Now that a federal judge in Nevada has rejected his so-called emergency motion, Floyd Mayweather Jr. can?t run or hide from the deposition in the defamation suit filed by Manny Pacquiao.
But I get the distinct impression most boxing fans, especially those who respect the respective ring skills of both superstars in a sport which only has two ?megastars,? could really care less what happens with the litigation.
What the fans want to see Floyd and Manny mixing it up in the ring on ?the first.?
Meaning on the first chance they get…which appears to be May of 2012.
Mayweather has done his obligatory New York and LA pressers for the Sept. 17 Vicious Victor Ortiz fight (are you surprised Floyd did not slip and refer to it as a ?tuneup??) and he did all the huffing and puffing we?ve come to expect from boxing?s bloviator.
?We want the biggest and the best, Pacquiao you?re next,? Mayweather proclaimed.
But is merely hot air, just huffing, puffing and bluffing? Guess we?ll start to know on or about Nov. 13, the day after Pacman?s handled his business in the third bout against undersized Juan Manuel Marquez.
Meanwhile, I remain convinced Mayweather and his brain trust consider Pacman, who has a five inch reach disadvantage, as easy work.
Why, then, the hesitation?
If Mayweather?s hesitancy really is the random, Olympic style drug testing, why doesn?t he push the Pacquiao envelope, so to speak, by offering to pay the estimated $50,000 which such testing will cost for each fighter? Advertisement
There?s only two roads left for Floyd and Manny in this wearisome saga. They fight next year or they never fight.
I?m so tired of being sick and tired of all the poppycock, some of which emanates from both camps, that I?ve come to realize boxing can survive without a Mayweather-Pacman fight.
Floyd says now he may fight nine times beyond Vicious Vic, well line up the usual suspects. Maybe a Marcos Maidana or an Amir Khan can make a competitive fight against the “Money” man.
Ditto for Pacquiao, let Tim Bradley, even the slightly better than ordinary Mike Jones and other young fighters form a queue.
The world won’t end if these two never fight, I have learned exclusively.
The quickest way Mayweather-Pacquiao gets done is through a neutral third party.
But the selection of one is problematic which means it only gets done if Todd DuBoef for Pacquiao and Richard Schaefer are duly authorized by both fighters and by Bob Arum and Al Haymon to make the fight.
Mark down, mid-November until the end of 2011.
It?s then or never.
The more I think about it, never may be the more pleasant situation.
