Manny Pacquiao Signs Extension With Top Rank Boxing, Is Floyd Mayweather Fight Now Impossible?
According to multiple reports, Manny Pacquiao and his camp have decided to remain with Top Rank for the next two years. His contract with the boxing promoting company was set to expire at the end of this year, and this will enable him to fight an estimated five more fights. Pacquiao is 35 years old, which is relatively old for a boxer, so it wouldn't be surprising if this is his last go around.
With one of the best boxers in the world returning for another two years minimum, everyone should be in high spirits, right? Not exactly.
Many believe that this contract extension has completely eliminated any possibility of a much anticipated fight with Floyd Mayweather. For reasons not 100 percent known, Floyd Mayweather heavily dislikes Top Rank chairmen Bob Arum. Previous contract negotiations in the past between the two have broken down. Mayweather is currently with Showtime and has repeatedly said he won't do business with Arum.
Mayweather is 37 years old and has shown time and time again he doesn't want to fight Pacquiao. Mayweather has never been the hardest hitter; he is more of a defensive boxer that avoids getting hit for most of the fight. In a list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time by ESPN, Floyd Mayweather ranked No. 48 all time. Mayweather knows that fighting Pacquiao will be by far his toughest challenge of his career, so he will "duck and dodge" his way out of such a match. Instead, Mayweather will take on opponents that don't deserve to be in the ring with him and have no chance of winning.
Over the last five years there have been many contract negotiations between the two parties. Locations, splits, blood testing, you name it. Everything must be agreed upon between the two best boxers in the world. The closest the two came to a match was in early 2012. After testing dates were agreed upon and Pacquiao agreed to take less money (40 percent), the Mayweather camp backed out. Mayweather specifically talked to Pacquiao on the phone and offered him a $40 million flat rate for a fight that would purse $300 million, just 13 percent.
Pacquiao obviously didn't take that ridiculous "offer" and Mayweather knew he wouldn't.
It's no coincidence that Mayweather has fought his last 11 fights in the same exact city, Las Vegas. He has also never fought a single match overseas. For some perspective, Muhammad Ali fought 11 fights overseas and Mike Tyson had five. Mayweather has shown to be a good boxer, but he is the pickiest in boxing history. With Pacquiao staying with Arum, it pretty much eliminates a Mayweather match, however, it appears it was never going to happen regardless.
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