Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Fight: Lennox Lewis Says Super Showdown Should Happen in May 2015
Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis said Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao should stop trading barbs online and just make their super showdown happen in May.
Lewis said in a recent interview with BoxingScene there are several fights that could generate good revenue this year. But like many other boxing fans, Lewis is convinced the Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown is still the best possible fight out there.
"There are a few fights I want to see in 2015, but Mayweather-Pacquiao is still at top of my list," Lewis said. "Stop the madness and make it happen."
Previous reports indicated both camps are still exchanging counter offers in the negotiation. Aside from the fight purse split, the conflict between HBO and Showtime is also one of the biggest hurdles for the potential record-breaking showdown. Pacquiao is in contract with HBO, while Mayweather is under Showtime.
But according to Lewis, the network rivalry between HBO and Showtime should not be an issue, citing his previous showdown with Mike Tyson.
Lewis, an HBO fighter, faced Tyson, a Showtime fighter, in a super fight in 2002 after the two networks decided to work together.
Some analysts are also saying it is too late to make the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight because both fighters have already slowed down over the past several years. But like his showdown with Tyson that generated almost 2 million pay-per-view buys, Lewis believes the Mayweather-Pacquiao super fight would still set boxing records in terms of revenue.
"If we could make Lewis-Tyson happen with HBO and Showtime, they can get it together for Mayweather-Pacquiao and make history again," Lewis said. "People say Lewis-Tyson was years too late. I agree but it didn't stop it from being highest grossing fight in history at the time."
ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas also said earlier this week the right timing for the fight was five years ago when both fighters were still at their prime. But he said the best time to make the showdown happen is now because both fighters, knowing they are nearing their respective retirements, have shown willingness to finally collide.
"I think that opportunity was five years ago or maybe a little longer. That was the time to see that fight, but it might be the best time to see the fight now mainly because of the position they are in now in terms of both guys winding down in their careers," Atlas said via Fighthype.
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