K-Zone Sports Scoreboard: Optimism-1, Skepticism-0
Just one day after I wrote about the two best boxers in the world preparing to sign on for tune up fights and how I hold fast in my belief that Pacquiao-Mayweather won't happen now, or ever, my skepticism was deemed unfounded. Yahoo! Sports boxing/MMA writer Kevin Iole broke the news that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is on a flight to Manila, Philippines in an effort to finalize bout agreements with Manny Pacquiao. Floyd Mayweather has already agree to terms on the bout so the only thing standing in the way of the top 2 pound-for-pound boxers meeting on March 13th is Pacquiao.
A couple things...
- Wow, who would have guessed that Mayweather's side would be the first to sign the bout agreement? Notoriously stubborn in bout negotiations, Mayweather may genuinely be concerned with proving his all-time greatness over lining his pockets. If that's the case, we should look forward to the best "Pretty Boy" we've ever seen, which is scary to think about.
- It sucks that I have to go skeptical again and bring this up, but everyone should temper their excitement just a bit. Although the bout is nearly final, as of right now it's just that, nearly final. There is no guarantee Pacquiao will sign the bout agreement for March, largely because of his decision to run for Congress in the Philippines. If he is serious about running for office, it may be better for Pacquiao, Mayweather, and the fans, for the fight is postponed until later in 2010. Why would I say this? It's actually pretty simple; if "Pacman" is running for Congress, would anyone really expect that he would be able to run a successful campaign AND participate in a proper training camp for Floyd Mayweather? Unless he plans on assembling the greatest political team ever, it's unlikely he could balance the two. The allure of the fight is the two best boxers today giving it the best effort of their respective careers to prove who is truly #1. Anything less than total focus on the fight from either fighter isn't fair to all parties involved.
- This is it for boxing. This is the brass ring for the foreseeable future. Now that the carrot has been dangled in front of the fans, anything less than making this fight happen will be the final nail in the coffin for boxing as a major draw in America. Sure, there will always be fans ready to dish out money for good fights simply because they love the sport, but if there is any hope of pulling in the 18 to 35 demographic that has begun migrating to MMA, Pacquiao-Mayweather is the only fight that has enough mainstream appeal to draw in casual fans. If this fight falls through, it may be impossible to stop people from permenantly moving on to a sport that consistently gives fans the fights they are clamoring for.
Updates as more details emerge. Fingers crossed......
***UPDATE***: I didn't want to be the "I told you so" guy when I said that everyone should relax about this fight but...I told you so. Bad Left Hook has a link to a website in the Philippines that is reporting Manny Pacquiao does not want to fight on March 13th, or the fall back date of May 1st, preferring to have his next fight in September. This is a major bummer, but like I wrote above, it could be for the best. A fully focused Pacquiao in September will be far more prepared than a politically distracted one in March or May. This should make for some fun rhetoric from Mayweather's camp. *Anxiously awaits flood of "Pacquiao is scared/ducking" claims from "Pretty Boy" fans/trainers*
***UPDATE #2***: Unleash the "Pacquiao is ducking" hordes! According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, trainer Freddie Roach believes that his fighter deserves a 60-40 split of the fight purse because he is "the bigger draw". Awesome, just when you thought the fight negotiations were good to well for it to be true, they were. This will be a major sticking point if Roach and Team Pacquiao are unwilling to come off their demands. If anyone thinks that Floyd Mayweather is going to accept 40% of the fight purse, they're out of their mind. It almost unfathomable that Pacquiao would more difficult to negotiate with than Mayweather, but up to this point, that's exactly what has happened.
0 comments:
Post a Comment