In one of the topics that I have not written yet, I intended to forward the proposition that Floyd Mayweather will never fight Manny Pacquiao.
This came to my mind while I was watching a replay of the fight between Mayweather and Miguel Cotto.
In one of the shots in-between rounds, (I think it was after the ninth round) the camera was focused on Mayweather and blood was running from both his nostrils, after having received several good shots from Cotto in the previous round.
Then I concluded that there is a good chance that Manny Pacquiao would hand the unbeaten Mayweather his first defeat, if he agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao.
Manny made mincemeat out of Cotto when they fought.
Mayweather was not able to inflict damage on Cotto, as compared to the damage that Cotto wreaked on him. Cotto does not have the number of punches that Pacquiao could deliver, if he catches Mayweather on the ropes, as he usually did in the Cotto fight.
Then there is the intense competition between Showtime and HBO as to who would get the largest slice out of the biggest fight that is going to happen, after the advent of pay-per-view.
Indications, however, are now very positive that the mega fight will finally happen.
Well, money is money. The gross proceeds are estimated to reach $350 million.
Each fighter is going to have their biggest payday, to the glee of the IRS and Kim Henares.
Showtime and HBO, both run by very smart managements, know that there is enough for everybody. The most compelling reason on the part of Mayweather is that, he will never be proclaimed the greatest fighter in the world, until he defeats a presumptive heir.
His place in the Hall of Fame is assured, even if he loses to Pacquiao. But if he refuses to fight Manny, his installation will always carry a footnote that he never fought and defeated another great welterweight.
Perhaps, the urgings of all the great boxers before him – Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard among them— to fight Pacquiao is already taking its toll on Floyd’s reputation in boxing circles.
On the part of Manny, he has always been for the fight. He has actually nothing to lose. If he wins the fight, then he will be crowned the greatest boxer in this generation.
He would also have added more billions to his treasure chest, to insure him and his family the lifestyle that they have become accustomed to.
I think Manny really believes that he can beat Floyd. If he loses, then Manny can always say that he lost to the best. It would not be as painful compared to his loss to Marquez.
Their chance meeting in Miami probably finally sealed the long-awaited match.
From their body language, Floyd and Manny, beyond the front that they present to the public, probably realized that they are just two persons, with a lot of expectations piled on their shoulders.
If the fight does happen, it will be the biggest sports event in the world for 2015, and more people on this earth would know that there is a group of islands in the Western Pacific called the Philippines.