Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao figure to get record-breaking paydays for their May 2 welterweight title-unification fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. We won?t know until all the pay-per-view buys from HBO and Showtime have been tabulated, but it appears Mayweather could surpass a $100 million payday, which means Pacquiao would also do quite well on the short end of a 60-40 split.
The pressure is on. If these two come up with a stinker in the richest fight in history, the fight will go down in infamy.
The interested parties Wednesday played host to a news conference in downtown Los Angeles. Some 700 reporters were on hand. Everyone played nice. Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, couldn?t stop smiling. He might be 83, but old-school and hard-dealing promoters like Arum are never too old to enjoy money.
It was a festive, red-carpet affair, which seems weird because it?s boxing. What perhaps was most striking was the demeanor of Pacquiao. He was so relaxed ? like someone who is 100 percent at peace with life.
Is that where trainer Freddie Roach wants Pacquiao?s head to be? Or does he want him to be mad at the world when he enters the ring against Mayweather, arguably the best defensive fighter the past 50 years?
It seems the latter would be best. As it is, Pacquiao, 36, has been accused by Roach of becoming too nice at this point in his career. Then again, maybe Pacquiao without a care in the world is the one that can win.
There was one thing Pacquiao said Wednesday that was thought-provoking.
?I?m not worried about this fight,? he said in convincing fashion. ?I was more worried about fights with (Oscar) De La Hoya, (Antonio) Margarito and (Miguel) Cotto than this. I?m not worried about it.?
Really? Pacquiao was asked.
?We knew Cotto is a brawler and De La Hoya a good boxer and Margarito is a big guy,? said Pacquiao, who beat them all.
Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) is either delusional or supremely confident of victory. Which is it? If you?re putting money on the fight, that?s worth pondering.
Anyway, let?s face it, even if we think these two should have fought five years ago, we can?t help but want to see them fight now.
?Timing is everything,? Mayweather said.
He didn?t say whether it was good or bad timing, but maybe in his mind making us all wait this long will pay dividends.
