This is a sight I thought I would never see. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, two of the greatest boxers of this generation (and of all time), touching gloves to settle once and for all who is the better fighter of his era.
It is a fight five years in the making, delayed by arguments over prize purse splits, allegations of performance-enhancing drug (PED) use, inflated egos on both sides, and all the other unpredictable circumstances of boxing.
However, on Feb. 20, Top Rank and Golden Boy, Pacquiao and Mayweather?s respective promoters, officially signed the long-awaited deal to fight on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Mayweather, an unorthodox defensive specialist, comes in as Ring Magazine?s number one ?Pound for Pound? fighter in the world. He has won world championships in five weight classes, generating some of the biggest gate events in the sport?s history, all the while remaining undefeated through 47 fights.
Pacquiao, a southpaw offensive juggernaut ranked third on the ?Pound for Pound? list, is the only fighter in history to win world titles in eight weight classes.
While both men share championship accolades and superior athletic skill, they couldn?t be more different from each other.
Though his antics have toned down a bit as of late, Mayweather has built a reputation of being a braggadocio ? as entertaining out of the ring as he has been masterful in it.
Contrarily, Pacquiao is a prototypical man of the people, a fighter who lets actions speak for themselves, all while being a Congressman in his native Philippines.
Fight negotiations between the two started in 2010 after Mayweather?s return to the ring after his brief retirement.
In Mayweather?s absence, Pacquiao began his meteoric rise in the sport, knocking out superstars such as Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto in a short span.
With Mayweather?s triumphant comeback against Juan Manuel Marquez in a unanimous-decision shutout in September of 2009, all signs pointed to a ?superfight? between the two best fighters in the world.
However, Mayweather and ?Golden Boy? demanded a higher purse than the 50-50 split proposed by Pacquiao and Top Rank.
In addition, according to a 2010 ESPN article on the negotiations by Dan Rafael, Mayweather wanted Pacquiao to submit Olympic-style drug tests, a request that Pacquiao refused. This led Mayweather to question whether Pacquiao was using PEDs.
The constant bickering between the two camps forced a deadlock in negotiations, and the fighters went about their careers.
For a while it seemed Pacquiao was losing ground after a controversial loss to Timothy Bradley in the summer of 2012. This was followed by a shocking KO defeat at the hands of Marquez, a bout that had many wondering if Pacquiao would ever step in the ring again, much less fight Mayweather.
However, Pacquiao has gained traction since then, and here we are getting ready for what could be the fight of the century.
When May 2 comes, two fighters approaching 40 years old will be sharing the ring. While each man has undeniable world-class skill, Father Time catches up to every athlete.
Moreover, other potential superfights, such as Andre Ward vs. Gennady Golovkin, or ?Canelo? Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto, rival Mayweather vs. Pacquiao in terms of boxers who are in the prime of their careers, and could be more compelling fights if they occur in the future.
However, Mayweather and Pacquiao are not just boxing stars; they are household names in the world of sports. This is a fight that will most likely shatter every pay-per-view and gate record in the sport?s history.
This is a fight clamored for by hardcore boxing fans and the general public alike, in a way not seen since the days of Ali-Frazier and Leonard-Hagler.
We won?t know for sure how everything will play out until May 2, but the five-year odyssey it took to set up the fight, the boxers? respective pedigrees, and the inevitable pre-fight antics all give this spectacle every ingredient to be the Fight of the Century.
