Crunch time for Pacquiao vs Mayweather talks

It seems insane to think that the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight will fall apart over the way drug testing will be handled for the fight, but with the growing rhetoric between camps anything is possible.

If the sides are stupid enough to allow that one small thing to blow up the potentially biggest money fight in the history of boxing, shame on everyone involved, including the fighters, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, Top Rank president and negotiator Todd duBoef, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather advisers Al Haymon and Leonard Ellerbe and Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz.

It's the fight the world -- not just the hardcore Fight Freaks -- demands and the time is ripe for it now. If the fight does fall apart, the negative repercussions for boxing are incalculable, and both sides know it.

However, I do believe the fight will still be made because boxing is about the bottom line and the bottom line is that nobody is walking away from the gargantuan payday that awaits both sides. It is not crazy to think that the fight could sell what would be a record-shattering 3 million pay-per-view subscriptions. The could each earn fighter probably at least $40 million or more if the fight, which would take place March 13 on HBO PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, is finally signed, sealed and delivered.

But if, a big if, the fight actually did fall through (I recall Golden Boy's Schaefer telling me a couple of weeks ago, "We'd have to all be idiots not to get this done"), a line of fighters is forming, ready to take on either man if they need a dance partner.

Arum laughably mentioned matching Pacquiao with junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman, former junior welterweight titleholder Paulie Malignaggi or doing a third fight with lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez, who was shut out by Mayweather in September.

The Mayweather camp hasn't been ridiculous enough to suggest other opponents during this crunch time, although the name Matthew Hatton, brother of Ricky Hatton, came up not too long ago. That's about as pathetic a mismatch as you could make.

In any event, junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. (25-0, 11 KOs), who keeps getting better and better with each fight and is coming off a very impressive title defense against Lamont Peterson on Dec. 12, says he is ready to face Pacquiao or Mayweather if the super fight between them falls through.

At least that match is sort of interesting, at least to the Fight Freaks, although it pales compared to the mega fight on the table. But you have to like Bradley's chutzpah for volunteering and getting a little publicity out of it.

"I'll take any random test requested -- blood, urine, even the SATs," said Bradley, who moved into ESPN.com's top 20 pound-for-pound following his most recent victory. "My name is Timothy Bradley, not Milton Bradley, and I'm not playing games. I'm ready to fight in March, April or May next year."

Gary Shaw, Bradley's co-promoter, added, "Timothy is happy to defend his world title or move up to welterweight to challenge Pacquiao or Mayweather should their fight fall through. There isn't an active world champion who has been seen more on premium TV than Timothy. Since the day he won his first world title he has proven he is the goods. The shellacking he gave undefeated interim champion Lamont Peterson earlier this month proved Timothy is one of boxing's elite fighters and a top-10 pound-for-pounder. He's ready, willing and able to fill the breach."

It's a nice thought, and maybe someday it will happen, because Bradley is good enough to keep winning. But right now, forget about Bradley. It's all about getting Pacquiao-Mayweather done.

Source: .espn.go.com