing reality shows like the "24/7" series and making an attempt to transcend the sport.
Mayweather doesn't really have the personality to pull that off the way George Foreman managed to do, but I give him points for trying, and for at long last coming to the understanding that fighters have to do their share in the process of promoting their own fights, something Roy Jones never got a firm grasp on.
What's been working against Mayweather for a while is the fact that he was never considered a big draw, in and of himself, on HBO, which eventually led to problems between him and Arum; indeed, you can play devil's advocate and suggest that in his big public successes he was playing the part of the "other guy" against fighters who had more popularity with the customer: De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Arturo Gatti, for instance.
At the same time, it takes two to tango, and he has pounded his way into the pay-per-view because he won those fights, and did so with something more than just efficiency. Indeed, Mayweather is that rare fighter with great boxing ability and great flair. He is also very believable as a mythical "pound-for-pound" champion.
Pacquiao brings a different kind of flair to the table. He is a whirlwind, and those boxing fans who like to watch boxing as sort of a demolition derby have quickly gravitated to his side. He doesn't disappoint, and that is a rare commodity in recent years as well.
Pacquiao (priced at -110 currently at BetUS) is very prominent internationally and a very big draw on the internet, and if you are looking to use "new media" to promote a fight like this, he may hold the stronger hand. Also, when you talk in terms of Mayweather's fights with the aforementioned De La Hoya, Gatti and Hatton, this is considered to be the most serious challenge yet for Pretty Boy Floyd.
In essence, it looks like Mayweather, who brags about how prolific a gambler he is, is upping the ante in a bid to make a better argument for himself.
For Oscar, the pay-per-view milestone he set for his fight with Mayweather is one record he won't mind being broken, since he is a co-promoter of this fight (with Arum's Top Rank, and isn't THAT fun to watch).
De La Hoya and Arum were said to have settled on the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino as the site for the fight, because from the MGM's standpoint, not only so they figure the MGM Grand Garden can be sold out (at premium prices, we might add), but that thousands of sales of closed circuit tickets, which are priced much higher than home pay-per-view subscriptions, could be sold at other MGM-owned properties.
This would come after respectfully turning down other offers, including a record $25 million site fee from Jerry Jones for the new Cowboys Stadium and $20 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
If the fight is eventually made, one thing that might ultimately change is the exact date, and only because Pacquiao has committed himself to running for a seat in the Philippine Congress, with the date of the election May 10. If it is determined that his campaign makes the March 13 date problematic, the fight would be moved to September.
Pacquiao, whose fights actually empty the streets of Manila because everyone is watching him, actually lost in his first bid for Congress two years ago.
Hey - by casting that steroid "cloud," maybe Mayweather, the gambler, has his money on the opposition.
Wouldn't that be funny?
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