Floyd Mayweather 'Calls Out' Manny Pacquiao; Smokescreen or Reality? [Poll]
Boxing fans around the world are still waiting for the Welterweight fight of the decade, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao.
For years, the two camps have gone back and forth, argued and even clashed on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. Whether it's the location, the fight date, drug testing or money, fans have heard just about every excuse in the book.
"We are ready. Let's make it happen. May 2. Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. Let's do it," Mayweather said.
So, is Mayweather serious or is he just reacting to Pacquiao's comments to show fans he's not afraid of him? Unfortunately, a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight still doesn't look very promising.
"I just want to be on an even playing field. Now he's in a very, very tight situation. He's lost to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, he's lost to Timothy Bradley. Pay-per-view numbers are extremely low. He's desperate. I wanted that fight a long time ago. I'm just waiting on them. Floyd Mayweather is not ducking or dodging any opponent. Bob Arum is stopping the fight," Mayweather said.
Not a very convincing argument by the current WBA Welterweight Champion.
Mayweather continues to bring up (and post pictures and videos online) the Marquez fight from 2012. How can Mayweather make the argument that Pacquiao isn't qualified when his only two fights for 2014 were both against Marcos Maidana? As we all remember, the Bradley fight ended controversially, but Pacquiao got his revenge in April 2014. Mayweather constantly blaming promoter Bob Arum for the fight not happening appears to have expired with fans.
It's interesting Mayweather said May 2--the exact date that Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto are scheduled to face each other.
Arum and Pacquiao have been relentlessly calling Mayweather out for a fight in 2015. There's a good chance that the only reason Mayweather made these comments was to show "he's not afraid" of Pacquiao and retaliate to his comments.
There are also two other important factors to remember that Mayweather conveniently left out. As ESPN Boxing expert Dan Rafael explains, Mayweather's numbers have been suffering lately. It's become obvious fans don't want see Mayweather face Maidana, and a fight with Amir Khan probably wouldn't bring high pay-per-view numbers either. The other aspect to keep in mind is that Pacquiao already agreed to random drug testing.
Other than drug testing and pay-per-view numbers, money is still the biggest thing keeping a fight from happening.
Pacquiao, the current WBO Welterweight Champion, has said multiple times he is willing to fight Mayweather for less, particularly a 45-55 split. The last offer we heard from the Mayweather camp was a $40 million proposal out of a $300 million fight, just 13 percent. The two sides are still split by a wide margin.
For most boxers, an 87-13 split with Mayweather would be a dream, but for Pacquiao, that's just unacceptable. Pacquiao isn't a "scrub" or a rookie boxer. Pacquiao has 57 victories in his professional career, 10 more than Mayweather. Pacquiao is still the WBO Welterweight Champion, and he was named "Boxer of the Decade" for 2000-2009. If a fight is going to happen between the two, the split is going to have to be much more even.
With Keith Thurman still undefeated, Timothy Bradley now 31-1-1, and neither Mayweather or Pacquiao having a scheduled fight for next year, 2015 has a lot of promise.
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