I remember when pro football when on strike in 1982. The lockout wiped out weeks 3 through 10 and created the birth of the USFL. The fans were disgusted and it took a period of time after the sides all settled, to get the fans back into the seats. Pro football lost some fans because they got tired of waiting around for both sides to come to an agreement.
With Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, the fans have been waiting around as well. You can point at many factors as to why this fight has not happened yet. Some say that Floyd is ducking and dodging the fight because he is worried about losing his undefeated record. There was a short period of time when I myself thought that Floyd may actually be dodging, but I do not feel that way anymore.
Some people blame Manny Pacquiao for not agreeing to blood testing demands early on. Some people say Top Rank head Bob Arum has prevented the fight from happening because he makes more money stacking Top Rank fighters against Manny rather than Floyd Mayweather. Whatever theory you believe, the fight hasn’t happened, and it should have long ago. Advertisement
Has the waiting game taken away some of the excitement of this fight? Have the fans grown tired of waiting around for this fight to happen? Some Mayweather fans truly feel that Pacquiao has taken steroids in the past. The Mayweathers themselves have gone on the record on many boxing sites and boxing podcast shows expressing their beliefs on the steroid issue.
Pacquiao fans feel that Mayweather made up the steroid issue as to duck and dodge having to fight Pacquiao. There’s been a lot of finger pointing and accusations, and finally a lawsuit was filed by Pacquiao against the Mayweathers for slander, which is another obstacle that has prevented this fight from happening.
If this fight would have happened a year or two ago, it probably would have gone down as the most anticipated fight in boxing history. The fight still may happen, but will it have the same level of excitement as it may have a few years ago? Both fighters are getting older. Some say that Pacquiao may have lost a step or two in his last performance Vs. Shane Mosley. Yes he dominated Mosley, but he had some issues with his legs. Just a fluke cramp, or have the battles of Manny’s past shown a sign of aging with slower legs? Could be just a cramp, but you never know.
Of course if the big fight does get signed there will still be a lot of excited fans. Boxing certainly would benefit from such a big fight but has the bickering and stalling hurt it? Time will tell.
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