By Charles R. Saunders
Boxscore News - Nova Scotia
July 18, 2010
In the latest twist to the posturing that has plagued negotiations that are supposed to lead to a super-fight between pound-for-pound kings Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., a “deadline” has expired – and been ignored.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, set July 16 as a “deadline” for Mayweather to agree to a contract for a November bout. Mayweather did not respond to the deadline. So now Arum is open to negotiations with other potential opponents for Pacquiao, though not excluding Mayweather if Floyd’s faction wants to return to the table.
Pacquiao-Mayweather is the most anticipated and demanded matchup since Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad met more than 10 years ago. Remember what it was like late last year, when the announcement as made that Pacquiao-Mayweather would happen on March 13, 2010? Pacquiao had just brutalized Miguel Cotto, a fighter Mayweather had been accused of ducking. Earlier in 2009, Mayweather won an easy decision over Juan Manuel Marquez, who had proven difficult for the Pacman in two encounters.
The stage was set for a dramatic showdown between two superstars still in their primes. But the curtain still hasn’t risen.
Plenty of verbal punches have been thrown between the two camps. But it was the March 13 date, not either of the fighters, that got knocked out.
Mayweather’s camp threw a haymaker – a demand that both fighters submit to Olympic-style drug testing before the bout. This type of testing requires both blood and urine samples, and is done on a random basis. The stated reason for Mayweather’s demand was a suspicion that Pacquiao might be using performance-enhancing substances.
Pacquiao’s camp countered with a one-two combination. One: Manny refused, at that time, to accede to the random-test demand. Two: He filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather with respect to the drug-use innuendoes.
Deep dismay greeted the scuttling of the March 13 fight. But most fight fans believed the epic encounter was only delayed, not defunct. No one in their right mind would allow a $40-million payday to just disappear – would they?
Despite the disappointment of the cancellation, the boxing world’s appetite for the fight did not diminish. In the meantime, Pacquiao and Mayweather took other fights. Floyd easily decisioned Shane Mosley, and Manny did the same to Joshua Clottey. So between them, these two have made mincemeat out of four world-class competitors over the past year or so.
The only logical fight left for Mayweather and Pacquiao is against each other. Yet efforts to seal the deal on this mouth-watering event are thus far getting nowhere.
It’s all in the blood, it seems. As negotiations dragged on, Pacquiao eventually indicated he would be willing to undergo blood tests, but only within a 14-day “window.” But Olympic-style testing is done randomly. There are no “windows” involved. That may seem to be a small point, but it’s also a sticking-point.
This sticking point, along with whatever others may exist, needs to get unstuck as soon as possible. Pacquiao-Mayweather is truly a dream fight. If it never comes off, the dream will turn into a boxing fan’s nightmare.
Pacquiao possesses the speed, power, skill, and determination necessary to give Mayweather his most demanding test since Floyd first put on boxing gloves as a child. The question is: Will Mayweather rise to the occasion? That question will only be answered when these two exceptional fighters face each other in the ring.
I don’t believe either of these athletes is afraid to fight the other. I do believe that outside the ring, each man has painted himself into a corner. If Pacquiao agrees to random testing, it will appear that he is giving in to Mayweather. If Mayweather drops his Olympic-style testing demand, it will appear that he is giving in to Pacquiao. Hence, the standoff.
Somehow, a way needs to be found to pull Mayweather and Pacquiao out of their corners. Until that happens, the posturing will continue, fight fans will wait with growing impatience, and the ranters and haters will howl at the moon.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians Researchers.
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