1. Money doesn’t talk.
The consensus among observers was that there was just too much money involved for the fight not to happen.
The fighters were being guaranteed an equal split of $50 million upfront, plus a percentage of pay-per-view revenues that could have raised the pot to somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 million.
That’s an awfully nice neighborhood to drive past without pulling over for a paltry 36-minutes to collect the large, overstuffed moneybags loitering on the street corners.
I guess money doesn’t always talk. Or maybe it does but sometimes there are just so many idiots yelling and screaming around it that no one is able to hear it.
2. There needs to be a single overseeing body in the sport of boxing.
Manny is promoted by both Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions. Floyd is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, but had authorized Golden Boy to negotiate the fight on his behalf.
So one of Manny’s promoters was negotiating on behalf of Manny’s other promoter who was negotiating on behalf of Floyd.
The fighters haggled over the specifics of adding a regulation to a fight overseen by a commission that has no authority to supervise or prohibit such a change in the regulations.
And we wonder why we’re left without a mega-fight, feeling like we’ve been simultaneously kicked in the teeth, gut, and jewel sack by a three-legged freak.
Power in the sport of boxing needs to be in the hands of a single organization—not splintered among promoters, state athletic commissions and miscellaneous sanctioning bodies.
3. That Manny Pacquiao is one popular dude—and not just in the Philippines.
If Barack Obama is sarcastically referred to as the Messiah, then Manny Pacquiao just may be God himself. And I’m not sure, but I think that would make Floyd Mayweather the devil.
I don’t know much about culture in the Philippines, but Filipino pride is a pretty amazing thing. That is a people who stick together and know what they believe.
Now I think I understand why Manny would rather pass up a $40 million payday than give a teaspoon of his blood—he could get twice that on Ebay.
4. There are some seriously passionate, angry, and insane fans out there.
Which one do you hate—Pedquiao or Gayweather?
Give the wrong answer to the person who asks that question and you may as well have hocked a fat loogie into the urn containing their grandmother’s ashes.
Let’s just get it over with and have all of the Mayweather fans wear red, the Pacquiao supporters wear blue, and start flashing signs, getting affiliation tats, and doing drive-bys.
It’s like we woke up one morning and found ourselves in a Jerry Springer boxing-themed Twilight Zone.
5. No matter how many times we, the fans, get screwed by the sport, we keep coming back.
Being a boxing fan is like being the wife of a mobster—you’re associated with a business filled with scumbags, you know you’re going to be cheated on, and you’re committed to it for life.
Having a fight the magnitude of Pacquiao vs. Mayweather wind up in a toe-tag is more than just another black eye for boxing—it’s the sport’s equivalent of Riddick Bowe having his scrotum used as a speed bag by Andrew Golata.
But, as always, we’ll stagger back to our corners, leer at the ring card girl, and somehow find a way to answer the bell for the next round.
Source: bleacherreport.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
As Pacquiao-Mayweather fails, boxing proves its own worst enemy
A picture is worth a thousand words. So let's make a visual out of the current state of boxing.
Close your eyes and remember. October 1993. Las Vegas. The land is needed more than the building, so they fill the venerable Dunes Hotel on the Strip with dynamite, push a button and it implodes.
January 2010. The good ol' USA. No dynamite, just stupidity and ego. Same thing happens. Boxing implodes.
Last Sunday, promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank announced that Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines will fight Joshua Clottey of Ghana. The fight will be March 13 in the Dallas Cowboys' new football stadium.
Later that same day, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions announced that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would fight an opponent to be determined. The fight will be March 13 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
Yes, these are the two premier boxers in their sport.
Yes, they were supposed to fight each other.
And yes, that fight was supposed to be on March 13.
The world anticipated that one. Wallets and checkbooks were open. Sponsors were lining up. The estimated $60 pay-per-view tab even seemed reasonable. The bout would put boxing on the front pages next to the likes of Lakers and Dodgers, and in the same breath with them on the nightly newscasts.
This was a big deal, and then it wasn't. The fight was off. Mayweather's camp implied that Pacquiao must be enhancing his performances with drugs because he got so big and so good so fast. Pacquiao, with no credible hint whatsoever of any such activity, was offended, eventually said he wanted no part of the Mayweather camp and even sued for defamation.
Keep in mind that each fighter was to be guaranteed $25 million, and the likely final take for each, with projected pay-per-view revenue, was closer to $40 million.
In the end, this was an impasse the size of the Grand Canyon.
Then boxing made it worse.
By announcing separate fights on the same date, they split everything in two, especially their fan base. Television networks would have to choose. HBO is the sport's cash cow and it now must choose, alienating whomever it rejects.
Even if the two shows come off at different times with a two-hour difference from Central to Pacific zones, few are likely to plunk down money to buy both. Sports editors, website editors and TV program directors are likely to look at this mess, look at their ever-dwindling budgets and keep their reporters at home.
In essence, boxing canceled a Super Bowl and replaced it with two lesser events at the same time on competing channels. Nice work.
What ever happened to "United we stand, divided we fall"? In boxing, it appears to be "Every man for himself and take the other guy down with you."
If you are looking for a winner in this non-fight fight, it is probably the Pacquiao side. His fight with Clottey has the possibility of being competitive. It also has the attraction of a shiny new venue. Plus, whatever media attention is available, it will go more to the current star, Pacquiao. He has been backing up the Brinks truck after each fight for the last several years, while Mayweather, already retired and unretired once, has been less active.
Pacquiao, and promoter Arum, were in much better financial standing to walk away from a mega-fight. Mayweather has made millions, but has also fought recently, at least in part, for the benefit of the Internal Revenue Service.
Arum was Mayweather's promoter for many years, and is not shy about telling people he never made money with Mayweather and that Mayweather walked away from him just as his career became financially viable. Mayweather is now managed by Al Haymon, with whom Arum has dealt over the years for many fights. They like each other like cattlemen like sheepherders.
Walking away from these guys had to bring Arum at least a tinge of satisfaction.
The possibility of a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight later in the year will depend on several things, including Pacquiao's possible status as a congressman in the Philippines. If he is elected in May, he could conceivably do all his fighting henceforth in political chambers, not boxing rings.
Throughout this saga, Mayweather has acted badly, as is his wont. As recently as last week, with the fight and his likely $40-million payday falling apart around him, he issued a statement that used foul language and further insulted Pacquiao.
Ultimately, he trash-talked his way into the garbage bin.
The last word on this story will go to Golden Boy's Schaefer, who unwittingly summed it all up. Early on in the talks, he said, "If we can't make this fight, we are idiots."
Source: latimes.com
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Pacquiao, Mayweather deliver fans a final insult
It's bad enough that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. aren't fighting each other on March 13, after both sides detonated boxing's version of a nuclear bomb and destroyed the biggest fight in the sport over a disagreement on the drug-testing procedures for the bout.
Now they -- and we -- are stuck with meaningless alternatives.
Shame on everyone involved. Shame, shame, shame.
The sport and its fans be damned, they said.
This wasn't just the destruction of any old fight. It was one of the biggest fights in history being pulled out from under millions of fans who were ready and willing -- excited, even -- to shell out hard-earned money while in the depths of a recession, just to see the two best fighters in the world throw down.
It was a fight that would have made boxing relevant again in the mainstream, even if briefly, and a great opportunity for the sport to capitalize on its great momentum of the past few years.
But that came to a grinding halt because of pettiness, ego and insanity on both sides.
After more than a month of holding the boxing world hostage while bickering over drug testing, they failed miserably. It is easily the most disappointing turn of events that I have covered in 10 years on this crazy beat.
And now it gets even worse: In the wreckage of the dead fight, the geniuses/babies at Top Rank (Pacquiao's promoter) and Golden Boy (which represents Mayweather) are again giving the finger to boxing fans by planning fights for their stars on the same day in competing pay-per-views.
They've already wounded boxing, so why not just jam the knife in a bit deeper, right?
Competing pay-per-views is just dumb, but Top Rank's Bob Arum -- who deserves a lot of the blame for Pacquiao-Mayweather going down in flames -- and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer are just stubborn and arrogant enough to do it, no matter what damage it inflicts.
So Pacquiao is headed for Cowboys Stadium in Dallas to defend his welterweight belt against Joshua Clottey. If you can get past the Mayweather fight not happening (which I haven't yet), Pacquiao-Clottey is not a bad match, although it pales in comparison to a Mayweather bout. But it says something when the most interesting aspect of the bout is the stadium in which it will take place.
In fact, if you take a look at the poll that has been running on the ESPN.com boxing page for the last couple of days, it asks simply: "Will you watch the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium?" The results are stunning. With more than 49,000 votes in early Wednesday evening (and still counting), it was 69-31 against watching the fight. If you examine the breakdown of the state-by-state vote, every state had voted in the majority against watching the fight except Hawaii, which has a large Filipino population.
That is just anecdotal evidence, of course, as it is not a scientific poll. But it's pretty clear that the sports public is extremely angry that Pacquiao and Mayweather are not fighting each other. The backlash against any other fight is enormous and deserved, something the promoters just do not understand yet, although they will when both pay-per-views tank miserably.
Mayweather, meanwhile, plans to fight the same night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and seems headed for a match with either Paulie Malignaggi or Nate Campbell. Both are good fighters, but neither bout is remotely compelling and beating either means nothing for Mayweather. They are both horrible mismatches. Let me repeat that, just in case you didn't get it the first time: They are both horrible mismatches. Even as non-pay-per-views, Mayweather against either opponent stinks. For a $50 fee to watch, it's grotesque.
If you think the ESPN.com poll numbers are bad for Pacquiao-Clottey, the numbers for a Mayweather-Malignaggi/Campbell poll should be much, much worse. Why? Because yet again, Mayweather, who claims to be the greatest fighter ever, would be facing a much smaller man with virtually zero chance to win. There's a shock. That's what Mayweather has systematically done since arriving at welterweight in 2005 -- duck the best opponents. At least Pacquiao has consistently challenged himself by facing bigger men. In Clottey, Pacquiao will be facing a man who poses some danger.
What it boils down to is this: Instead of fans clamoring to spend $60 for Pacquiao-Mayweather, they are stuck with two far lesser fights on the same night with a pay-per-view tab that will run $100 or so if they want to see both men in action. Hopefully, enough folks will reject both, which ought to teach both camps a lesson.
Only in boxing could those who are the de facto caretakers of the sport take a glorious event and dump all over it. What these guys needed more than mediator Daniel Weinstein's last-ditch effort to help them see their way through the drug-testing issue was group therapy.
One of the interesting elements in this depressing situation is how HBO will handle it. For the past several years, HBO PPV has handled Pacquiao and Mayweather fights. Now, it's faced with the cold reality of making a decision on which fighter and promoter it will support. Top Rank is prepared to go it alone with Pacquiao-Clottey, but it would like HBO's support. Golden Boy has been dependent on and enabled by HBO since its birth.
I know it's a rough situation because HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg ain't talkin' and he's ordered his staff not to talk either. They've got some serious decisions to make inside the ivory tower.
Greenburg doesn't want to alienate either fighter or promoter. Nor does he want to alienate Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (who is paying a roughly $6 million site fee to bring Pacquiao to his stadium), especially since Greenburg was the one who championed Pacquiao-Mayweather being held at Cowboys Stadium in the first place.
So what's going to happen? Pacquiao is going to fight Clottey because he wants to get in a bout before his campaign for political office in the Philippines get rolling. (Side note: Would you really want Pacquiao, a guy who once signed a contract with Top Rank and then accepted a bag full of cash from Golden Boy to also sign with that company, representing you in government? But I digress.)
Mayweather, who has no real opponent to fight on March 13, continues with plans to fight on that date, although he ought to wait until June and fight Shane Mosley (assuming Mosley beats Andre Berto on Jan. 30).
I don't know for sure what will happen other than, no matter what happens, there will be no winners.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Now they -- and we -- are stuck with meaningless alternatives.
Shame on everyone involved. Shame, shame, shame.
The sport and its fans be damned, they said.
This wasn't just the destruction of any old fight. It was one of the biggest fights in history being pulled out from under millions of fans who were ready and willing -- excited, even -- to shell out hard-earned money while in the depths of a recession, just to see the two best fighters in the world throw down.
It was a fight that would have made boxing relevant again in the mainstream, even if briefly, and a great opportunity for the sport to capitalize on its great momentum of the past few years.
But that came to a grinding halt because of pettiness, ego and insanity on both sides.
After more than a month of holding the boxing world hostage while bickering over drug testing, they failed miserably. It is easily the most disappointing turn of events that I have covered in 10 years on this crazy beat.
And now it gets even worse: In the wreckage of the dead fight, the geniuses/babies at Top Rank (Pacquiao's promoter) and Golden Boy (which represents Mayweather) are again giving the finger to boxing fans by planning fights for their stars on the same day in competing pay-per-views.
They've already wounded boxing, so why not just jam the knife in a bit deeper, right?
Competing pay-per-views is just dumb, but Top Rank's Bob Arum -- who deserves a lot of the blame for Pacquiao-Mayweather going down in flames -- and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer are just stubborn and arrogant enough to do it, no matter what damage it inflicts.
So Pacquiao is headed for Cowboys Stadium in Dallas to defend his welterweight belt against Joshua Clottey. If you can get past the Mayweather fight not happening (which I haven't yet), Pacquiao-Clottey is not a bad match, although it pales in comparison to a Mayweather bout. But it says something when the most interesting aspect of the bout is the stadium in which it will take place.
In fact, if you take a look at the poll that has been running on the ESPN.com boxing page for the last couple of days, it asks simply: "Will you watch the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium?" The results are stunning. With more than 49,000 votes in early Wednesday evening (and still counting), it was 69-31 against watching the fight. If you examine the breakdown of the state-by-state vote, every state had voted in the majority against watching the fight except Hawaii, which has a large Filipino population.
That is just anecdotal evidence, of course, as it is not a scientific poll. But it's pretty clear that the sports public is extremely angry that Pacquiao and Mayweather are not fighting each other. The backlash against any other fight is enormous and deserved, something the promoters just do not understand yet, although they will when both pay-per-views tank miserably.
Mayweather, meanwhile, plans to fight the same night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and seems headed for a match with either Paulie Malignaggi or Nate Campbell. Both are good fighters, but neither bout is remotely compelling and beating either means nothing for Mayweather. They are both horrible mismatches. Let me repeat that, just in case you didn't get it the first time: They are both horrible mismatches. Even as non-pay-per-views, Mayweather against either opponent stinks. For a $50 fee to watch, it's grotesque.
If you think the ESPN.com poll numbers are bad for Pacquiao-Clottey, the numbers for a Mayweather-Malignaggi/Campbell poll should be much, much worse. Why? Because yet again, Mayweather, who claims to be the greatest fighter ever, would be facing a much smaller man with virtually zero chance to win. There's a shock. That's what Mayweather has systematically done since arriving at welterweight in 2005 -- duck the best opponents. At least Pacquiao has consistently challenged himself by facing bigger men. In Clottey, Pacquiao will be facing a man who poses some danger.
What it boils down to is this: Instead of fans clamoring to spend $60 for Pacquiao-Mayweather, they are stuck with two far lesser fights on the same night with a pay-per-view tab that will run $100 or so if they want to see both men in action. Hopefully, enough folks will reject both, which ought to teach both camps a lesson.
Only in boxing could those who are the de facto caretakers of the sport take a glorious event and dump all over it. What these guys needed more than mediator Daniel Weinstein's last-ditch effort to help them see their way through the drug-testing issue was group therapy.
One of the interesting elements in this depressing situation is how HBO will handle it. For the past several years, HBO PPV has handled Pacquiao and Mayweather fights. Now, it's faced with the cold reality of making a decision on which fighter and promoter it will support. Top Rank is prepared to go it alone with Pacquiao-Clottey, but it would like HBO's support. Golden Boy has been dependent on and enabled by HBO since its birth.
I know it's a rough situation because HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg ain't talkin' and he's ordered his staff not to talk either. They've got some serious decisions to make inside the ivory tower.
Greenburg doesn't want to alienate either fighter or promoter. Nor does he want to alienate Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (who is paying a roughly $6 million site fee to bring Pacquiao to his stadium), especially since Greenburg was the one who championed Pacquiao-Mayweather being held at Cowboys Stadium in the first place.
So what's going to happen? Pacquiao is going to fight Clottey because he wants to get in a bout before his campaign for political office in the Philippines get rolling. (Side note: Would you really want Pacquiao, a guy who once signed a contract with Top Rank and then accepted a bag full of cash from Golden Boy to also sign with that company, representing you in government? But I digress.)
Mayweather, who has no real opponent to fight on March 13, continues with plans to fight on that date, although he ought to wait until June and fight Shane Mosley (assuming Mosley beats Andre Berto on Jan. 30).
I don't know for sure what will happen other than, no matter what happens, there will be no winners.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
UFC chief: Floyd blew fight vs Pacquiao
MANILA, Philippines -- Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White blamed Floyd Mayweather Jr. for ruining what might have been the biggest fight in recent boxing history with Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao.
“I think [Floyd] blew this fight,” White said in a report by 5thRound.com.
“When another fighter starts dictating a drug test, first of all, Pacquiao’s never tested positive for any drug but Floyd’s going to make him go through drug testing? That’s ridiculous,” he said.
White was referring to Mayweather’s demand to have Pacquiao undergo an Olympic-style drug test, which, in effect, sent a message that the Filipino might have been using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). The demand led to the collapse in the negotiations and the cancellation of the fight.
The UFC chief earlier had a spat with the former pound-for-pound king in 2007 when Mayweather claimed mixed martial arts fighters can’t handle boxing.
White said that like other fight fans, he wants to see the Pacquiao-Mayweather match.
“I want to see this fight. I’m dying to see this fight.”
With regards to Mayweather’s random blood-testing demand, White said Floyd should have left the matter to the athletics commission to decide.
“That’s what the commission is there for,” commented White in another report by Sherdog.com.
“The athletic commission is there for the safety of the fighters. They drug test, they blood test, they do all those other things. For another fighter to be calling out another fighter for some type of blood work is [expletive] crazy. Just [expletive] train for the fight and fight; that’s what everybody wants to see,” he said.
The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight was supposed to take place on March 13. But since it was called off, the Pacquiao camp decided to take on Ghanaian Joshua Clottey on the same fight date.
Mayweather is also reportedly looking for an alternate opponent to compete with the Pacquiao-Clottey bout in Texas.
Moorer speaks out for Pacquiao
Former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, who worked with Pacquiao and Freddie Roach for the Ricky Hatton fight, defended the Filipino from allegations he’s been using PEDs.
“Manny Pacquiao has that work ethic that a lot of boxers don't have these days and a lot of people are jealous and a lot of people are trying to make something out of it because they don't know what hard work and dedication is,” the former boxer said in a report by FightHype.com.
Moorer added that Pacquiao has the best chance of finally breaking Mayweather's unbeaten record. Mayweather hasn't lost in 40 fights.
“I haven't been in camp with Floyd Mayweather, but I feel that Manny Pacquiao would give Floyd Mayweather that one loss,” he said.
Pacquiao, the current World Boxing Organization welterweight champ, has 3 losses against 50 wins. But despite the losses, the Filipino is heralded as today’s top pound-for-pound boxer because of his exciting style of fighting.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
“I think [Floyd] blew this fight,” White said in a report by 5thRound.com.
“When another fighter starts dictating a drug test, first of all, Pacquiao’s never tested positive for any drug but Floyd’s going to make him go through drug testing? That’s ridiculous,” he said.
White was referring to Mayweather’s demand to have Pacquiao undergo an Olympic-style drug test, which, in effect, sent a message that the Filipino might have been using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). The demand led to the collapse in the negotiations and the cancellation of the fight.
The UFC chief earlier had a spat with the former pound-for-pound king in 2007 when Mayweather claimed mixed martial arts fighters can’t handle boxing.
White said that like other fight fans, he wants to see the Pacquiao-Mayweather match.
“I want to see this fight. I’m dying to see this fight.”
With regards to Mayweather’s random blood-testing demand, White said Floyd should have left the matter to the athletics commission to decide.
“That’s what the commission is there for,” commented White in another report by Sherdog.com.
“The athletic commission is there for the safety of the fighters. They drug test, they blood test, they do all those other things. For another fighter to be calling out another fighter for some type of blood work is [expletive] crazy. Just [expletive] train for the fight and fight; that’s what everybody wants to see,” he said.
The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight was supposed to take place on March 13. But since it was called off, the Pacquiao camp decided to take on Ghanaian Joshua Clottey on the same fight date.
Mayweather is also reportedly looking for an alternate opponent to compete with the Pacquiao-Clottey bout in Texas.
Moorer speaks out for Pacquiao
Former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, who worked with Pacquiao and Freddie Roach for the Ricky Hatton fight, defended the Filipino from allegations he’s been using PEDs.
“Manny Pacquiao has that work ethic that a lot of boxers don't have these days and a lot of people are jealous and a lot of people are trying to make something out of it because they don't know what hard work and dedication is,” the former boxer said in a report by FightHype.com.
Moorer added that Pacquiao has the best chance of finally breaking Mayweather's unbeaten record. Mayweather hasn't lost in 40 fights.
“I haven't been in camp with Floyd Mayweather, but I feel that Manny Pacquiao would give Floyd Mayweather that one loss,” he said.
Pacquiao, the current World Boxing Organization welterweight champ, has 3 losses against 50 wins. But despite the losses, the Filipino is heralded as today’s top pound-for-pound boxer because of his exciting style of fighting.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Boxers should not set rules, Viloria says
The buzz about the cancelled Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout maybe over for now, but Brian Viloria is not yet done rattling off his take in the dream match that was billed as the richest in boxing history.
In a free-wheeling chat with reporters Wednesday, the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight champion said Pacquiao made the right decision not to give into the demands of the Mayweather camp to conduct an Olympic-style of (random) blood testing – a kind of test beyond the ordinary.
The governing Nevada State Athletics only requires urine tests for the proposed March 13 fight in Las Vegas.
Both camps did not see eye to eye with the issue, prompting Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter to cancel the fight.
“It’s a shame for boxing that Mayweather had to go down to that point (demand a blood test). Boxers should not set laws or rules but rather abide by them,” Viloria said.
“I don’t see the point why fighters should demand ‘you have to do this and do that.’ The commission should have the authority and not the boxers dictating what another fighter needs to do.”
With the collapse of the negotiation, Pacquiao has been penciled to face Ghanaian Joshua Clottey whom he’ll face in an 80,000-capacity stadium in Dallas.
“Manny is the draw here. Mayweather thinks he’s the draw but nobody cares about him,” Viloria said.
Source: mb.com.ph
In a free-wheeling chat with reporters Wednesday, the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight champion said Pacquiao made the right decision not to give into the demands of the Mayweather camp to conduct an Olympic-style of (random) blood testing – a kind of test beyond the ordinary.
The governing Nevada State Athletics only requires urine tests for the proposed March 13 fight in Las Vegas.
Both camps did not see eye to eye with the issue, prompting Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter to cancel the fight.
“It’s a shame for boxing that Mayweather had to go down to that point (demand a blood test). Boxers should not set laws or rules but rather abide by them,” Viloria said.
“I don’t see the point why fighters should demand ‘you have to do this and do that.’ The commission should have the authority and not the boxers dictating what another fighter needs to do.”
With the collapse of the negotiation, Pacquiao has been penciled to face Ghanaian Joshua Clottey whom he’ll face in an 80,000-capacity stadium in Dallas.
“Manny is the draw here. Mayweather thinks he’s the draw but nobody cares about him,” Viloria said.
Source: mb.com.ph
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The depressing realization that the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight is kaput is finally settling over the boxing community. As has been repo
The depressing realization that the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight is kaput is finally settling over the boxing community. As has been reported by Dan Rafael at ESPN and a variety of other news outlets, it seems that Pacquiao will now be slated to face welterweight contender Joshua Clottey while Mayweather is working on lining up an opponent for himself.
Both fighters are still planning on using the proposed March 13 date, which means that instead of battling it out in the ring they will be battling it out on the balance sheets to see who draws more pay-per-view sales and possibly gains an upper hand in further negotiations should the fight ever rematerialize. Yes, it's likely that after having our strings pulled for the better part of two months, that a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao could still rise to the surface in September of this year.
For his part, potential Mayweather opponents have been rumored as Kermit Cintron and Paulie Malignaggi, although a handful of other fighters have been named as well. Mayweather's fight will still likely take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, while Pacquiao will take a trip down to the Palace in Dallas to fight in Jerry Jones's new Cowboys Stadium.
After all of the back and forth drama, the media ploys and what ultimately amounts to an epic failure on the part of all sides, one question remains in the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight cancellation fiasco.
Lots of people deserve a share of the blame for Pacquiao vs. Mayweather not getting made. Starting with those who deserve the most...
Bob Arum: Yes, he of, "Yesterday I lied, today I'm telling the truth," fame. Throughout the entire affair Pacquiao's promoter was more interested in taking shots at Floyd Mayweather and his camp, and trying to work over the media then to work out a deal. As Golden Boy representative Richard Schaefer repeatedly told media outlets that the fight could still get done and only small issues needed to be ironed out, Arum jumped at every opportunity to say the fight was dead.
Arum formerly promoted Mayweather, until their relationship turned sour and Mayweather bought his way out of the contract. Arum's stubborn refusal to work amiably with Mayweather when it would have benefited everyone involved was one of the driving factors of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight
Pacquiao Vs. Mayweather Comes to a Screeching Halt, Who's to Blame?
being tanked.
Manny Pacquiao: Boxers are superstitious people. That's why they have such rigid routines and it forms the basis of some of their courage to step into the ring and exchange thunderous shots to the face with one another. However, Pacquiao's superstitious belief that having his blood drawn would make him weak and his resulting refusal to adhere to the demands of Mayweather was the final boulder that could not be moved out of the way for the mega-fight to get made. Ultimately, if you are a clean fighter, why wouldn't you agree to have your blood taken for $50 million?
Floyd Mayweather: Accusing Pacquiao of taking steroids was a win-win media ploy for Mayweather... except if Pacquiao retaliated by refusing to take the tests and instead filing a lawsuit, which he did. For his part, Mayweather did compromise on many of the details of the bout, however at the end of the day his stance on Olympic drug testing instead of the typical commission-based tests gets the "he never wanted the fight anyway" tag thrown back in his face.
Fighting a junior welterweight contender such as Paulie Malignaggi while Pacquiao fights a welterweight contender would be further embarrassment. Not to mention, how can a fighter with the self-given nickname "Money", not cease his demand making, and let his fists do the talking for an absurdly rich payday?
Richard Schaefer: Despite being far less culpable than Arum, Schaefer could have come up with more creative negotiating strategies to get the fight made. Mayweather's camp agreed to a ludicrous $10 million fee for coming in overweight. Schaefer could have compromised on the blood testing demands of Mayweather and came back with a $10 million penalty for any pre or post fight positive test results.
There's more blame to go around too. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach for his media sensationalism and constant interviews one minute approving the bout and the next minute deriding it; Mayweather's father Floyd Mayweather Sr. for getting the Pacquiao steroid allegations started; fans, promoters and networks for aimlessly allowing the charade to play itself out and on down the line.
Somebody, anybody, needed to step up - or suck it up - and do something to save this bout. Nobody did, and it's truly an atrocity for everybody involved. Long, drawn out and venomous negotiations are a common occurrence for major boxing contests, but traditionally, the fight always got made.
The fact that this one didn't is a monumental catastrophe for all parties involved. Maybe the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout happens in September. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe one of the two guys loses their interim bouts on March 13 and all of the glam and glitz falls off the contest. At this point though, who cares?
Source: associatedcontent.com
Both fighters are still planning on using the proposed March 13 date, which means that instead of battling it out in the ring they will be battling it out on the balance sheets to see who draws more pay-per-view sales and possibly gains an upper hand in further negotiations should the fight ever rematerialize. Yes, it's likely that after having our strings pulled for the better part of two months, that a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao could still rise to the surface in September of this year.
For his part, potential Mayweather opponents have been rumored as Kermit Cintron and Paulie Malignaggi, although a handful of other fighters have been named as well. Mayweather's fight will still likely take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, while Pacquiao will take a trip down to the Palace in Dallas to fight in Jerry Jones's new Cowboys Stadium.
After all of the back and forth drama, the media ploys and what ultimately amounts to an epic failure on the part of all sides, one question remains in the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight cancellation fiasco.
Lots of people deserve a share of the blame for Pacquiao vs. Mayweather not getting made. Starting with those who deserve the most...
Bob Arum: Yes, he of, "Yesterday I lied, today I'm telling the truth," fame. Throughout the entire affair Pacquiao's promoter was more interested in taking shots at Floyd Mayweather and his camp, and trying to work over the media then to work out a deal. As Golden Boy representative Richard Schaefer repeatedly told media outlets that the fight could still get done and only small issues needed to be ironed out, Arum jumped at every opportunity to say the fight was dead.
Arum formerly promoted Mayweather, until their relationship turned sour and Mayweather bought his way out of the contract. Arum's stubborn refusal to work amiably with Mayweather when it would have benefited everyone involved was one of the driving factors of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight
Pacquiao Vs. Mayweather Comes to a Screeching Halt, Who's to Blame?
being tanked.
Manny Pacquiao: Boxers are superstitious people. That's why they have such rigid routines and it forms the basis of some of their courage to step into the ring and exchange thunderous shots to the face with one another. However, Pacquiao's superstitious belief that having his blood drawn would make him weak and his resulting refusal to adhere to the demands of Mayweather was the final boulder that could not be moved out of the way for the mega-fight to get made. Ultimately, if you are a clean fighter, why wouldn't you agree to have your blood taken for $50 million?
Floyd Mayweather: Accusing Pacquiao of taking steroids was a win-win media ploy for Mayweather... except if Pacquiao retaliated by refusing to take the tests and instead filing a lawsuit, which he did. For his part, Mayweather did compromise on many of the details of the bout, however at the end of the day his stance on Olympic drug testing instead of the typical commission-based tests gets the "he never wanted the fight anyway" tag thrown back in his face.
Fighting a junior welterweight contender such as Paulie Malignaggi while Pacquiao fights a welterweight contender would be further embarrassment. Not to mention, how can a fighter with the self-given nickname "Money", not cease his demand making, and let his fists do the talking for an absurdly rich payday?
Richard Schaefer: Despite being far less culpable than Arum, Schaefer could have come up with more creative negotiating strategies to get the fight made. Mayweather's camp agreed to a ludicrous $10 million fee for coming in overweight. Schaefer could have compromised on the blood testing demands of Mayweather and came back with a $10 million penalty for any pre or post fight positive test results.
There's more blame to go around too. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach for his media sensationalism and constant interviews one minute approving the bout and the next minute deriding it; Mayweather's father Floyd Mayweather Sr. for getting the Pacquiao steroid allegations started; fans, promoters and networks for aimlessly allowing the charade to play itself out and on down the line.
Somebody, anybody, needed to step up - or suck it up - and do something to save this bout. Nobody did, and it's truly an atrocity for everybody involved. Long, drawn out and venomous negotiations are a common occurrence for major boxing contests, but traditionally, the fight always got made.
The fact that this one didn't is a monumental catastrophe for all parties involved. Maybe the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout happens in September. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe one of the two guys loses their interim bouts on March 13 and all of the glam and glitz falls off the contest. At this point though, who cares?
Source: associatedcontent.com
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Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao
