Can Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Fight Still Happen?
One of the best pound for pound boxers in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr., is set to face Marcos Maidana on Sept. 13.
Manny Pacquiao, on the hand, is set to face Chris Algieri in Nov. 22 in China. Both are must-watch events, but neither are the annual "superfight" that we should be watching.
Certainly, neither fight has the appeal that one fight in particular would -- Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.
Of course, Pacquiao and Mayweather have crossed paths before, but constant disagreements have halted a fight between the two. It's very unfortunate and detrimental to boxing fans, because we used to witness the best boxers face each other. Boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman would all fight each other to see who the best really was. Even Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson fought each other five times.
A fight between the two would be very beneficial for both boxers for a number of reasons. Latin Post takes a look at the reasons that both Mayweather and Pacquiao would want to get in the ring with each other:
Floyd Mayweather
"Money" Mayweather is undefeated in his career at 46-0.
He's said multiple times that reaching 50-0 is a something he is "chasing."Although Mayweather is undefeated and doesn't have a single stain on his losses column, he always seems to avoid adversity. Fighting and defeating Pacquiao would be the perfect and ideal situation for Mayweather to quiet his critics, and get the biggest victory of his career.
If Mayweather is going to get this win, he's going to have to be less picky. Mayweather has never once fought outside of the United States. For some perspective, Ali fought 15 of his 61 fights outside the United States. As a matter of fact, Mayweather has fought his last 12 boughts all in Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, location doesn't show superiority, but it does illustrate that Mayweather isn't willing to change his ways or adjust.
Being the WBC Welterweight Champion, Mayweather will demand more money and a higher split. But the amount he is asking for is borderline ludicrous. It was reported that Mayweather "offered" Pacquiao $40 million for a fight that was estimated to gross around $300 million. Obviously $40 million is a lot of money, but that only comes out to about 13 percent of the fight.
Manny Pacquiao
The loss to Juan Manuel Márquez in 2012 really hurt. The knockout in the sixth round badly damaged a chance for a title shot against Mayweather. The Mayweather camp wants nothing to do with Pacquiao; even Mayweather Sr. has said he doesn't want his son facing the Filipino boxing star. Defeating Mayweather would do wonders for Pacquiao's career.
Still, Pacquiao has a lot to offer. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2000s, and he has said many times he is willing to take less money for a fight with Mayweather. Pacquiao has said on live television that he is willing to do a 40/60 split with Mayweather, but that's light years away from Mayweather's 87-13 offer.
One of the biggest disagreements between the two has been drug testing. In the past, neither have had any problems whatsoever with HGH or performance enhancers, but both camps can't agree on terms. The most effective solution for a fair fight, according to fans, is to simply have a drug test directly after the fight.
With both boxers nearing the end of their career, it's unlikely they will ever face one another. But maybe we will see them duel in the future, when both are well past their primes. After all, it's the least they could do for their fans.