DALLAS, TX – If the decision by LeBron James to play basketball in Miami is to be called “The Decision,” than the decision to be made next week by Floyd Mayweather as to whether or not to accept the most recent Manny Pacquiao proposal must be known to the free world as the RBD, or “Really Big Decision.”
If Floyd balks for any number of reasons such as he just wants to fight in March 2011 and not in 2010, well Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum is prepared but not too happy to go to Plan B (Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito) or Plan C (Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto) in any order.
Margarito still needs to get licensed somewhere and Cotto could be cleaned up to look better cosmetically to give Pacquiao a better fight in a rematch of last November but he may already be a punched-ticket if you know what I mean.
However Cotto carries the intrigue of giving Pacquiao an eighth world title (154 lbs) in an eighth weight division (junior middleweight) which would be some kind of a record.
Historians would need several asterisks to explain that Pacquiao would come into a second Cotto fight as the challenger for the second time against the same fighter at two different weight divisions.
As I drove through dreary, rain-soaked Arlington last night and looked over my right shoulder I saw a 100,000 seat arena with a retractable roof which would be perfect for a fight that seemed to speak to me, saying “Pick me Bob and Manny.”
If Mayweather balks on a November fight, he will slip out of the age group of fighters still in their absolute prime of under 33 and six months old. He would still be very good – good enough to beat Pacquiao on most days or at least five out of 10 times. But not at his best while Pacquiao with more fights and weight divisions under his belt is still only 31 years old.
Not knowing what is actually in the proposal makes it difficult to determine if it would pass muster with Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions or if it can be met with a counter-proposal on the key sticking points with enough time to get the fight in on November 13.
This fight has to be set soon or else time-wise, we will be looking at a situation where we run out of time to run a proper promotion to maximize dollars as is a main reason “The Fight” didn’t happen in March when it was being studied by all sides in November and December.
I hope time isn’t a factor this time.
Local Opinions
Sonny in North Dallas: “Mayweather needs to fight in November because going over the 33 and a half age limit could be the deciding factor in an otherwise close fight.”
Mike G in Addison: “I think Mayweather is serious and we are going to have a fight at some point, but as a fan I want it to be sooner rather than later because either guy could get injured or lose before then and ruin it.”
El Pelon in Uptown Dallas: “All big fights that I know of have happened and this one is no different. They are taking too much time with this one though. I can’t believe there isn’t enough money involved to smooth over any big issues. I’m hoping for a November fight.”
